Meet Krista–lifelong athlete and mother of 3 little boys. Krista lives in New York and has been inspired by Jessie and her NEGU message from across the country! We love hearing amazing stories of inspiration and how Jessie’s NEGU message has touched the lives of others by inspiring them to Never Ever Give Up. This is Krista’s NEGU story:
With years of athletics in Krista’s past, her fitness level has always been high. However, after having kids she decided that she needed to spend some time getting herself back into the shape and fitness level that she was used to. After enrolling in a Biggest Loser /Shape Up challenge at her local gym, Krista finally started feeling like herself again and even pushed herself into 3rd place!
Shortly after. Krista came across Jessie’s facebook page and the Jessie Rees Foundation’s website. Her first visit to the page was on a Thursday, the day Erik, Jessie’s Daddy, writes his Jessie Journals. “I knew Jesse was gone by the way that he spoke about her. So I continued to read her page and was mesmerized by what a smart, caring, intelligently driven girl Jesse seemed to be. I wanted so badly to shut the page off and never look again. I was hysterically crying and couldn’t imagine what I would be like if one of my kids were sick or something much worse. However something about that note stuck with me and till this day still does. I vowed no matter how tough it was to read these stories and see the faces of all these young individuals fighting cancer, I would continue to support them.”
Krista especially connected with Jessie in her love for swimming. Krista used to swim in high school and was currently training for a triathlon. Krista tells us that while she felt that she was in her best shape, the triathlon was much more that she had anticipated. It was during her more difficult point in the triathlon that Krista realized, “I can not quit…I can never ever give up”. Knowing that there were kids fighting for their lives, Krista pressed on knowing that if they never ever give up…she couldn’t either. Krista tells us that keeping Jessie’s NEGU message close to her heart helped her through her challenging events. “I just kept repeating that there was no excuse to stop. I was healthy, my arms and legs worked”. She told herself, “Give it all you got”. Crossing the finish line brought a great deal of emotion to Krista—embracing this big accomplishment for herself and, at the same time, realizing that many kids would not have that same opportunity to accomplish their goals and dreams because their lives were cut short by cancer.
Thank you, Krista, for allowing Jessie’s NEGU message into your life and for believing in the power of Never Ever Giving Up. We NEGU for you!
Have you been inspired by Jessie’s NEGU message? We want to hear! Send us your NEGU story here