The Day Everything Changed
I had just turned seventeen when I lost my younger sister, Jessica, to Cystic Fibrosis. She was only thirteen years old. Just four days after my seventeenth birthday, my world changed forever.
There is no way to prepare for that kind of loss. There is no manual, no roadmap, no version of growing up that accounts for the moment life is divided into “before” and “after.”
Jessica was more than my sister. She was one of the strongest people I have ever known. Every day she faced the challenges of Cystic Fibrosis with courage, resilience, and a quiet determination that inspired everyone around her. She never allowed her diagnosis to define who she was. Instead, she lived with kindness, joy, and a spirit that continues to inspire me today.
When Jessica passed away, I didn’t know what to do with the overwhelming grief. Loss isn’t one emotion. It’s countless emotions that come and go without warning. What I did know was that I never wanted her life, her strength, or her legacy to be forgotten.
Jessica never let her diagnosis define her. She let her spirit define her instead.
Carrying Her Legacy Forward
For many years, I carried Jessica’s memory quietly. I honored her in my heart, in my choices, and in the way I approached life. Grief has a way of making you both fragile and incredibly strong at the same time.
As time passed, I realized that sharing Jessica’s story could do more than keep her memory alive. It could bring hope, awareness, and encouragement to others. Through my volunteer work with the Cystic Fibrosis community, my advocacy, and the opportunities I’ve been given to speak publicly, I found a way to turn my grief into purpose.
Every time I share her story, I think about the families currently navigating Cystic Fibrosis. I think about siblings watching their brother or sister fight a disease they cannot fix. I think about parents carrying both hope and fear every single day.
Speaking about Jessica hasn’t taken away the grief. But it has given it purpose.
What Grief Has Taught Me
People often describe grief as something you eventually “move on” from. That has never been my experience.
Instead, grief has become something I carry with me, not as a burden, but as a reminder of how precious life truly is. It has taught me that tomorrow is never guaranteed, that the people we love shape who we become, and that purpose often grows from the places where we’ve experienced the deepest pain.
Losing Jessica reminded me that life doesn’t wait until we’re ready. It showed me that the people we love leave fingerprints on our hearts that never disappear. Those reminders aren’t meant to hold us back. They help guide us forward.
I will never be grateful for losing my sister. But I am grateful for the compassion, perspective, and purpose her life continues to inspire in mine.
Purpose isn’t something you simply find. It’s something you choose, again and again.
The Mission She Inspired
My work supporting Cystic Fibrosis awareness isn’t something I chose because it made a compelling platform. It’s deeply personal. It is one of the ways I continue honoring Jessica’s life and ensuring that her story continues to make a difference.
Whether I’m volunteering, speaking at community events, appearing as Ms. USA Purpose 2026, or sharing the message of Crown Yourself First, I hope people leave believing two things: that every life has purpose, and that no diagnosis, circumstance, or loss can define a person’s worth.
Jessica taught me that strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s found in quiet courage, unwavering hope, and choosing joy even on the hardest days.
That is the legacy she left behind.
It is a legacy I will continue to honor for the rest of my life.
Christina Joann
Author, Speaker & Ms. USA Purpose 2026