Jess Fin Grant recipients
Thanks to donations and fundraising efforts we have been able to provide monetary grants to a few individuals in Lehigh Valley that have been diagnosed with a primary malignant brain tumor.
Meet Jamie! She is a 23-year-old Spanish teacher at Northampton High School. Jamie was diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a lime in February 2023. After many scans, she had brain surgery last April and found out her tumor was a grade 2 anaplastic astrocytoma glioma. They were unable to remove it completely due to complications and she has been taking chemotherapy to manage the remainder of her tumor. She will need to remain on chemo and get quarterly MRIs for the rest of her life.
Jamie is very thankful for the financial help.
Sue Redfield is a member of Bethany Church and a resident of Allentown PA. She was diagnosed in January 2024 with a glioblastoma grade 4 inoperable brain tumor. Sue recently completed 3 weeks of radiation and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment to fight her tumor. Sue needs some assistance, and the financial grant will aid in their ability to get some necessary equipment she needs.
Meet Sam, our 2023 Jess Fin Grant recipient! He is a smiley 4-year-old who was diagnosed with an Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) in March of 2023. ATRT is a very rare and fast-growing cancerous tumor of the brain and spinal cord that typically affects children under the age of 3. Sam’s tumor started behind his left eye, which needed to be removed to fully resect his tumor. Sam has had multiple surgeries and scans, received 5 rounds of intensive chemotherapy, 60 proton beam radiation treatments, and is currently undergoing maintenance chemotherapy. Amanda, Sam’s mom, describes Sam as a bright, happy, silly, and energetic little boy with lots of personality and love for his family, friends, Lightning McQueen, and best dog friend, Pippin.
The Jess Fin Foundation is so thankful for all who have helped us to raise enough money to be able to offer a monetary grant to help others who have been affected by this terrible disease. We know Jess would be very pleased to be helping individuals who have been diagnosed with brain cancer, especially a child.
Sam’s family is very thankful for the grant and said it will allow them to do something fun for Sam and provide comfort knowing they will need to take time off from work to care for Sam.