Jesikah Suggs, a writer and producer known for her work on the Netflix series 'My Life With The Walter Boys,' has died following an eight-year battle with breast cancer. She was 32.
Suggs died at her Studio City, California, residence on August 18, her family confirmed to Deadline on Tuesday. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer eight years earlier, when she was 24 years old.
"Through it all, she showed up to work every day, eager to defy being defined by cancer," Suggs' sister Liz told Deadline on Tuesday. "Two years after her initial diagnosis, her cancer metastasized."
Despite the progression of her illness, Suggs continued to work and inspire those around her. "Jes, once again, courageously endured and triumphed through every treatment imaginable, and she did it with a smile on her face and love for all the healthcare workers who poured their care into her," Liz told Deadline. "Her life will continue to bear fruit in the stories told by every writer she touched — so in a sense, she'll still be writing for a very, very, very long time."
Suggs is survived by her husband, Dustin Ingram, her mother Roxanne, sisters Liz and Kathryn, and brother Jimmy, among other family members.
A memorial service was held in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 22. Another service is scheduled to take place in Grapevine, Texas, next weekend.
Suggs gained recognition for her contributions to 'My Life With The Walter Boys,' where she served as both a producer and writer. The Netflix series stars Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, and Ashby Gentry.
In November 2018, Suggs publicly shared her cancer journey, revealing she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. She posted a photograph of herself receiving treatment on Instagram, accompanied by reflections on reaching the midpoint of her therapy.
"My midpoint of chemo happens to also be the midpoint of my whole cancer treatment, bookends of surgery with a few other procedures in the middle. And as I've hit this halfway point, right in the middle of this season of thanks I'm, more than anything, very thankful," she wrote on Instagram. "The outpouring of dinners and letters and kitchen sink hair washes is plain and simply a blessing. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many friends and family, eager to give their encouragement and support."
In the same post, Suggs expressed deep appreciation for the support system that sustained her throughout her diagnosis and treatment. "I am just so grateful to the Lord for his peace and presence and for surrounding me with so many people I so love who are more than willing to lend me some of their strength," she wrote on Instagram.
She continued in the Instagram post: "The cup of humanity sucks and is hard to swallow sometimes. The past three years were not ones I expected to live in my twenties. But that same cup also runneth over even in the darkest times — and often the most in the darkest times — because of love from all of you. Almost everyone I know has sent love or mail or something that made me feel so known and so lucky to be known by you. This could be so much harder and more trying than it is if not for you and, for that, I'm so very thankful."