Jesse Ruppert is 34 years old and the father of two boys. Maxwell is 16 and Parker is 5. He is a brother, a son, a grandson, a cousin, and a friend. Unfortunately as of November 2024, Jesse also became one of the many people in the world diagnosed with cancer. Jesse was diagnosed with tongue squamous cell carcinoma. His tumor in his tongue was 23 x 8 x 11 millimeters and pushing on a nerve.

On November 19, just a few short days after diagnosis, they removed the tumor and did a neck dissection to remove some lymph nodes and check them for signs of cancer. He instantly felt a little better once the tumor was not pushing on the nerve. Everything looked great and despite early warnings about the aggressiveness of the cancer, everyone had cause to be optimistic about the outlook.

When they removed the tumor, they also removed several lymph nodes in the surrounding area. They tested the lymph nodes and some showed signs of cancer. Still, even with this news, the general consensus was that they caught it early enough to stop it from spreading and that radiation treatments would help kill any remaining cancer cells. The doctors scheduled him for radiation treatments every day for six weeks.

During the second week of radiation he developed a lump on his jaw that they thought was a clogged salivary gland. They did a CT scan and found that it was another tumor growing at an alarming rate; right where they were doing radiation. To try and get a total picture of what was going on they did a PET scan. Jesse met with the oncology doctors on February 6, at which time they said the PET scan lit up his face, there was nothing they could do, and he was terminal.

His doctors said they can try to buy him some time with immunotherapy, but it wouldn't change the end result. Without any treatment he has less than six months. He is still waiting to hear more about the immunotherapy and how much time it may buy him. The tumors are growing, daily, and causing immense amounts of daily pain. Due to the diagnosis and ongoing treatments, Jesse has been unable to work. His family has been rallying together to help with costs, but we can only do so much.

So we are asking for help. Jesse would love to be able to help his mom with paying for bills, gas to appointments, groceries, and the eventual medical bills that will come in. He also has his kids to support, kids who are growing and constantly in need of things like food, clothes, shoes, etc. Not being able to help provide for these things financially weighs on him, and he has enough to worry about. That is why we are holding this fundraiser. Jesse has a very limited amount of time left. We don't want him worrying about everyday costs and expenses and we want him to be able to spend as much quality time with his boys and the family as he can. Any and all money raised will go to living expenses, medical bills/ expenses, travel to appointments, and final wishes, so that Jesse can create some new memories with Max and Parker, before the end.