RockingJuJu

Little did we know that when Jacey's journey began that she would have an angel named Jesse McCartney watching over her.

Just one month prior to her illness Jacey began to take an interest in Jesse. Her friends had showed her a magazine with Jesse's picture in it. Jacey was instantly head over heels with the teen idol. She moved Jesse's CD Beautiful Soul to the top of her Christmas list. She watched the Disney Channel for a chance to catch him doing a show or having a commercial. He appeared on an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody called Rock Star in the House. Jacey must have watched it about 100 times. We all had the lines memorized...lol. Jacey's little face would light up each time she saw it as if she was watching it for the 1st time.

Jacey began to get sick on December 22, 2005. By Christmas morning she did not have on bit of interest in any present, not even the Jesse CD that she had wanted so much. She was admitted to ICU on Christmas day with the diagnoses of the adult cancer called Acute Myelomonocytic Leukemia. She was started on Chemo 2 days later. After the 1st week she began to ask for her Jesse CD. It brought a smile to her face each and every time. It became her escape from what was happening to her.

As her treatment continued on she had asked that her room be redecorated in a Jesse theme. The Home Depot took on this project for her and met with her to decide on color choices. The Home Depot also enlisted the help of Best Buy. Best Buy gave Jacey one of the best gifts anyone could ever give her, a copy of Jesse's DVD called Up Close. This DVD became some thing that was always playing on the TV in her hospital room. We began to buy every teen magazine that had Jesse in it. Jacey would take all the pictures of Jesse out and save them to be hung in her room that she was so anxious to get back to at home. She selected her favorite from the bunch at the time and it was hung in her hospital room. All of the doctors and nurses noticed that speaking of Jesse brought Jacey to a happy place. The poster became a conversation piece.

It was now February 2006. Jacey had lost all of her hair and was undergoing her second round of treatment. She missed her friends, her home and even school. We made Jesse decals to hang on the door of her hospital room. For that moment she forgot that she was sick and she forgot what she was missing. It followed with earrings,  pillow cases, t-shirts, etc. Anything we could do to help Jacey escape the gloom of the hospital. Hair Line Clinic came in to donate a wig to Jacey. Jacey was to decide what she wanted her new hair to look like. Imagine our surprise when she pointed to that poster of Jesse on the wall.

At night when Jacey would lay in bed we would talk about getting to meet Jesse one day. What it would be like, how he would smile, what she would say. It was nice to visit the fantasy world, nice to get away from the hospital that had became her prison. Jacey began to plan the birthday party that we would have in Jesse's honor. I began to write letters to find out how I could make this fantasy a reality. The answer was Jacey would need to wish for it. I contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Jacey's illness took a turn for the worst and she was back in the ICU hooked up to a ventilator and on constant dialysis. There were no more nights of talking about Jesse, just nights of praying she was going to pull through this. The nurses had asked for music to play for her. We brought in several CD's but the only one Jacey seemed to want to hear was Jesse's. Even though Jacey could not talk to us her body was telling them it was Jesse that she wanted. Her blood pressure would return to normal and her heart rate would be in the correct range when ever they turned it on. No other music would have this effect on her. The nurses had never heard of the Jesse McCartney guy but were soon singing along with every song. After a month of ups and downs Jacey finally returned to us. Seeing her eyes open and hearing her voice again was the best present I could have ever gotten. When she spoke it was Jesse that she wanted. She wanted to watch that DVD. She lied in the ICU barely able to speak but moved her mouth along with every word. Jesse had been with her touching her soul and giving her strength when the rest of us couldn't.

Jesse's birthday was quickly approaching and Jacey still wanted to have the party. She had planned it out. We would hang streamers, have balloons, buy a cake and play his music. The doctors had to be the ones to tell Jacey she was not going to be able to have that cake. She was put on a restricted diet to help her body recover. She was really to sick to have a party. Her father and I could not be there that day as we were driving 2 hours to meet with another Doctor about what are options were with further treatment for Jacey. It had became apparent that she could not continue the scheduled treatment. Gramma sat with Jacey that day. They couldn't have the party Jacey had wanted but they made a cake out of play-dough instead.

It was now mid April. Jacey would have to make her wish soon. She was so torn between Jesse and Disney World. She had been told Jesse was very busy recording his new CD Right Where You Want Me and doing film projects. If she were to meet him it would be a very short meeting verses a week at Disney World. She cried and could not decide. She asked what everyone else thought she should do. I voted for Jesse, Daddy & Justin voted for Disney. Jacey decided that she wanted to do what would make everyone else happy.

