Background

Jesse’s family launched Jesse's Foundation for Music and Dance Therapy, a registered charitable organization, in Jesse’s name as:

• a way to enrich the lives of others by making music and dance therapy more readily available to help other sick children and their siblings.
• a meaningful way to mark the first anniversary of his diagnosis and on-going journey with retinoblastoma a rare form of eye cancer

The Foundation's inspiration and namesake is seven year old Jesse Farquharson. In April 2001, after months of painful and traumatic chemotherapy, Jesse underwent a nationally profiled historic stem cell transplant. During his recovery music therapy was often the only comfort that stopped his crying.

Today Jesse, who is visually impaired, remains in remission. However, his hospital visits for procedures continue. Thankfully, his music therapy sessions (funded by his own family, not this Foundation):

• help him manage the stress of treatments (past and ongoing)
• help develop and manage his remaining senses
• bring him great joy