A mile in Jessie’s shoes
By Dan Gordon, American Family Insurance Agency Owner (Rock Falls, Illinois)
I have a story. I wish I didn’t — but I do.
May 23, 2012. A day my family and I wish we could forget.
It started on Jan. 17 of the same year, when I noticed what looked like bruising on my daughter, Jessie’s, stomach. We took Jessie to the hospital, and they saw something they didn’t like. So, we went to St. Jude in Peoria, Illinois, where she was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma — cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It’s a disease that’s 90% survivable.
In between Jessie’s second and third round of chemotherapy, she came home for a week. Then she went back, and the doctors ran some more tests. The cancer had grown.
After the first round of chemo, it had shrunk by half, then it shrunk by half again. When they saw it had grown, they ramped up the chemo treatments, and that pretty much destroyed her liver. That was what took her.
My daughter, Jessie, passed away on May 23, 2012.
That feeling … it’s indescribable. It’s the most hopeless feeling in the world. I can’t even put it into words.
I played football for a long time, coached for a long time … I was a manager at Menards for a long time, and now I run an agency. I’ve had control of a lot of things throughout my life. Going through those four months with absolutely no control of what happened with my daughter’s life — it was horrific.
Losing Jessie is something my wife, Lisa, and I wish we could forget. Now, we want to help those who find themselves in similar situations.
Jessie’s Mile
Every year, groups of people raise money and run from different cities throughout Illinois to St. Jude in Peoria. Individual groups raise money, then run in shifts, with a big charter bus following them the entire way. It’s a really cool event.
We were excited to find a way to get involved in 2013.
One of the running groups starts its run in Champaign, about 90 miles southeast of Peoria. During their run, they pass through a town called Hopedale.
Lisa’s friends have a farm a mile north of Hopedale, and they always give the runners support. The August after we lost Jessie, the owners of the farm told the runners our story. They dedicated that mile — from Casey’s General Store to their farm — to Jessie.
The year after, Jessie’s Mile — the one-mile stretch of the run through Hopedale — was born.
We put on an event here at Rock Falls High School to get donations for the run. Last year, we were able to bring the runners in Hopedale $4,000 at Jessie’s Mile. We’ve done guest bartending, selling shirts, lanyards, anything to raise money for a great cause.
Protecting customers, too
Life insurance has always been an important component of my agency, but ever since Jessie’s passing, I’ve made it a goal to ask all my customers about it.
It’s such important coverage. Any contact we have with customers, we ask about life insurance. I say, ‘If you’re tired of me asking, tell me, and I’ll stop. Just don’t be mad at me when I ask you, because I’m going to ask until you tell me no. If I don’t ask, I’m not doing my job.’
Unfortunately, I have a story to share. It lends compassion to asking people about it. I wish I didn’t have a story, but I do. And I try to help my customers by sharing it with them.
I have a story. It’s a hard one to share. But I want to protect my customers and what matters most to them.
Making a difference
At American Family Insurance, we’ve been protecting dreams for more than 90 years. And we know that living in times of great uncertainty like these, the right support can make all the difference. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to whole-heartedly support our customers and communities — making sure we’re walking alongside them as they work towards their next great chapter, protecting and supporting them every step of the way. Because with the right support, any dream is possible.
Check out some of the ways we’re working to make a difference and build a brighter future, together.
