Evelyn Taylor Jackson has spent her entire adult life helping others.
The 1981 Ruleville Central graduate has served as a support system for Delta patients and families for decades as a registered respiratory therapist.
“I knew before I ever graduated (high school) I was going to help people,” Jackson, a lifelong healthcare professional said in a recent interview with The Enterprise-Tocsin.
On Mother’s Day of this year, Jackson was getting ready to celebrate her granddaughter’s birthday when she received the worst news imaginable.
She was diagnosed with Stage 4B Colon Cancer.
Doctors would discover the cancer had already spread to her liver.
Over the last few months, Jackson has endured surgery, to remove the mass, and round after round of debilitating chemotherapy treatments.
The disease may have shaken Jackson to her core, but she is determined it will not break her.
Already possessing a Bachelors in Biology and a Masters in Public Health, Jackson is pressing forward for her Ph.D in Public Health from Capella University.
“I’ve got to keep my mind in the game, even if my body says I can’t go,” Jackson said. “This is the cherry on top. I can’t quit now.”
Few Signs Were There
Jackson admits that she had spent so much time taking care of others, she had forgotten to take care of herself. That was until the pains in her abdomen hit like contractions.
“Giving to others was like second nature,” Jackson said. “Taking care of myself was like a selfish act.”
At first, Jackson interpreted the pains as the result of an unhealthy diet.
“I had no symptoms, other than the pain,” she said. “I was eating smoothies. I was detoxing.”
When she began to throw up, Jackson said it was time to see a doctor.
“I Knew This Was For Real”
When she entered the emergency room on Mother’s Day , Jackson thought the doctors would find an infection or some other minor problem as the source of the pain. She fully expected to be back home that evening.
“They told me ‘you are not going to be able to go home,’” Jackson said.
There was a 2.5 centimeter mass on her colon, and it had to be removed immediately.
That’s when an old acquaintance of Jackson’s, Cleveland surgeon Bennie Wright, walked into the room.
“When he came in, and I saw him, I knew this was for real,” she said. “In less than 30 minutes, I was in surgery.”
Always a woman of faith, Jackson said the pre-op put her trust in God to the test like never before.
“I closed my eyes, and clinched my fist and said ‘okay’ and then peace came over me,” she said.
“I’m in Recovery”
Jackson said she had sworn for years that she would never do chemo if she ever got a cancer diagnosis.
Fortunately, she changed her position, and the 10 rounds or so she has done since the spring have kept her alive.
“I’m in recovery,” she said.
After surgery, Jackson had a consult with her cancer doctor, who shared both Jackson’s optimism and faith.
“He said, ‘do you have faith?’” Jackson said. “I said I did, and he said, ‘I have faith too. We’re going to get through this.’”
They started aggressive chemo treatments the next week, and though you wouldn’t know it from talking to the energetic and lively woman, the rounds have been grueling and have taken their toll.
“Nothing prepared me for it,” she said of the five-hour sessions. “You look like someone has been hitting you with everything they have. You look battered.”
Despite this, she continues to pursue her doctorate, because she is not only determined to survive the cancer, she is on a mission to educate others on the importance of taking stock in their health.
Through the process, Jackson said her support system, which consists of her fiance Brian and her sons Lamarcus and Marcellus and her mother Viola, has been solid.
“I Have Something to Say”
Jackson has already begun her next mission in life, and that is to tell others her story, as a lesson in not taking care of one’s body.
“I have something to say,” Jackson said. “I have something to do. There are people out there that just throw their lives away…Here I am, fighting to live.”
Jackson was already enrolled in the Ph.D. program, but she says when she completes the degree in April, it will take on a whole new meaning for her.
As for now, Jackson stands as an example of both faith and determination.
“Keep you chitterlings clean daily,” she said. “Schedule your colonoscopy regularly.”