After being in the hospital from December 2005 all Jacey wanted was to be home for Easter 2006. She was released the day before Easter. She was so weak and could not walk on her own. She crawled up the stairs refusing to have help from anyone. She had to get to her NEW room to see Jesse. The Home Depot had done such a wonderful job. She had the new paint colors that she wanted. They had replaced her carpet gotten her a new bed with new bedding, they went all out. Best Buy had donated a new TV, DVD player and several DVD's and an Ipod. I had framed and hung every Jesse poster I could get my hands on. Jacey's face was beaming as she saw her new room! She wanted her Ipod loaded with all the Jesse songs I could find.

Jacey continued to grow stronger with each passing day. She was just starting to walk again when she went in to have her port removed just one week before her wish trip in May 2006. Complication had became her middle name and she once again found herself in the ICU. She was determined that she wasn't missing her trip and fought her way back to us again. We took our trip and had a wonderful time.

Jacey still talked about Jesse and thought that maybe she had made the wrong wish. My heart went out to her because I knew how much that would have meant to her. I was not ready to give up on making that wish come true for her. I found out that Jesse was having a concert at the New York State Fair in August 2006. It was a 7 hour drive but I knew we had to get her there. Jacey had a 80-90% chance of relapsing and I needed Jesse to give her strength again. I wrote a letter to the fair telling them of Jacey's story and how much it would mean for her to get to meet him even if were only for 2 seconds. They told us that they would send the info on to his management. Who knows what ever became of that letter but we never heard back from anyone. We took Jacey to that concert. She had no idea why we were driving so far just to go to a stupid fair. She saw they were selling autographed Jesse CD's and she had to have one. She even was willing to spend her own money to have one. She was glowing just holding it in her hand. Imagine her face when she found out why we were really there! Jacey was the happiest I had ever seen her. I cried as Jesse took that stage and Jacey's face beamed with a glow of sheer happiness.

Jacey continued to get stronger the relapse we were waiting for had not came. She celebrated her 10th birthday in September 2006. It was Jesse themed all the way. Her cake had Jesse singing to her, they played pin the lips on Jesse and did Jesse karaoke. She was still getting her strength from him and I had not given up on making her dream come true. In October 2006 I decided to make a video of Jacey's Journey and post it on youtube. Not long after I was contacted by a girl named Jenny who said she would be more than happy to give up her passes so that Jacey could meet Jesse. I could hardly believe my eyes as I was reading it on the screen. Jenny was so touched by Jacey's story that she was willing to do something so nice for her. I don't think I will ever see Jacey be as happy as she was the moment that she heard the words come out of my mouth that she would be meeting Jesse. It was all set up that Jacey would be meeting Jesse at a concert in Philly. It would be another long drive but worth every minute! The concert had to be cancelled and Jacey was crushed. Someone else on youtube , named Sadie had been touched by Jacey's story and started The Hugs for Jacey Campaign. Jacey was getting video hugs from around the world. It gave us great comfort to know the world was such a caring place.

Jesse's management was working on setting up another meeting. It was not looking like Jesse was going to be on the east coast again for quite awhile. They had asked if it was possible for us to travel to the west coast to meet him. At that time there was no way that was going to happen. We were up to our eyes in hospital bills and so on. They told us not to give up hope because they were going to see what they could do. We got an email telling us that a very generous man named Shawn Stanford from Microsoft was willing to sponsor a trip to L.A. for Jacey to meet Jesse. Not only was he going to do that but he was also going to send Jacey to Disney Land. The trip took place just before Christmas 2006. Jacey was so nervous about meeting Jesse. What was she going to say? Would he be nice to her? Would he care that she had really short hair? She made a dog for Jesse and named him Little Mac. Jesse was so sweet and kind to her. Jacey was at a loss for words and was barely breathing as she stood in the presence of this boy who had been with her through the hardest time of her life. She meet him at a grand opening of PacSun. PacSun gave Jacey $500 and her and Jesse went on a shopping spree. Jacey had to have everything that Jesse had touched. There will never be enough words to express the gratitude to everyone that was involved in making that dream come true for Jacey. It was a trip of a lifetime for her.

Not long after we returned home we got a call from The Dr Keith Ablow Show. They wanted us to come to New York and meet the woman who had started The Hugs for Jacey campaign. We flew to New York in January 2007 to do the T.V. Show. We meet Sadie and Jenny! Jacey was happy to meet two people who had done so much for her. The show had contacted Jesse and he made a special video for her. It made Jacey so happy that Jesse remembered her and he talked about the dog she had made him and about things they had bought as they shopped together. He sang Just so You Know to her. Jacey was still in remission and the doctors were shocked. It just didn't seem possible. Jesse was still giving Jacey the strength to fight this monster that had came into her life.

Jacey has now been in remission for 4years. Jesse is still a huge part of her life. She is looking forward to the release of Jesse's newest album.