My little sister, Jessica

I really loved her

Jess was my little sister. Well, she was almost as tall as me, but she was two years younger anyway. She looked like me with long hair. Some people even thought we were twins! She annoyed me sometimes, but I really loved her. I loved her giggles and how funny she was. At the start of my Year 6 at school she got really poorly, really suddenly. Mum and dad told me that it was something called leukaemia, I’d never heard of that, but I had heard of cancer and it was a bit like that they said. Jess was in hospital for what felt like a long time, but mum tells me she was only ill for a month. Sometimes I’d go and visit her there. We played table football at the hospital or watched a film, or just sat together. All the doctors and nurses were really kind to me too and I could go whenever I wanted and chill at the hospital with Jess. But if I’m honest the machines and wires used to scare me a bit too. I don’t know how Jess was so brave, but she was. Lots of people looked after me whilst Jess, Mum and Dad were in hospital and we did some really cool stuff. I remember going to the car garage where they let me sit in an Aston Martin. That was kind of cool. But I did miss Jess lots, she was always heaps of fun to be round. I planned what we were going to do when the doctors had made Jess better and thought we just have to be patient.

Jess was really brave

Then one day I came home from school. It was really weird because everyone was there – like everyone! Mum and Dad told me what had happened, I just cried and felt so sad and depressed. We all thought Jess was going to get better but it turns out she didn’t. It felt so unfair, still does. And now I sometimes worry in case anything else ever happens like that, even though I know that’s really unlikely. Jess was really brave, with needles, and operations, and all sorts of things, so remembering that helps me be brave too. When I’m scared about doing something new – like when I started high school and knew literally no one, I remember how Jess just got on with things, and that helps me do the same. I always compare things to what Jess had to go through as then it never seems so bad!  I don’t know anyone else who had a sister who died and I miss Jess when I see other people’s sisters. It’s really hard without Jess. And sometimes I still cry. But mum says we all still cry sometimes and that’s okay. We talk about Jess all the time. We try to do fun things on her birthday and special days (we went to the beach this year and got soaked in the sea!) and we’ve got loads of her pictures and her things around. But I just wish Jess was still here. Properly I mean, rather than just in our hearts.

Team Jess

Since Jess died, I’ve helped mum with loads of fundraising stuff – it’s called Team Jess. There are loads of different events, but I’m doing a 12 hour gaming event to raise money for Children with Cancer UK and I’ve made a ringtone with the Team Jess song that mum’s friend made. Jess loved gaming with me, we always used to play games together, so I think she’d really like it. I really like mum’s Team Jess website so I’ve just started my own website too. This is where I blog about all the things that matter to an 11 ¾ year old boy, or at least to me anyway. I’ll be blogging about my fundraising event on there (where I get to game for 12 hours straight!) along with some other stuff too – like how I can solve a Rubik’s cube in 29 seconds and have even got a world ranking! If you want to follow me you can. I want to raise as much money as possible to get better treatments for cancer so other people’s brothers and sisters don’t die. I think Jess would like that. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and I hope I’ve not made you sad. Sincerely, Oliver Weaver (AKA King Cuber, AKA brother to the best sister in the world) See Oliver’s fundraising page