Remembering Jelani · In his mother’s words
Jelani Marcel Washington
Sunrise: December 3, 2009 – Sunset: May 20, 2025
When I think about our brief time with Jelani, it reminds me of being visited by an almost supernaturally beautiful butterfly. You bear witness to something special, beautiful, and even a bit majestic ever so briefly. Then it flits away, and you wish the magic could have lasted so much longer. We hope this foundation helps us to bask in his magic awhile longer.
Jelani was a sweet, kindhearted, gentle, and unique spirit with a keen, quick wit and calm manner. He was quick to joke, smile, laugh, and offer assuring words – often for long periods of time as he LOVED to talk about plants, bugs, politics, video games, and whatever else he was studying. He was never extremely fond of formal education, but he had an insatiable curiosity about the world, so he was extremely studious. He had an old soul and was always strong, brave, and valiant. Even when he was a toddler, we often remarked that he had characteristics like an old man. When he was small, he idolized Thomas The Train so much that his pre-k teachers thought he was autistic and incapable of fully grasping reality. I think he just loved the idea of helping people and overcoming obstacles. He outgrew Thomas, but he never outgrew his compassion for other people. Like his idol, Thomas, Jelani was also full of mischief and often left me scratching my head and muffling laughter at the audaciousness of his thoughts and commentary. He fell out of a tree once and busted his chin when he was about six – requiring stitches, which resulted in a slight scar and a white t-shirt so blood spattered it looked like something from a horror movie. When he noticed how worried I was about the injury, he told me, “don’t worry, Mom, it will only make me more handsomer.”
He fell off a slide once at the park and somehow landed on his face but managed to also damage the back of his head to the point we thought he might have a concussion. Both his cheek and head swelled rapidly like something from a movie. He was not seriously injured, but the “damage” was permanent. When his injuries healed, they left behind a newly formed dimple in his cheek that did indeed make him “more handsomer.”
He had gorgeous amber eyes that are perfectly replicated in Azaria’s face, so we still get to see them even though we do not get to see him. He had a rich baritone voice and was an accomplished storyteller by age 3, when his speech therapist said Jelani told so many good, imaginative stories she always hated for their sessions to end.
Jelani was unique and oftentimes misunderstood, and he did not mind because he was self-assured. We were rushing to get out the door one cold winter day when he was around 8, and I could not find an undershirt in his drawers, so I grabbed a lightweight red sweater from Azaria’s room for him to wear as an undershirt. A few weeks later, on a slightly warmer day, he came bounding down the stairs wearing the sweater. I told him, “you shouldn’t wear that shirt. It’s your sister’s.” He said, “but you gave it to me.” I said, “I realize that, Jelani, but it has ruffled shoulders.” He said, “I know” and stared back at me as if to ask, “why is that a problem?” I stopped fighting him, and he wore that sweater to school regularly. He told me he loved how soft and warm it was. He did not care about the ruffles in the sweater or the ruffles in people’s perceptions who might think it odd for a little boy to wear a garment like that. Again, he was confident in who he was – a little boy who was very comfortable with his masculinity and willfully unaccepting of misogyny and discrimination against people with “alternate” lifestyles. Being weird was a badge of honor in Jelani’s world.
My sweet, beautiful boy touched the world with a depth of care, curiosity, courage, and kindness that far exceeded his years. Earth was a better, kinder, funnier, entertaining, whimsical place because he was here. Losing him feels like we awoke to the sun falling from the sky. Life just cannot continue without him here in some form. We are compelled to honor his memory by keeping his generous energy alive because we need that kindness, joy, humor, and hope to keep going ourselves. Please join us on this journey and learn more about the special young man who set us on this path.
Moments of Jelani
A life full of love and curiosity
His first forever friend
One minute apart, a lifetime together
Jelani Marcel Washington was born in Fort Wayne on December 3, 2009, one minute before his twin sister and forever best friend, Azaria Lee Washington. Together, they became partners in merriment and mischief. As toddlers, Azaria called him JJ because she could not yet pronounce Jelani. To his beloved nana, he was always her precious “Peanut.”
Jelani & Azaria
A twin bond beyond words
A love that took root
Nature became part of who he was
Uncle Ephraim was Jelani’s idol. At two years old, Jelani made his first visit to his great-uncle’s hunger-relief garden, and he fell in love with gardening instantly. He never looked back. Even during the winter months, he nurtured plants indoors.
Jelani was not a big fan of formal education, but he was a voracious learner with an insatiable curiosity about the natural world. He often spoke of his garden, the research he would do regarding nature, and the importance of humans taking better care of the world to ensure adequate food supplies in the future.
Frogs, grasshoppers, bees, butterflies, and carnivorous plants all fascinated him. He wanted to protect vulnerable living things, just as he wanted to protect children who were being bullied.
Growing into his dreams
An athlete, a creator, and a storyteller
The year before his diagnosis, Jelani became a two-sport athlete participating in basketball and track. Jelani was always active and the picture of good health. He trained hard and entered his freshman year at New Haven High School hoping to make the basketball team.
He loved video games, cooking, and watching Gordon Ramsay. He imagined becoming a game designer or a YouTube creator, designed games on Roblox, and later proudly built a custom gaming computer.
“Just to let you know…” often introduced a surprising story about something he had seen, read, or done. We remember his broad smile, sparkling amber eyes, quick wit, and deep baritone voice.
Everlee and Eden
A library born from love
When Everlee and Eden were born on January 15, 2022, Jelani was twelve years old, and he loved being their big brother. Jelani loved babies and would have made a great dad.
Jelani’s biggest fear was that his twin baby sisters, Everlee and Eden, would forget him if he died. During the long days at the chemo clinic, he thought of them and often spoke of his concerns for them.
