Erik Rees, whose 11-year-old daughter Jessie died of terminal brain cancer in March 2011, did something remarkable: he created the Jessie Rees Foundation, which distributes “Joy Jars” filled with toys and gifts to children with cancer. Jessie, who was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just 11, created the first Joy Jar while she was undergoing treatment. She filled it with toys and gifts to support children like her in the fight for their lives against pediatric cancer. Jessie’s motto was Never Ever Give Up (NEGU). Today, the Jessie Rees Foundation honors her memory and sacred mission by distributing hundreds of thousands of Joy Jars to children all over the world. Jessie would indeed be super proud. Erik Rees never did anything to deserve the mission of fighting cancer, which was unexpectedly thrust upon him. He not only fought cancer but also connected with something larger than himself by creating a path for philanthropy, which his father and countless others follow to this day. Life is often about embracing even the most brutally unexpected. Cancer patients must simultaneously fight the disease and heal from the treatment. When they need a break, that’s when their friends and family step in and keep up the fight on their behalf until they are ready to fight some more. Jessie Rees understood that a Joy Jar would not only brighten a child’s day but also help them maintain and build the resilience they needed to carry on. “A good leader should derive his or her power,” Vickers writes, “from his expertise, and by being the one his followers would select to lead them if they could choose a leader.” Having served as a pastor for almost two decades before Jessie was diagnosed with cancer, Erik Rees has deep experience providing spiritual leadership and ministering to others, including children. But it takes an unimaginably high level of compassion and resilience for Erik Rees to dedicate his life to supporting children who are suffering from the same disease that took his daughter’s life. Devoted to never ever giving up Jessie’s mission, Erik Rees never wavers from his clear-eyed vision and beneficent commitment to helping the children who need it most. That’s because Erik will always be Jessie’s dad. Even after she has passed away, he’s still being a loving father to her. That’s why Father’s Day matters so much. Today, as we fathers celebrate with homemade greeting cards and gifts, I’ll be reflecting on how Erik Rees is a paragon of fatherhood, a true role model for me and my sons.
Erik Rees: A Paragon of Fatherhood in the Face of Childhood Cancer
