To her younger brother Matthew,
To her aunt, she was considered an angel.
And to her honorary softball coach, a ray of light.
But most of all, she was an inspiration.
The always-smiling, princess-loving little girl died Saturday at her home in
“”She had enough,”” her mother,
Jessica was diagnosed at age 2 1/2 with chordoma, a cancer that attacks between bone and soft tissue, mostly in the brain or spine. Her case, which was atypical, was centered in the throat, her mother said.
She went through a year of chemotherapy, four months of radiation, rehab and other treatments, family said.
All the while, Jessica took dance classes, practiced hopscotch, made her famous egg salad sandwiches and posed for the camera.
“”She was such a brave girl,”” an aunt,
She also spent three years attending the
“”She always had on a princess dress and would dance into the classroom,”” said
Jessica also was an honorary member of the
“”As sick as she was, she was always smiling,”” assistant coach
Jessica recently started kindergarten at PS 46 in
But in September, doctors said the cancer had spread. “”All of a sudden it got out of control,”” her mother said. “”It took over. It’s horrible.””
Jessica leaves behind her parents, Denise and James; a brother, Matthew; two grandparents, six aunts and uncles and four cousins.
Services were being planned Saturday.