Jessica Shayne Magid "Chai" Chapter
Jessica Shayne Magid was born on April 4, 1972. She was an alert, bright, talkative toddler. At 21 months, she developed a high fever and was very lethargic. After several tests, leukemia was the final diagnosis.
Jessica often visited Children's Memorial Hospital three times a week for treatments. Painful spinal taps, blood testing, oral chemotherapy, and whole-body radiation were the mainstays of her young life. She remained in remission for many years and continued her regular hospital visits. Lapses in remission did occur, but Jessica was a brave young lady who endured periods with extreme weight gain, loss of hair, and inability to grow to the height of her peers. Jessica had the smiles and optimism of an endearing child through all her travails.
The highlight of her life was celebrating her bat mitzvah at 13, leading a complete service, and reciting a portion of the Torah she had learned to chant in Hebrew. No one was more proud of her accomplishments than Jessica. As a gift from her father for her Bat Mitzvah, Jessica, her dad, and sister, Stacy, traveled to Israel in June.
Later that summer, evidence showed her inability to remember well, especially school subjects. She had endured a seizure earlier in the year and was having difficulty concentrating. New chemo was administered, but Jessica was not responding well. On December 17, 1985, Jessica was taken by ambulance to Lutheran General Hospital, where she clung to life for another week. On December 24th, she died, leaving a terrible void in the lives of all who knew her.
In 2006, the Jessica Shayne Magid "Chai" Chapter was officially formed to raise awareness and donations for the Leukemia Research Foundation. To learn more about the Chapter and events they host, click here.