Jesse’s Journey — Fighting for Every Milestone

Jesse Rounds came into this world a fighter. Born after a high-risk pregnancy and rushed to the NICU with doctors fearing he wouldn’t survive the trip, Jesse faced seizures, coma, and a flood

of unknowns before he was even a week old. By three months, his family was

given a devastating list of diagnoses: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, global developmental delays, cortical

blindness, and failure to thrive. They were told he wouldn’t smile. Wouldn’t recognize his family. Wouldn’t sit up, roll over, or survive past five. But Jesse had other plans.

With relentless determination — and more strength than most of us will ever know — Jesse began proving the world wrong. He learned to eat after being told he never would. He took steps in a gait trainer when doctors said he never could. He smiled. He laughed. He attended school at just 16 months old, with a nurse by his side.

He reached milestone after milestone — each one a hard-won miracle.

But Jesse’s journey hasn’t just been one of triumph. It’s been a relentless battle filled with heartbreaking setbacks.

For every gain, there’s been a loss:

• Mysterious comas.

• Seizures that refused to stop.

• Feeding tube surgeries.

• Heel cord release surgeries — not once, but multiple times.

• The placement of a baclofen pump… and two painful replacements.

• A bilateral pediatric hip replacement.

• Spinal fusion surgery.

• Countless procedures to inject medications into his body, fighting muscle tightness and pain.

• Hospital stays too numerous to count — each time, his family wondering if this was the fight he might not win.

Jesse’s progress has often been stolen back by his body’s unrelenting challenges. After years of fighting to eat by mouth, medical emergencies forced him back on tube feedings. His ability to

walk faded. His independence —something he’d fought for — chipped away with each setback.

And still, Jesse fights on.

Now 19 years old, Jesse is a young man whose size and medical needs have outgrown the options his family can provide on their own. Transporting him safely is no longer possible without a wheelchair-accessible van. Jesse can’t sit in a standard vehicle seat — and even

adaptive car seats no longer provide the support his body needs. The only safe way for Jesse to travel is secured in his wheelchair, supported by specialized equipment designed for his unique

needs.

We are hoping to raise $75,000 — the full amount needed to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van for Jesse.

This van will mean Jesse can attend medical appointments, family gatherings, and community outings without risking his health & safety. It will give his family peace of mind and Jesse the mobility and dignity every young man deserves.

For nearly two decades, Jesse and his family have fought through impossible odds, driven by love, faith, community prayers and an unbreakable spirit.

Now we’re asking for your help. Whether you give $5, $50, or $500 — every donation brings us closer to giving Jesse what he needs most: a safe way to move forward.

Thank you for standing with Jesse and helping us continue this fight.