Danielle Hoffman: The powerful lesson 12-year-old Jessie taught us about strength

That’s the same number of Joy Jars that Jessie Reese distributed to children with cancer before she died at age 12. Terminal brain cancer. Thinking compassionately about other children like herself, Jessie knew how to build a young patient’s resilience with a joy jar filled with gifts, toys and hats – since many children lose their hair during treatment. The Jessie Rees Foundation honors her legacy by holding Mobile Joy Jar events across the country and distributing hundreds of thousands of Joy Jars to children around the world.

Jesse’s motto was “Never Give Up” (NEGU).

My late wife Kim taught me how to honor our loved ones by focusing on something that will outlast us

My sons and I have supported the Jessie Reese Foundation since my wife, Kim, died of cancer nearly five years ago. We will always be grateful to Jessie for showing us the path to philanthropy, helping to soothe our broken hearts. We also express our deep gratitude to the generous corporate sponsors who make this mission possible.

We understood that this day is more important than any other day for children fighting cancer. We are wired to connect with something bigger than ourselves. And we learned a profound lesson from Jesse: Joy flows both ways—from the child who opens the joy jar directly to the person who fills it.

John Roberts is a busy man. He brought with him his wife and two children, who undoubtedly had plenty of other things to do that day but chose instead to join our mission. As did my dear friend and former CIA colleague Alan, whom I have known for nearly 40 years; My son Nathan’s soccer teammates and parents; Liu, A High school basketball star who underwent 60 chemotherapy treatments for a benign but invasive desmoid tumor in his back; and many other family members and friends.

Fox News contributor Daniel Hoffman and Fox News anchor John Roberts participate in a Mobile Joy Jar event on the basketball court at Onelife Fitness Gym in Tysons Corner, Virginia, on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

The Nathan Elementary School teacher, who was undergoing cancer treatment while raising two young children, stuffed Joey Jars for three hours in the morning, as did the mother whose son received Joey Jars years ago when he was fighting childhood cancer.

He lost his daughter to childhood cancer. But his love and her legacy are stronger than ever

A US Army officer Who happened to be working out at our gym—and showed the kind of situational awareness one would expect from a member of the armed forces—he discovered our group and volunteered on the spot. He stuffed Joey Jarz all day long. Married with three children, he took time to thank Nathan for his public service and gave him an Army challenge coin.

When I met Eric Ries before the first Mobile Joy Jar event in 2022, we shared a poignant moment about losing loved ones to cancer. “I miss my daughter every day, but she would be so proud,” Eric told me.

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Jessie would have been really proud of us, as would Kim, who told our children before she died that she would be their daughter. Guardian angelwatching them.

Jessie Reese brings out the best in us.

Kim told our kids that she would be their guardian angel, watching over them. (Daniel Hoffman)

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That Saturday, we had a common goal. We understood that this day is more important than any other for children fighting cancer. We are wired to connect with something bigger than ourselves. And we learned a profound lesson from Jesse: Joy flows both ways—from the child who opens the joy jar directly to the person who fills it.

It’s always a great day when I get a call from “America reports“Producer, I will have the honor of sharing the big screen with John Roberts and his esteemed anchor, Sandra Smith. But on this day, I felt it was appropriate to take some time away from analyzing the national security challenges of the time to appreciate and embrace our shared humanity.

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