As we celebrate 20 years of the Foundation Angel Program, we are sharing 20 stories of families we have served over the past 20 years.
This is Jesse’s story:
In the summer of 2023, Belinda reached out to us while in the middle of one of the most frightening moments of her life. She and her husband Jesse were moving from St. Petersburg to Brandon when she noticed the U Haul he was driving kept drifting to the left. She called him. Something was wrong. When they arrived at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, Jesse was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumor.
He fought hard. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. But after a seizure left him dependent on a walker and unable to drive, Belinda was carrying everything on her own.
Our Angel Team stepped in. We helped with lawn care, organized their garage (still full of moving boxes they hadn’t had the chance to unpack), covered electric bills, cleared past due tolls so Belinda could get her license reinstated and get Jesse to his appointments, and provided gift cards for their everyday needs.
In 2024, Jesse and Belinda were invited to our Evening of Hope. We were able to capture them dancing together that night. Sadly, it would be their last dance. Jesse lost his battle with cancer in the Spring of 2025.
Our hearts break when we lose one of our Angel families, because they become part of our family. We were blessed to walk alongside Jesse and Belinda, and we are grateful they never had to walk through it alone.
