Inspirational localite, 79, beat cancer three times

Posted 10/13/16

Oreland resident, Leedrester “Lee” Jackson, 79, a three-time breast cancer survivor, will walk 60 miles in her 11th 3-Day Walk this weekend, blisters or not. Here she is seencarrying the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Inspirational localite, 79, beat cancer three times

Posted
Oreland resident, Leedrester “Lee” Jackson, 79, a three-time breast cancer survivor, will walk 60 miles in her 11th 3-Day Walk this weekend, blisters or not. Here she is seencarrying the “Belief Flag” in a previous walk. (Photo courtesy of Leedrester Jackson) Oreland resident, Leedrester “Lee” Jackson, 79, a three-time breast cancer survivor, will walk 60 miles in her 11th 3-Day Walk this weekend, blisters or not. Here she is seencarrying the “Belief Flag” in a previous walk. (Photo courtesy of Leedrester Jackson)[/caption]

by Sue Ann Rybak

It won't be long before Chestnut Hill is inundated with a sea of pink – pink tutus, pink leis, pink bras, pink balloons, pink T-shirts, bandanas, wigs, ribbons and pink band-aids for the countless blisters – as thousands of Susan G. Komen 3-Day participants walk 60 miles this weekend, Oct. 14 – 16, to end breast cancer forever.

This year, Oreland resident, Leedrester “Lee” Jackson, 79, a three-time breast cancer survivor, will walk in her 11th 3-Day Walk. “One week and a day after celebrating my 50th birthday, I found a lump in my left breast,” she said. “I beat it.

“In 2002, 15 years later, they diagnosed me with breast cancer in my right breast. I beat it for a second time. In 2010, the breast cancer reoccurred for the third time.”

Jackson, who will celebrate being a 30-year cancer survivor in 2017, credits her faith in God for getting her through her journey with cancer. “When I was first diagnosed, people didn't talk about breast cancer,” she said. “I shared it with everybody. That's how I found out so many people had it, but no one talked about it.

“Once I found out I had breast cancer I never once said, 'Why me?' I just wanted to know who could help me. I always looked for the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it's dim, but it's there. I prayed for coping power and beat it. The second time I thought 'OK, I can beat it again.’ And the third time, when they said 'mastectomy,' it didn't make me anxious or nervous. I just wanted to know if I could live. Thankfully, I beat it.”

According to Susan G. Komen 3-Day, thanks to research, early detection and increased awareness, “There are more than three million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today, the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S.”

In order to participate in the 3-Day event, a walker must raise a minimum of $2,300. Carrie Stovall, Susan G. Komen events director, said 75 percent of the net proceeds raised by the walk help support Komen's Research and Training Grant Program and public health outreach programs for men and women facing breast cancer. The remaining 25 percent helps fund local community and affiliate support and outreach programs.

"The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is extremely fortunate for the dedication of Lee and our other Philadelphia walkers who have given so much of themselves to raise more than $66 million since 2005 in the fight to end breast cancer forever,” Stovall said. “In 2016, more than 240,000 cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and nearly 2,600 cases in men in the U.S.”

Jackson believes that participating in the 3-Day is empowering. “The camaraderie,” she explained. “It's a togetherness. You have to experience it for yourself to believe it. We are truly a community comforting, cheering and encouraging each other for three days and 60 miles. I have made friends that I look for each year, and we are always elated to see one another. It gives you a warm feeling to walk with so many survivors.”

Unfortunately, this year Jackson is walking alone. When asked if she was worried about the weather, walking alone or blisters, she shrugged it off. “My sons are my cheerleaders,” she said. “This year my son Keith, who lives in Georgia, will be on the sidelines cheering me on. Every time, you walk past a cheering station, you get re-energized. The first two or three years I did get blisters, but it was okay because blisters do not need chemo.

“I remember one year, it started raining right after lunch and many people just got on the bus, but I kept walking. I thought, 'Nobody will be out there cheering, and my son was out there. When I asked my son how he knew I would still be walking, he replied, 'I just knew.' Sometimes, my thighs felt like they were in slow motion. Every year, I wear a vest with names of survivors and those who didn't make it. I ask people in my letters if they want me to carry a survivor or loved one’s name. Sometimes, I have to stop, pause and ask for a blessing to keep on walking.”

You can cheer Jackson on at the cheer station located on Germantown Avenue between Gravers and Hartwell Lane on Friday, Oct. 14, between 9:30 and 1 p.m.

To find out more information about The Susan G. Komen 3-Day or to donate funds to Jackson's account, go to www.The3Day.org, click on donate and enter Leedrester Jackson.

locallife