She had two surgeries in her neck when she was only fifteen. She was self-conscious of the scars and the other ways her illness affected her body. Jessica is an excellent student who is very involved in school and the community, participating in choir, 4-H, Girl Scouts and training service animals.  She missed over a month of school due to her surgeries.

“I missed basketball games and other school activities. I definitely felt left out. It was very hard for me," she said.  

Her friends visited in the hospital. Her family was always there for her, and she found support from other cancer survivors on the Internet, but her struggle deeply affected her. She found herself crying at school, in the morning or at night.

“I went through cancer when I was 15,” she said. “Not everyone you see has had to do that. There’s not a lot of people who understood what I was going through.”

Jessica wished for an online shopping spree. “It just sounds like me,” she said. “Whenever I have money, I normally just spend it on clothes. I'm a very big shopping person. I love fashion and I love all the trends and keeping up with them. That's how I chose." She said her favorite thing to shop for was shoes.

Jessica’s prognosis is good. Although she will always have to monitor her health, she is done with treatments and surgeries. In the future, she plans to attend Boise State University to become a counselor and wants to one day live in a big city.

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