Becky and grandbabies.jpg

Rebecca “Becky” Jackson

 
   It was nothing short of a miracle. In November 2018, my sister and I started to plan a long weekend trip
to New York City. We casually invited our other three sisters to join us, and to our surprise and delight,
they all said yes! Feeling thrilled, we invited our three sisters-in-law also, and they said yes, too! In a
matter of days, all eight sisters and sisters-in-law were heading to New York City for the first-ever
Jackson Sisters Trip. Nothing short of a miracle.
 
The trip was scheduled for January 31-February 3. We were so excited and swapping a million messages
as we packed and prepared. But then we received a message from our oldest brother, Jeff. “Becky can’t
go on the trip. She’s too sick,” he informed us. It was Monday, and our departure was scheduled for
Thursday. We were so disappointed. Terrible timing! It was a cold she hadn’t been able to shake since
Christmas. “It’s not too late if she’s feeling better by Thursday – she can still come!” we responded
hopefully.
 
But she didn’t feel better and seven of the eight sisters landed in New York City for the weekend of our
lives. Becky did not join us.
 
On Saturday night during our trip, we had just finished seeing a show on Broadway when we slowly
made our way back to the hotel. Some had gotten there sooner than others. I was the last to arrive. I
was dawdling – putting away my coat and shoes, stopping in the restroom, doing who knows what else.
I completely missed the somber mood in the room. Finally my oldest sister lost patience and said, “Lisa,
you need to come in here now!”
 
I sat down on the bed and she blurted out: “Lisa, Becky has a brain tumor!” Our brother had rushed her
to the emergency room earlier that night when she had become almost unresponsive. Sadly, the
symptoms were obvious enough to the physicians that they did the needed tests immediately and
diagnosed her in the ER with a large brain tumor. The cold she couldn’t shake since Christmas was
actually rapidly growing glioblastoma cancer. When they discovered it that night, it was the size of a
baseball. She was never going to join us in New York and we will never forget how our trip ended.
 
The next several weeks were a whirlwind as they performed surgery to remove the tumor and Becky
began the difficult road of healing from the critical episode and understanding her diagnosis.
Glioblastoma is a strange cancer. It is terminal. The average patient lives for 17 months after diagnosis.
Some live much longer. Some live much shorter. But once the tumor is removed and the brain has
healed from the trauma of surgery, the patient returns to functioning in mostly normal ways. The
standard of care is radiation and chemotherapy. But both are well tolerated. However, neither are very
effective. As one website I read stated, “Despite 30 years of research and investment, medical
professionals have only been able to extend life expectancy by about three months.”
 
So it becomes a waiting game. Becky returned to very good health after the surgery and the initial
treatments. She was able to travel with her husband and spend time with her family. Good quality of life
has been her biggest goal, and she has had several months of very high quality of life. In fact, just over a
month ago, we were able to get seven of the eight sisters together again for another sisters’ weekend.
We were not able to hit Broadway this time, but we were able to hit the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar
City. It was just as fun. And this time Becky was with us.
 
But the tumor will return. We have been told that from the beginning. It’s just a matter of when.
We have wanted to do this fundraiser for Becky from the start. When she was diagnosed, my sister,
Melissa Virgin, was right in the middle of planning an Anything for a Friend fundraise for her friend with
melanoma. Melissa knew immediately that we needed to do the same thing for Becky. Melissa felt
strongly that we needed to do this not just to raise funds but to show love and support to Becky, Jeff,
and their whole family.
 
Just days ago we received a devastating family text from Jeff: “The tumor is back.” He said it is
small, but growing. They believed the first tumor grew to baseball size in just six weeks. So we know that
“growing” is a very serious statement. We feel an urgency to organize the troops and make this event
happen while we have time.
 
We have been blessed to have her with us for the past several months, but we recognize
that her moments on earth are limited. Through organizing a fundraising event for Becky, we hope to
show her tangible support for her financial needs, and emotional support for her emotional needs.  Will you help us do ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND?
 

About the Event:

Date: February 22nd

 

Time: 5pm-9pm

 

Activities:

Location:

Syracuse Arts Academy

2893 W. 1700 S.
Syracuse, UT, 84075
 

Organizing Committee Meetings!

If you are interested in serving on the organizing committee for Becky's special event, please contact Melissa at melissavirgin@hotmail.com.  The next meeting will be held on Thursday the 13th of February at 7:30pm @ 2203 N. 2350 E., Layton, 84040.  See you there! 

 

 

 

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