At the age of five, Jesse Gottfried was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Now at age 18, after lifelong struggles with the disease, Jesse is no longer able to attend college and had to quit his job on Long Island. He arrived at Weill Cornell Medical Center out of options – malnourished at just 84 pounds and unable to eat any solid foods.
Cue Italian-born Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi. The operation Dr. Michelassi invented and will try to perform on Jesse will involve cutting out the diseased parts of the intestine and reconnecting the healthy segments. All Jesse dreams about is getting to eat a juicy cheeseburger when the surgery is over!
Despite growing up with so many challenges, Jesse remains vibrant and positive and is otherwise like any other 18-year-old -- he updates his Facebook status before going into the OR and makes sure he’s listening to his favorite music as he’s put under anesthesia.
UPDATE: Jesse was happy to tell his surgeon, Dr. Michelassi that he can now enjoy a big bowl of pasta for dinner!
He not only feels like his growing physically again, he is starting to enjoy life again. Not long after recovering from surgery, Jesse was able to drive again, which he loves. He’s able to go see friends again, enjoying a new kind of freedom and enjoying becoming independent again.
After going through so much already in his young life, it feels like a whole new start for Jesse.