Each week, an area nonprofit called Kate’s Kart came through the clinic to deliver books for children in treatment. Although Jelani was never a big fan of formal education and reading, he very happily picked out books and activities from the mobile carts to give to Everlee and Eden. Some weeks, the volunteers even let him have two if he struggled to choose which book the girls might like best.
He thought back to how he and Azaria had loved having their mom read to them when they were toddlers. And he resolved to gather a collection of books from Kate’s Kart—one visit at a time—to build his sisters a library of their own. He occasionally read to them when he felt well enough.
A choice few his age would understand
Before Jelani began chemotherapy, his oncologist, Dr. Dennis O’Brien, offered him the option to preserve his fertility. Jelani understood exactly what that meant. He had watched my infertility journey his whole life. He knew how hard it could be to have a child, and he knew that saving his sperm now could mean a child of his own someday, whether he beat the cancer or not.
He very bravely underwent the procedure at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, on top of everything else his body was already fighting. In typical Jelani fashion, he dealt with the difficulty and discomfort with humor and an optimistic, brave front.
His bravery
He was always unique and special in that way
Our lives were shattered on the rocks from the very moment Jelani was diagnosed with cancer at age fourteen. We expected a trip to the emergency room on his first day of high school to end with some antibiotics for a kidney or bladder infection. Instead, after hours and hours of tests and uncertainty, we were told he had a large tumor that was more than likely cancer, and his right kidney needed to be removed immediately.
Jelani handled the diagnosis with a calm, brave approach beyond his years but typical of his manner. We agreed to the emergency surgery and hoped he would recover fully. A few weeks later, we were told the tumor was malignant and he had renal medullary carcinoma (RMC). To say I was devastated would be putting it lightly.
Naturally, I sought a cure despite the dire diagnosis. I reached out to contacts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and scoured the internet for hope. I contacted the RMC team at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, the same day Jelani was diagnosed. They responded within days to begin onboarding him as a patient. Their team collaborated with Jelani’s oncology team here at home throughout his illness, and I did take him to Houston as well.
We prayed and fought with all our might and tons of love, prayers, and support from family, friends, church congregations, other religious organizations, and strangers all around the globe. Jelani endured surgeries, procedures, and some of the harshest forms of chemotherapy. In his own words, his life became “nothing but misery,” yet he battled valiantly to stay with us.
While receiving chemotherapy, Jelani sometimes looked around at other children in treatment and spoke about how badly he felt for them, especially babies and toddlers. He would say things like, “It’s terrible that baby has cancer and has to get chemo. I feel so sorry for her. At least I got to live 14 years before going through this.”
Just days before his passing, he confided in his aunt and cousin that from the moment he received his diagnosis, he was pretty sure the cancer would take his life. But he agreed to all the procedures and chemotherapy so his mom, sister, and the rest of his family would never have to think they did not do everything they could to save him. At a time when the average adult, let alone child, would feel the most hopeless, Jelani selflessly sought to bolster hope for those who loved him most. He was always unique and special in that way.
In videos recorded during his illness, he repeatedly spoke about how deeply he loved his family and how much he worried about us. He was not afraid of dying; he was afraid that his family would not be okay or protected without him. Even at only fifteen years old, he already felt a manly level of responsibility, and he carried that with remarkable sincerity, grace, and honor.
Jelani died peacefully on May 20, 2025, holding his nana’s hand. Mere months after his diagnosis, my sweet, beautiful boy was gone. Unfortunately, the normal we knew will never return because Jelani will never be here with us again.
Hear Jelani bravely discuss his diagnosis
Hear Jelani’s words of thanks to supporters, friends, and family
The garden he dreamed of
The biggest garden he had ever planted
One of Jelani’s last happy times was having me take him to purchase seeds and starter plants at Menards. Even though he was in terrible pain from the cancer having spread throughout his body, including into his ribs and legs, he relished the time going through the aisles, planning his 2025 garden. He told me he planned to grow the biggest garden he had ever planted, and he even asked to be taken to Walmart to see what other plants he might be able to find.
He planted dozens, if not hundreds, of seeds and tended to them during the final weeks of his life, looking forward to the time when he could transplant his plant babies outdoors. Sadly, he did not live long enough to see the flowers, vegetables, and fruit grow outdoors. He passed away on a gray, rainy day in May. The lives of those who loved him would never know the same brightness.
We resolved to honor his final wish by giving away forget-me-not and sunflower seeds at his celebration of life service.
As I thought of Jelani’s gift to his sisters, his concern for other children in treatment, and his love for plants, I thought it would be wonderful if the garden Jelani wanted to plant was even bigger than he ever imagined and found its roots in a small cart or kiosk like Kate’s Kart.
The Jelani Washington Seeds of Hope Foundation sprang from our family’s love for him and his love for others. It is our hope that the foundation will spread far and wide like the garden Jelani wanted to plant, and its harvest will be blossoms of hope, happiness, health, awareness, and goodwill.
His story lives through yours
Help others know him better
It is our greatest hope that through this work, the very essence of who Jelani was in this world will be remembered and felt for years and years to come. We hope this foundation will have the opportunity to grow and mature in the ways he never had the chance to. We hope it will help other children and families in some of the ways we could not find help, become something that would make Jelani proud, and bring comfort to those of us who will miss him for the rest of our lives.
We want his sisters to know the brother who loved them so much. We want them to hear his stories and see him laughing, gardening, playing, and spending time with the people he loved. Please share your memories of Jelani with us. There is so much of his life that they were too little to remember, and your stories can help them know him.
Share a Memory to Help Others Know Him BetterRead more about the people who helped Jelani grow on our Our Team & Roots page, or read Jelani’s obituary.
