Jessica Tracy Kath

Jessica was born February 9th 1988 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas Texas as the only child of mother Kris Kath-Davis.She shared the Baylor nursery with her Birthday Buddy Vivian Ingram and they would remain friends until the very end of her life. Jessica grew up in Mesquite and attended Beasley elementary where she met her first of life long friends Kevin Belt.She participated in school plays, choir, talent shows and orchestra playing the violin.She also joined her first soccer team Blaze with Coach Tracy where she learned how to push and never give up even if others told her to slow down and not push herself so hard.Vivian was there with her and she met a lot of new friends that she would keep for many years to come. She was also a member of The Girl Scouts where her Mom was leader and Aunt Suzy was the craft lady. Yes, she was a very busy little girl, but she loved life and was happy with everything she did. Jessica also spent a lot of time at the hospital where she would receive blood transfusions every four weeks as her body did not produce any red blood cells. Diamond Blackfan Anemia is as rare as Jessica was. This would be a life long process for which she had no reprieve.It was there at Childrens Medical Center of Dallas that she met her friend Chad Marshall.They were both very young and dealing with the hardships of chronic illness, but you would never know it.When you would meet them all you could see were these two little kids who were always smiling and laughing and playing tricks on their nurses to make the infusions go just a little bit faster.Chad would be there for J in ways that no one else could be her whole life long, because no one else could understand what they had to deal with. During her middle school years she traded in her violin for an oboe.She fell in love with the uniqueness of this instrument and felt the need to stray a little from the family tradition of playing percussion.She also participated in school plays that would later help her with her career in entertainment at Disney.She made many friends here as well and was blessed with meeting her father and his family for the first time. As rocky as these years are for most pre-teens Jessica had a love of life and a heart that could forgive anyone anything. And she did, many times. She slowed down with her soccer playing, but kept her friends from those teams well after the last game was played. Moving up to Poteet and playing in the Pirate Band was a goal since The Girls , her cousins Lindsey and Jennifer started there.When she found out that oboes didnt get to march she was happy because she got to play percussion with her cousins.She started out on cymbals her freshman year and then moved to bass drum her sophomore to senior years.Watching her march with a drum that was almost as big as she was was something to see!She loved band and made so many more friends.J, Logan Morris and Lauren Akins, along with Meagan Green would later be called The Princesses when the Pirate band went to Disney for a competition. Band was Js whole life, but she did manage to participate in a few plays.(Her poodle Aussie was in the production of Annie with her)She also liked to baby sit her little cousins David, Jonathan and later, when she came back from Florida, Madeline.But band is where the majority of her time was spent and where all of her friends were.Marching on the field to Mr. Coulsons directions was something that she looked forward to each day. And still getting to play the oboe next to friends Sara Tumulty and Matt Coulson had her telling people she got the best of both worlds.The ultimate was marching with her cousins those four years. Erin came in her sophomore year, and then her senior year when Uncle Steve was her percussion instructor well it didnt get any better than that! After graduating she would only go to SFA nursing school for one year and the call the Disney would take her away from Mesquite.She moved to Florida and worked in entertainment i.e. she got to dress up as Dopey and Stitch on a daily basis and dance in parades and make children happy.She loved working in a place that made children so very happy and even volunteered at the Give Kids the World Village on her off days.When she turned 18 she said that she had met her goal in life, making children happy.Such a small thing to say but such a hard thing to do and she did it with a smile on her face, even if you couldnt see it under those costumes.J worked at Disney until her little body finally gave up from years and years of pushing to have a normal life and she fell out during a parade. She came back to Mesquite and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.She struggled for three years and went through so much pain and suffering, but did it with a smile on her face.She met her last, but very best, friend Meg Whittaker at St. Paul. They grew to be closer than any sisters could be. Like Chad, Meg has medical issues that drew the two of them close.They could talk about things going on in their lives that no one else would understand and in the last months of Js life before the seizures would take her mind from us it was Meg who gave comfort and advice that meant more than anything else.In the weeks preceding Js death Meg drove in from Beaumont each weekend to spend girl time and read to J, give her manicures and pedicures and just be there for her and hold her hand. They sang to their favorite songs and watched movies and did all of the things best friends do and never treated her any different because J couldnt talk. Jessica once said that she was glad that things happened the way they did because if she had stayed in Florida she never would have met her boyfriend Mike Lewis.They started out as friends and let things grow from there.He took care of her when she had her Lvad and was the one J went to when she was waiting for the call to tell her that she had a new heart.He was the true love of her life and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.And she did. Proceeded in death by her Grandfather Hurley Jenkins, Great Grandfather Herman Kath, Great Grandparents Leo and Lucille Englehardt, and her beloved teacup poodle Aussie. Survived by Parents: Kris and Aaron Davis, Jeff and Melissa Jenkins. Little brother Jaxon Jenkins Grand Parents: Darlene and Gaylon Kath, Sarah Jenkins and Fay Davis Great Grandmother Eleanor Kath Aunts & Uncles: Susan and Christopher Patterson, Steve and Bonnye Kath, Mara and Danny Rothman, Mike Davis and Russ Jenkins Cousins: David, Jonathan and Madeline Kath, Jennifer and Erin Patterson, Lindsey and Eric David Best Friends: Meg Whittaker and Kevin Belt And her more than just a boyfriend Mike Lewis In lieu of flowers or other gifts the family asks that you please visit Jessicas foundation website at www.jessicakathfoundation.org.It is a non-profit organization set up by the family to help keep Jessicas dream of helping medically challenged children going.