Patrick Jackson Jr. was working out and preparing for spring football when he felt a sharp pain in his triceps. It was the beginning of an unexpected battle, but one the Hahnville High School junior is taking on with great strength and perseverance.
Jackson was diagnosed on May 6 with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. The exact cause of the illness is unknown.
He’s gone through 12 weeks of chemotherapy and major surgery to remove a tumor doctors found through an MRI – Jackson said 80 percent of the tumor was removed, and the goal is that his ongoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment will eliminate it completely.
“They said the 20 percent that’s left is microscopic,” Jackson said. “So, (the surgery) was a positive.”
Jackson said that the pain in his arm surfaced in February, but the source was unclear. He initially thought it was a sprain, but it became increasingly apparent that something was very wrong. He continued to train and the pain continued to get worse. He spoke to his parents and coaches about it – several medical visits resulted, but doctors could not determine what was causing the issue.
“We did nerve tests, CT scans, all sorts of tests, and they couldn’t find anything for about four months,” Jackson said.
But the issue wasn’t going away. Jackson began to lose sleep because of it – the pain was becoming severe and his arm swelled up “to the size of a balloon.”
“It started affecting my life in different ways,” he said.
During Hahnville High’s spring break, he went to a new doctor – and after an MRI was ordered, Jackson learned that he had cancer on May 6, and that was the last thing that was on his mind.
“I didn’t immediately break down,” Jackson said.
But that came when timelines were discussed and the reality of the situation began to set in. Not only was his health threatened, but the game he loved all of his life – football – was being taken away, at least for the time being.
“All that was going through my head was about next football season … they said that I’m going to be out possibly a year or two,” Jackson said.
Were his recovery to extend to that two-year range, it would end his on-field prep career as a Hahnville Tiger, though he is determined to beat that time frame.
“That’s when I started to break down, just because of the passion I’ve got for the game,” Jackson said. “I just love to compete and I want to be out there with my teammates. So, yeah, I started breaking down when they told me that news.”
Nicknamed “PJ,” Jackson was to play a big role with the team. A talented running back, the junior was projected to form a strong rushing tandem with teammate Fabian Celestine at the position following the graduation of Tigers star back Calvin Smith Jr.
But even though he’s unable to play this season, make no mistake – Jackson is still, in every way, a Hahnville Tiger, and he’s a big part of the team. He’s there supporting his teammates at practice and on game night, and he knows he can still play an important role for them off the field.
“When I’m with them, that brings me happiness. I like seeing them compete and I like being there for them,” Jackson said. “And I like seeing their energy level skyrocketing when I come to practice and to games … so, I just feel like it’s important for me to stay connected with the guys I’ve been through it all with.”
Hahnville head football coach Greg Boyne said Jackson has shown incredible strength in the face of adversity.
“Anyone who has dealt with cancer knows it’s a monster. It’s indiscriminate. Unfortunately, he’s got to deal with it and at his age, the shock of it all – I’m sure he’s had some moments in private, but the face he puts on publicly is, for me, a role model for anybody going through tough times,” Boyne said.
Jackson says he’s also reciprocating the tremendous support the team has shown him since his diagnosis.
“They’ve been showing me unconditional love,” he said. “What I’ve been going through, they know it’s been tough for me. But they’ve supported me all the way through.”
That goes for the community, too, he said.
Jackson acknowledged his situation publicly through social media for the first time on Sept. 2 through a Facebook post. He said that though this journey has been incredibly challenging for he and his family, he wanted to use his experience as an opportunity to spread awareness. To that goal, he and his family are selling T-Shirts in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness and support. The shirts display several positive messages, including “PJ Strong,” a phrase his team and community have rallied around.
Additionally, Hahnville’s Touchdown Club is selling yellow shirts for its home game with E.D. White on Sept. 19 in honor of Jackson. Every shirt sold will help support him and his family in his fight.
“I encourage my peers to listen to your body and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. And to the parents, please advocate for your children and their health when seeking care,” Jackson wrote in his post.
“The word was getting around,” Jackson said of his decision to address his situation publicly. “I know there are other children my age going through the same thing I’m going through. And I want people to speak up when something doesn’t feel right, and for parents to listen to their children if they say something doesn’t feel right because you never know what it could be.
“Nobody expected this to be cancer, but sometimes that’s what it could be. And it’s up to the person going through it to speak up so they can jump on top of it fast, because it spreads very quickly. I thank God that I was able to get a jump on it like I did.”
Jackson said the support of everyone around him has been tremendous.
“I can’t express my appreciation enough,” Jackson said. “Some people I haven’t even met, they see my story and they want to support, and that just means everything to me. It keeps me going … it means the world.”
