What is the History of Jesicas Hope Chest?
Jesica’s Hope Chest, Inc. (a foundation for critically ill children) was conceived in May 2000 when Mack Mahoney, a custom homebuilder in Louisburg, NC met a little 14 year old Hispanic girl named Yesica Santillan. Yesica, is her given name, but she prefers the English pronunciation, “Jesica”. Unfortunately, Jesica had a serious heart condition called ‘Restrictive Cardiomyopathy’, which means she would need a ‘heart and lung transplant’ within a couple of years, or she would die. Mr. Mahoney learned that it would require more than $500,000.00 to perform this extremely complex surgery and hundreds of thousands more would be needed for medications, which Jesica must take for the rest of her life. With the knowledge that Jesica’s parents had no money, no medical insurance and could not qualify for U.S. government programs, Mack Mahoney began searching for a way to save Jesica’s life. He made contact with many local, business and community leaders to discuss various options. It was decided
