Two years later, the Invercargill teenager can happily say he has won his battle against the disease.
To celebrate, he recently met the Warriors rugby league team, who helped him through his journey.
In late 2022, Jessie woke up with a sore leg while on a family holiday in Wanaka.
He thought it was cramp and did not worry much about it.
However, a few days later, the pain intensified and he developed a fever.
"I started getting pins and needles, and it kept getting worse.
"My legs were so sore that I couldn’t even move. It was excruciating — I was in such pain that I could not even be scared", Jessie said.
After undergoing several scans and tests, he heard the news he did not want to hear.
He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that makes up just 1% of all cancers in children and adolescents younger than 15.
"My first thought was ‘I’m going to die’ because every time you see someone who’s got cancer, you just see stories of people dying.
"And the thing is I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t vape, I’m just fit and there is all of these kids in my year who do drugs and drink — and I was like, why would I get anything? And something with just 1% chance."
While there was a tiny moment of questioning, he never let his feelings take over, Jessie said.
He had a good chance of recovery because the cancer had not spread.
Jessie and his mother travelled to Christchurch, where he started chemotherapy less than 48 hours later.
His mum told him they were "going to take it Southland style".
And they did. For about 11 months, Jessie went through several cycles of chemotherapy and did everything he could to improve his health.
He confessed while he was trying to be positive and focus on his recovery, there were some pretty tough days.
"Probably one of the worst things is the loneliness you can get.
"I saw people from school posting stuff and they were like in camps or doing things and I felt pretty isolated."
One of the things he had always loved was rugby and it was the game that had helped him through this challenging period of his life, he said.
While he could no longer play, he spent many hours during his treatment watching matches.
"I’d just be able to watch either the Stags, the Highlanders, the All Blacks and the Warriors.
"And it would get me out of my reality because I was focused on this, and everything else around me would just go away."
In June last year, after successful treatment and watching many rugby games, Jessie and his family heard the news they were wishing and waiting for — his body was free of cancer.
At Christchurch Hospital, when a patient finishes treatment or has been declared cured, the patient writes their name on a giraffe and rings a bell.
This was the only moment in his whole journey when he wanted to cry, Jessie said.
"It’s pretty relieving. It is hard to explain how you feel but it was pretty joyful and emotional the moment you ring that bell.
"It seems you release all the stress and tension when you ring the bell."
While Jessie still needs to keep a close eye on his health, having regular scans and tests to ensure the cancer has not returned, he tries to keep his life as normal as possible.
When he was at the hospital, he found out about Make-A-Wish, the charity which grants special wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
He decided to apply and asked to be able to go see a Warriors game as they were one of the teams which helped him through his journey.
Last month, Jessie, along with his brother and father, travelled to Auckland where his wish was granted.
Not only that, he was also able to be part of the captain’s run, meet the team and even do the coin toss at the start of the match.
He said it would always be an unforgettable moment.
"When I was there, on the field, it was quite surreal. I was walking in front of thousands of people who were cheering and screaming and I just thought about everything [that] led to this moment.
"So when I was walking that ball out, I felt it was the pinnacle — I felt I made it."
