Sixty-one-year-old Jesse was asked by his son Arthur to go with him to a "Biggest Loser" casting call, and there Jesse saw the hope in his son's eyes as well as everyone else's. He felt hopeful that they could both get healthy by going on the show. Jesse was born and raised in Boston, the oldest of nine children. He was heavy most of his life, but went from 170 pounds at age 25 to 270 pounds by age 29. The father of four adult children and grandfather of 10, Jesse takes 12 pills a day for a variety of health conditions, including sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure. He thinks a sedentary job, poor eating habits, lack of exercise and alcohol consumption all led to his current weight of 293 pounds. Inspired by Season 9 contestant O'Neal Hampton, Jesse hopes to one day inspire others, including overweight family members, to change their lives and get healthy. He looks forward to going on amusement rides with his grandchildren, running a marathon and no longer shopping at the "big man" store when he loses weight.