Freya Everly

The Jessie Rees Foundation was inspired by a courageous 12-year-old girl, Jessica Joy Rees — “Jessie.” After being diagnosed with DIPG on March 3, 2011, Jessie decided just three weeks later that she wanted to help other kids fighting cancer. Jessie was in outpatient treatment herself and felt a heavy sadness for children who couldn’t leave the hospital.

From that compassion, JoyJars were born — 64-ounce jars filled to the brim with toys and activities for kids battling cancer. Jessie also coined the phrase “Never Ever Give Up” (NEGU), which became the foundation’s rallying cry.

Today, NEGU’s mission is to encourage every child fighting cancer to never ever give up. They do this by connecting with families, bringing awareness to their stories, providing helpful resources, and offering continual encouragement throughout the journey. To date, more than 500,000 JoyJars have been sent to children in over 53 countries.

How They Supported Our Family

When Freya was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we were overwhelmed and searching for guidance. One of the first organizations that tapped us into their network was the Jessie Rees Foundation. My parents have a friend connected to the organization, and once the news about Freya’s leukemia diagnosis was shared, Marilyn got us tapped into their network—another life support that helped us feel anchored as we were weathering the emotionally turbulent first weeks of cancer.

In those early days, we combed through countless resource guides, trying to understand what support was available. Most resource hubs were outdated or incomplete—which is such a deflating thing to encounter over and over again. We found the Jessie Rees Foundation Resource Guide to be straightforward, comprehensive, and practical — one of the most helpful tools we found during those early, overwhelming days.

And then there were the JoyJars.

More than just toys, they carried a message of encouragement — a reminder to Freya (and to us) that she was not alone. That someone understood. That even in the hardest season of our lives, there was still joy to be found.

If you would like to donate to the Jessie Rees Foundation and help spread the message to Never Ever Give Up, you can visit their website here.