Welcome to our CaringBridge website created to keep friends and family updated about Jesse.
Updates are in Journal. Write us in Guestbook. Photos are here and Cindi created a photo site with 2 years of photos you can order @ www.jessecobb.shutterfly.com/pictures/10 (
http://jessecobb.shutterfly.com/pictures/10)
Dear Friends and family of Jesse,
I'm Jesse's aunt, Alisa. I'm creating this site in hopes that it will assist Cindi and Dan to be able to communicate from a central site, as well as to receive, read, and contemplate your loving messages in one place. I'm Cindi, editing this later, in November.
On October 5, Jesse woke up as Cindi describes it, kind of "tippy". He had a field trip that day, and I, Cindi, asked the teacher to switch him to her car, and hold his hand when near streets so he didn't fall into the street. He had been sick the day before, so I'd thought it was just left overs from that. By the time he got home from kindergarten, he was tipped over at a full 45 degree angle, and one eye was almost closed. I freaked out and had Dan take Jesse to Kaiser immediately. The doctor was very concerned and ordered a CT scan, which revealed a brain tumor located in his brain stem. We were then taken by ambulance to Oakland Kaiser, for an MRI to diagnose the tumor better.
Subsequently, Cindi and Dan were given the bad news that the tumor (a diffuse pontine glioma) was inoperable and incurable. Treatment would consist of orally ingested steroids to reduce the swelling around the tumor. This would relieve pressure on Jesse's optic nerve and other symptoms temporarily until the tumor grew. Radiation treatments were recommended to further reduce symptoms temporarily, but only to buy a little time as the radiation would not actually kill the tumor. Later we decided that we would opt-out of radiation because we felt it would be too traumatic for Jesse, and we preferred to spend his last days at home enjoying each other.
On Saturday, Jesse was feeling much better, playing cheerfully with his legos figures in his hospital bed, and racing around in the walker he had been taught to use (the steroid is a miracle drug and will buy him many weeks of reduced symptoms). Before being discharged, he was fitted for a wheelchair, and Cindi and Dan were told they needed to be at his side at all times, as he would be unsteady and wobbly - side effects of the tumor.
Now, in November, Jesse's leg muscles have decreased a lot. He only walks with an adult holding both arms very closely. His arms are also weak and shaky. He takes 1 to 2 naps per day. His skin is pale and his face and tummy are bloated from the steroid. His personality has changed also from the steroid being subject to extreme moods and strong food cravings. But often, the sweet Jesse can still be seen. Hospice nurses come regularly, and all future care will be able to be done from the comfort of home.
They say Jesse's type of tumor is not associated with much pain, but rather that he will just become increasingly sleepy and incapacitated and simply will not wake up one day. But he will wake again in Heaven with Jesus.
The hospital staff were all very kind and caring, but this is certainly not how any of us imagined Jesse's future. We invite you to join us in prayer and healing meditation, in support of Jesse and his parents in the coming months.
We will continue to post updates on this site, and put out requests for assistance as needed. Please keep in touch through this website, sending notes of love and support for Jesse, his mom and dad, and his devoted sister, Abbi.
Alisa Moore (sister of Cindi) 415.547.9086 alisakmoore@gmail.com
