Dozens of people in Ravenswood are expected to gather Thursday night for a candlelight vigil, praying for the well-being of Jesse Brown.
“It was Sunday morning when I found out,” said Matt Peery. “I was devastated because Jesse was one of my best friends for a while.”
The former
star pitcher was severely burned Saturday night, after throwing gasoline onto a bonfire. He was airlifted to
, where he has remained in critical condition.
“For somebody so full of life and with such a bright future ahead of him, to have to go through an ordeal like this, it doesn’t seem fair,” said Michael Ihle, Jesse’s cousin.
Jesse graduated from
in 2014. He played for the baseball team during his last two years of school.
“He’s fighting and he always was like that. I mean he always has competed. I can’t imagine him not competing now,” said Wes Swain, his former baseball coach.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for his medical expenses.