Honored Kid

Lee Jackson

Age 18
Lee Jackson Kid Photo

Location

Greenville , SC, US

Diagnosis

Brain or spinal cord tumor

Date of Diagnosis

August 2010

Status

Cancer-free

Treated At

Children's Hospital Greenville System BI-LO Charities Children's Cancer Center

Change your kid's logo

My Story

My son Lee Earl Jackson III (11 years old) has been healed of 2 brain tumors, the first at age 4 and the second at age 6. I can’t begin to sing praises loud enough to my LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST for my son’s healing and the mighty miracles we have received. I used to begin our testimony with my son’s diagnosis of having a brain tumor, however, the LORD convicted my heart to begin telling the whole story.    In 2007 my son had a collapsed lung and the doctors were almost certain he had cystic fibrosis which is a disease where your lungs produce excess mucous and your lungs can’t get rid of the excess mucous. The average life expectancy is much greater than it used to be if diagnosed with cystic fibrosis but it is still a shorter life expectancy and a very challenging disease to experience which I learned from reading about CF.   I wasn’t living a saved life at the time but I attended a Christian school throughout my preschool on through the middle of my senior year in high school, so I immediately went down to the Altar and asked GOD to heal my son. I made a vow to GOD during that time. They gave him the sweat test, which is the gold standard for identifying cystic fibrosis, 3 times as the doctors were convinced that he had cystic fibrosis and it came back negative each time, PRAISE GOD!   Well about 1 year and 9 months later, after much deliberation and talking with my friends, I broke my vow. Two weeks after breaking my vow, Lee Earl fell out of the golf cart, I rushed him to the ER and the doctor said everything was perfect, it was just road rash and he was fine, it just looked really bad.  I did not rely on GOD’S assurances, in hindsight I think I knew in my heart I had violated my vow with GOD so I wanted man’s assurance that he was okay, so I requested a CT scan. It revealed everything was perfect. Well, I know GOD’S WORD is true and when making a vow you need to pay it!Ecclesiastes 5:4 - 6 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?Deuteronomy 23:21 - 23 21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; [even] a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.Matthew 5:34 - 5:37 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.About 8-9 months later he started having headaches and projectile vomiting. He would always pass the neurology tests so I asked the doctors, “how will I know if it is something more serious” and they told me if the headaches persisted after napping or Tylenol then we would need to investigate it further. At the age of 4 we discovered he had a tangerine size tumor coming off of his brainstem. I asked the neurosurgeon if the CT scan could have caused the tumor and of course they said no as to not make me worry that I was the cause. I knew in my heart that it wasn’t a coincidence though, I knew I broke my vow with ALMIGHTY GOD and then I just so happened to throw Lee Earl out of the golf cart and then I requested a CT scan even when the doctors advised me it wasn’t necessary.  I knew in my heart what I had done. Well, just about 2 years or so ago, approximately 5 years after my son’s tumor, on the front page of the Greenville News was a picture of a big CT scan with a story about how having CT scans at 10 years of age or younger results in a higher incidence of childhood leukemia and benign brain tumors, which is exactly what Lee Earl had. Our neurosurgeon performed a 9 ½ hour procedure and after the surgery he said he intentionally and visibly left tumor on my son’s brainstem as to not damage him. I asked him if he saw characteristics of a high-grade or a low-grade tumor and his response was that he saw thrombosed veins and that it is typically a characteristic of a higher-grade tumor.   The next day the pediatric oncologist came by and with tears in her eyes said that we needed to pray that this is low-grade.  I got down on my knees and acknowledged to GOD what was already his and basically said that I understand my son is HIS before he is mine and I cried out to GOD asking HIM to heal my son.   About 2 hours later the ER doctor came in and asked if I had heard about the MRI and I responded that I had not, he proceeded to say it was a 100% resection (I used to say the first of many miracles but there were probably many miracles that had already taken place without me being aware) and that despite our neurosurgeon saying he had intentionally left tumor on the brainstem, the MRI could not detect it and medically it was a 100% resection, PRAISE GOD! Before my son’s surgery, I had requested prayer for my son through Christian prayer pages on Facebook and so forth. The pathology results came back and my son was completely healed, PRAISE GOD! There was less than a 1% chance of a recurrence, so I eliminated those vices and sins in my life that were easy to unload, you know, the sins I didn’t really mind losing but I kept the other sins I “cherished” - sarcasm.  GOD showed me with the world you may have a 1% chance but GOD’S WORD is not to be mocked, IT’S 100% true and will not return void. GOD showed me HIS math and man’s math are different at times, and Lee Earl had a recurrence of his brain tumor. Our neurosurgeon believed the initial pathology must have been wrong and the doctors feared that his brain tumor must have been of a higher grade as the original pathology would not have indicated a recurrence at the rate in which it recurred if there was to be a recurrence at all.  Lee Earl went through approximately 9 months of chemotherapy which didn’t stop the growth of the tumor. So after his 2nd brain tumor surgery when he was 6, they sent the biopsy to Johns Hopkins for the pathology of the tumor which confirmed the initial pathology results, PRAISE GOD!   If it’s GOD’S WILL it will be 5 years this July that my son has been healed and we owe it all to our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! I’m so grateful to GOD for my son’s healing, HIS grace and HIS mercy.   I once heard a Pastor say, grace is GOD giving us a gift we DON’T deserve and mercy is GOD not giving us what we DO deserve.   I also heard a Pastor once say that he grew up on a mountain and when his family would try to plant crops on top of the mountain, nothing ever grew; however, in the valley, everything grew in abundance.   In hindsight, I’m so thankful to GOD for the valley and for HIS mercy as GOD transformed my life into a life I never imagined was possible.   Thank you LORD for saving my soul!   Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Matthew Chapter 18 19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Philippians 4:6-7 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Romans 8:28 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.Also, there was a study of tumors in the brain and in the neck out of Wake Forest University, if I'm not mistaken, which showed muscadine grape skin extract reduced tumor size from what I remember, so this may be a good supplement for those in the fight against brain tumors. I sincerely believe in prayer and fasting first and foremost, because it is GOD who heals.  Also, I saw this on one of the facebook pages regarding cancer treatment/prevention I occasionally visit. “None of the conventional methods of treating cancer can eradicate cancer stem cells completely. Luckily for those who are on a healing journey, research shows that 6-Shogaol in ginger targets cancer stem cells.”Also, GOD'S WORD says to give thanks in everything. I believe when we do this, by giving thanks while in the midst of our trials, it shows GOD our faith. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.19 Quench not the Spirit.20 Despise not prophesyings.21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

Help Give Kids a Lifetime

Infants, children, teens and young adults are depending on us to find cures for childhood cancers — and to give survivors long and healthy lives.

Support lifesaving childhood cancer research today.

Photo submission policy

Please read the photo submission policy and accept below.

By submitting a photograph of yourself on www.StBaldricks.org, you agree to the following terms and conditions for submission of your photograph:

We strongly encourage all users to submit a before and after photo, so that donors and fellow participants can easily recognize and relate to one another.

Any photo containing cartoons, comics, celebrities, nudity, pornography, sexually explicit images or any copyrighted image (unless you own the copyright) is not permitted. This is because photos of celebrities and cartoon or comic images are generally copyrighted by the owner.

Uploading images of other people without their permission is also prohibited.

This photo submission policy applies to StBaldricks.org users. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation reserves the right to review all photos and to remove any photo for any reason at our sole discretion. If you see a photo on StBaldricks.org that you believe does not conform to this policy, email to WebQuestions@StBaldricks.org