09/08/2026
Joy Project #2
When I walked into Jessie’s home to talk to him about this Joy Project he had his young nephew laying on his chest. He says, “I didn’t get to have my own children because of my accident, so I baby sit my niece and nephew each week.” Of course, this means our Home Care Aide, Melissa, is a big part of making this happen for Jessie.
Jessie says that Melissa has helped him have several firsts recently. Since his accident, Jessie has been an incomplete quadriplegic. There are so many things he used to do but has not been able to do until recently. Jessie said, “I wouldn’t be able to do these things without Melissa.”
The "first" that caught my attention was that he was able to get on an ATV and ride it this summer. Melissa caught me at the office and shared this story after I introduced our Joy Projects plan to the team at the All-Staff Meetings. I can only imagine how much planning and work went into making this successfully happen for Jessie. (see picture)
Other firsts that Mellissa has made happen include him helping to repair his sister's car, something he used to do a lot. (see picture) They went on a fishing day trip with his family. (see picture) I forgot to ask what he caught fishing. And on a grander note, Melissa took him on a day trip to Chicago to see his nephew graduate from Navy bootcamp this summer. He says, “It was a long day, but I am so proud of him and was glad to be there.” (see picture)
If anyone knows how important simple routines are to anyone who has his injuries, then they know that Melissa and Jessie had to do a lot of planning and prep work to make these "firsts" possible. Jessie says, “As a worker, you don’t know how much it means to your client when you spend a couple hours with them to make something like this happen. The sense of freedom that they get is immeasurable.”
Meeting wtih Jessie and Melissa and talking about this was nothing short of amazing. I cannot begin to say how happy and delighted I am for them. I cannot wait hear about what they do next!
