Help the NesSmith Family Overcome Medical Challenges

2/25 update from Marlea: Pet scan early this morning. We will go in exactly one week to get results from all the testing and know what the game plan is. Again, THANK YOU to everyone who has supported and loved on our family in any way! We dont know how to thank you enough but know that it truly means SO much to us.

2/9 update *** They are Home! When we left for the ER last Saturday, we never expected to wind up at Norton’s….again. And definitely never expected a cancer diagnosis when Novembers scan showed no cancer. While Jesse was in recovery, I was given the news and my mind went every direction possible. The main one being I have to get a full time job but how am I going to get a job and work and take care of Jesse when treatments or whatever the plan of attack is, starts, how do I work when my life just stopped, how do I tell Jesse when he wakes up, how do we tell our 8 year old, etc etc etc. But friends and family were rallying together behind the scenes while we were trying to process the news. Mamaw and Papaw have taken the best care of Raylea, she has been loved on at school and that means more to us then anything. Knowing we didn’t have to worry about our girl while we were trying to pick up the pieces of our shattered hearts . Our family has been shown an outpouring of love, support and generosity that is unimaginable. You took my main worry off the table. Because of that, we can focus on what’s next and getting a battle plan together. For that, we can’t thank you enough. We don’t know what the future looks like and while we know our God is absolutely in the miracle business, we also know that may not be His plan. We have talked and Jesse is going to fight like hell (I don’t cuss often but with cancer, you have to let it know you mean business) until God heals or he doesn’t want to be poked on or go to the drs anymore. Our prayer is healing and God to do what He does! Today, we have had time to go through the go fund me and see the names of those who have donated, those who have shared, those who have prayed and those who had our family on their hearts and we can’t wrap our heads around it. We got a delivery of snacks, drinks, toilet paper, paper towels and necessities. So many have reached out offering to help anyway they can. We are completely blown away. We will never be able to thank you enough. Thank you for loving our family and supporting us in this journey. ❤️

From July 2023 to Feb 2025, the NesSmith family have been fighting medical battle after medical battle for their dad, husband, and best friend, Jesse.

What started as a cough in July 2023 was found to be a 6.8 cm aortic aneurysm. He had open-heart surgery one week later (and was admitted to the hospital immediately upon finding the aneurysm). Open-heart surgery was not easy, but Jesse did great.

In February 2024, Jesse had a follow-up CT scan to ensure all looked well post-op. A nodule was found on his left lung at this time. This nodule was cancer and would require a left lower lobectomy (removal of the left lower lobe of the lung) and chemotherapy plus immunotherapy.

In May of 2024, Jesse had his lobectomy and followed that with chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

In November of 2024, after several months of draining/sick days of chemotherapy, Jesse had a PET scan and was “cancer-free.”

Finally, all of this whirlwind could be put behind them and they could move on with life and their sweet daughter.

In December 2024, the NeSmith family got the flu.

Jesse never seemed to be able to get over it. He was put on antibiotics a couple of times for pneumonia, and each time they would end, all of his symptoms would return.

He went to the ER in Feb 2025, and upon being scanned, learned he had a large amount of fluid in his left lung.

Jesse was transferred to hospitals and had several liters of fluid drained from his left upper lobe.

On Feb 5, 2025, the NeSmith family found out Jesse has stage 4 lung cancer in his left lung.

Marlea is a rock in the NHE community, spending much of her time at the school as PTO president, with a goal to make the kids smile. She is a blessing to the community, and her family has been through so much.

The doctor bills are piling high… with no end in sight.

Money does not take any of the sickness away, but it could substantially help lighten the load for the NesSmith family.

Anything helps! Thank you!