It’s been a little over a year and a half since our sweet angel June flew back to heaven. We miss her every single day, but we fill the emptiness in our hearts by spreading our love for her to others through the June Jessee Memorial Foundation. Keeping her memory alive allows us to parent her even after death.

In June’s obituary, we announced we were forming a foundation in her honor, but it was just an idea we had contemplated, and its mission and goals were undeveloped. Still, the donations poured in. We spent the months following her death meeting with doctors, social workers, therapists, and other families to see how we could best fill the unique void in healthcare support services for families with children who have extensive neurologic issues compounded with medical complexities. Often these children do not fit in a medical category that provides resources and services to families. As a result funding for the necessary care for the child falls solely on the parents or caregivers, and the out-of-pocket costs are too enormous for the average family to swallow.

Thanks to the guidance of June’s neurologist, Dr. Liu Lin Thio, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, we created a special fund at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for families with children with neurologic and medically complex conditions. The hospital’s social work department administers the fund who makes sure the patients’ and families’ needs qualify for support under the fund guidelines.

With a clear mission in mind, we had our first fundraiser to celebrate June’s birthday this past April. We were overwhelmed by the support we received from our loved ones and community. Because of you, we’ve raised over $140,000 to carry on June’s legacy of love, bravery, and acceptance in less than two years since her death.

Below is a link to a newsletter from St. Louis Children’s Hospital about what we’ve been up to since your initial donation in June’s memory. Thank you for trusting us with your contributions as we formed June’s foundation. Our goal is to serve families in their present situation so they can spend more time loving their sweet child than sorting it all out. Much of pediatric fundraising focuses on research and cures – and that is so important. But so too is helping families with children who likely won’t see a cure in their child’s lifetime.

We are proud of what we’ve accomplished in this short time, and we look forward to what the future has in store for June Jessee Memorial Foundation. In the book “Man’s Search for Meaning” Austrian neurologist, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl says, “In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.” Because of you and your support, we can find meaning in June’s life and death and carry on her legacy in this special way.

On behalf of the children and families we serve, thank you again for your generous gift. You are helping families carry an enormous financial burden.

Sincerely,

Genny & Matt Jessee

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