The Region - News from May 25, 1987

Baby Jesse, who received a transplanted heart despite initial concerns by hospital officials that his young, unwed parents might not be able to properly care for him, has celebrated his first birthday. About 60 friends, relatives and supporters gathered at an Ontario park for a “good Hispanic family celebration,” complete with hamburgers and presents, said one supporter. Baby Jesse gained national attention when his parents, Jesse Sepulveda, 26, and Deana Binkley, 17, pleaded with doctors at Loma Linda University Medical Center not to reject their baby for a heart transplant. Only after the family’s priest and the Southern California Right to Life League took Jesse’s case to the public and after the baby’s paternal grandparents agreed to become his legal guardians did the hospital agree to the operation.