Gazette Live (KC) 09-May-08
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Appeal is launched to help other families
by Marie Levy
THE parents of inspirational Jessica, whose story touched the hearts of Teessiders today launched a fundraising appeal in her memory.
Jessica Harrison was a beacon of life - all smiles
Seven-year-old Jessica Harrison tragically lost her two-year fight for life against kidney cancer in November.
Just days before she was due to win the Gazette’s Champion Child of Courage died at home in New Marske in the arms of dad Andy, with mum Karen cuddled up beside her.
Today Karen, 32, and Andy, 34, are launching The Jessica Jewel Trust to raise funds for the other youngsters on the Children’s Cancer Unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.
They hope to be able to raise enough to buy a holiday home for patients and their families to use so they can escape to some form of normality.
Karen said: “We want to raise enough to buy a decent or brand new caravan at Haggerston Castle.
“That was Jessica’s favourite holiday park.”
The Northumberland holiday park is only an hour’s drive from the RVI and Macmillan nurses will visit patients on the site if necessary.
“We had been there a couple of times before she was poorly,” said Karen.
“All we wanted was normality for her.
“Unless you are in that situation, you don’t realise how much it helps the children.”
Once registered as a charity, it is hoped The Jessica Jewel Trust will pay for the upkeep of the holiday home as well as treating young cancer victims to special days out.
Little Jessica's dreams came true when Gazette readers raised £10,000 to make her last year a very special one.
She enjoyed a trip to Disneyland Paris and got to meet her favourite pop stars Girls Aloud at one of their concerts.
“We are really grateful to everyone that helped,” said Karen.
Now Karen and Andy are urging Teessiders to help families who are going through what they did.
The fundraising kicks off on Sunday, May 25, with a fun day at New Marske Sports Ground which will include a charity football match, bouncy castle and face-painting.
For more information, and contact details, visit www.thejessicajeweltrust.org.uk. Donations can be sent to:
The Jessica Jewel Trust, c/o Editorial, Evening Gazette, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 3AZ.
Cheques should be made payable to: The Jessica Jewel Trust.
Sponsorship forms are available from the Gazette offices - or from the jessicajewel website.
Please email details of any fundraising schemes to [email protected].
I’m going to look after this for brave Jess
Jessica Harrison lost her battle with cancer five months ago but her bedroom remains exactly as she left it.
Predominantly pink, it was the perfect home for the little princess who was only seven when she was cruelly taken from her parents.
Younger brother Jack, three, has only just found the strength to talk about his sister and go into her room.
But as he does, he picks up a teddy bear and says: “I’m going to look after this for Jess.”
Mum Karen said they visit the cemetery nearly every day and Jack blows Jessica a kiss and picks daisies to lay by all the teddies that mark the spot where she rests.
“At first Jack would not talk about her and he would not go into her bedroom,” said Karen, who together with husband Andy had to explain to the youngster on his return home from school one day where Jessica had gone.
“We said she’s still with us but we just can’t see her.
“At first Jack used to tell us off for crying. He used to say ‘I don’t like to see you sad’.
“Now he is starting to talk about her a bit more. He remembers whole conversations he had with her. He will say ‘Do you remember when Jessica said this?’”
Karen, 32, and Andy, 34, gave up their jobs to make the most of every moment they had left with their “special angel”.
Even now they cannot stop wondering why such a bright star was destined for such a short life.
“It has been hard. We have our up days and our down days,” said Karen.
“I can have a really good day and then something sets me off - I might be out walking and see something that reminds me of her or hear a certain song.
“It was really hard over Christmas.
“She had just written her Christmas list out. It had taken her all day to write it out of the Argos catalogue.
“All she had really wanted was a Fur-real Cat which we had bought in advance.”
Jessica's fight against kidney cancer started in 2005 when she complained of severe stomach pains.
She was given antibiotics but, on Mother’s Day in 2006, Karen noticed a lump on her stomach.
The brave youngster was referred to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary where an X-ray revealed a mass in her lungs.
She started a six-week course of intense chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove her kidney and half of her liver, but sadly cancer was spotted in the remaining liver and her parents were given the heartbreaking news that she was unlikely to be cured.
Jessica then tried a new form of chemotherapy and amazed everyone by the way she continued to live her life to the full.
Even when she was clearly in pain she refused to let it stop her swimming or horse riding and she went to see her friends at school whenever she was well enough.
“She wanted to go to school all the time. She loved it. She loved her friends,” said Karen.
The family’s hopes were built up and sent crashing back down again so many times. At the back of their minds, Karen and Andy knew their precious daughter could be taken from them at any time.
While friends and family rallied round looking after Jack and helping with housework, the devastated couple received nothing but a headache when they applied for financial help.
Karen had given up her job as a graphic designer and Andy, who was training to be a teacher, put his studies on hold to be with her.
“We had lots of problems getting benefits and we are still no further forward,” said Karen.
“We just feel we were penalised for losing a child.”
After months of struggling on with only income support for help, Andy has now taken on a part-time job at Royal Mail.
Jessica, whose middle name was Jewel, shone throughout her short life, always putting others before herself.
Karen said they cannot thank people enough for the way they clubbed together to raise £10,000 to make Jessica’s dreams come true after her story first appeared in the Gazette.
Now they want to help others who find themselves in similar situations.
Today they are launching The Jessica Jewel Trust to raise funds for a holiday home at Haggerston Castle in Northumberland - Jessica’s favourite holiday park - for youngsters on the Children’s Cancer Unit at the RVI.
“We had thought about it when she was getting poorly but obviously we wanted to wait a bit to have the strength to be able to do it,” said Karen.
“It just feels good to know we are going to be helping others in our situation. And it gives us something to focus on.”
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