Big-hearted Jesse steps out

Jesse has been the face of the Heartkids ball and received scholarship money from Variety to pay for dancing lessons and DJ and recording equipment as he plans to make his moves and grooves public.

Jesse has been asked to do workshops at Heartkids camps to inspire young children.

At six weeks of age, Jesse was flown to Melbourne to receive a donor artery after he was diagnosed with truncus arteriosis.

The condition is part of Pierre Robin Syndrome and Jesse was born with several difficulties.

They included a receding chin, a tongue that could block his airway and a cleft palette that meant he needed to be fed with a special bottle with tube feeds at night.

As a baby, he spent most of his time on his tummy due to his condition and had further surgery at four years of age when the donor artery narrowed.

Until last year, Jesse was also seeing a speech therapist up to three times a week.

‘Dancing is a thing I can do. You can express yourself without talking,’ Jesse said.

‘I kind of got into it when my school did an assembly when Michael Jackson died as a Michael Jackson tribute.

‘I began to mimic everything he did, including the moonwalk.’

Jesse is back on six-monthly checks and is expecting more surgery in the future.

But for now, he is at the studio three times a week, dances at school and at home and is branching into mixing music.

‘I want to get known for what I do and inspire people.’