In memory
Legacy
As we remember her life after her passing, it's obvious how many lives Jess touched.
A note from the director
Jess was wise beyond her years. She inspired me to challenge my limitations. She demonstrated grace and bravery in the face of insurmountable obstacles. Pedro shared that she never complained, always smiled, and fought as hard as she could.
When Jesselyn was first diagnosed, she was given less than a year to live with treatment. She beat the odds — fought and won. For three years we got to see her smile, be it ringside at boxing events or in hospital.
I know that the waves of grief I feel are evidence of the love I have for Jess. She changed my life for the better and I will live the rest of my days with gratitude for having known her and a desire to make her proud.
Though Jesselyn has gone, our work continues — to bring more hope to this world and raise awareness for other children and families. 🤍🕊️
May her memory be a blessing
— Emily
The fund
Keeping her fight going
Jesselyn's big goal after her diagnosis was to give others in the middle of their fight more hope. We've raised over $50,000 in her memory — and we're aiming for $100,000.
That won't just help other families; it will fund life-saving DIPG and brain cancer research at a time when federal funding has become scarce. Our focus now is making her fund permanent, so it keeps helping people long after us.
World Boxing Council
Our partners at the WBC came on to raise awareness around the film and brain cancer by “Going Grey in May,” with a custom commemorative belt made in Jesselyn's honour.
CURE Childhood Cancer
The Jesselyn “JessZilla” Silva Fund supports brain cancer research and provides direct support to families in the middle of their own fight.
Archive
Jesselyn through the years
Beyond being the star of our film, Jesselyn was well known and loved in the boxing world — from promoting her book My Corner of the Ring to speaking about being a female champion. She worked hard to be a public figure, hoping to inspire more women and girls to pick up boxing.
- CBS 9-year-old Jesselyn Silva on her big boxing dreams
- Harry Connick Jr. Jesselyn with Olympian & boxing champion Claressa Shields
- TODAY Show Meet the 13-year-old boxer with her sights set on the 2024 Olympics
- New York Times Teaching with “Girl Boxer”
The boxing community has rallied behind the film — Mike Tyson and Laila Ali among the voices sharing her story. Add yours on Letterboxd.