The Cristian Rivera Foundation is currently helping a new warrior, and her name is Jesselyn Silva. Jesselyn is 16 years old and lives in New Jersey with her dad and her little brother. She was diagnosed with DIPG in July of 2021, but before that, she was on her way to becoming an Olympic athlete. We want you to have a better understanding of who she is.
Who is Jesselyn Silva?
- Jesselyn began boxing at the age of seven after going to the boxing gym with her father for the first time.
- In 2017, the New York Times featured the promising young athlete in an Op-Doc titled, “Girl Boxer: A 10-Year-Old Breaking Barriers,” which you can watch, here.
- In 2018 she became a brand ambassador for the athletic brand Everlast and was also featured in a book of short essays called, “Nevertheless, We Persisted.”
- Watch this clip of Jesselyn on the Today Show in 2019, here.
- Jesselyn’s love for books inspired her to publish her own called, “My Corner of the Ring.”
- Her favorite book series is “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
- Also in 2019, she ranked number one in the USA Junior Olympics National Boxing Championship (you can watch the winning match here).
- Jesselyn has been the subject of the documentary, “JessZilla,” since she was 10 years old (watch the trailer here).
On July 28th, 2021, Jesselyn was diagnosed with DIPG and her world stopped. Jesselyn went from having the quickest hands in the ring, to not even being able to bathe on her own. Most recently, she has undergone shunt surgery due to fluid build-up in her brain, but she and her family are driven by faith and believe God will help them get through anything.
CRF needs your help in raising funds to get Jesselyn into a clinical trial. We want to save her and give her the chance to go back to being the fiery competitor that she once was, but we cannot do it alone. Your donation not only means the world to us at the foundation, but it also means hope for Jesselyn and her family.
