Alise Jackson’s resilient spirit has been nurtured in her by her mother, Margaret, who has lived fearlessly for over a decade with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Today Alise is supporting the extraordinary care NYP provides for people like Margaret and more.
“It's a terrible thing when your parents get diagnosed with cancer—it's extra terrible when your parent gets diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer...", says Alise Jackson, Manager of Peer-to-Peer Programs in NewYork-Presbyterian’s Office of Development.
"A lot of doctors would tell you she's a walking miracle: she's had it for 13 years...She doesn’t let her sickness define her." Alise also carries this resilience, a steadfast determination in the face of uncertainty that helps motivate her to fundraise for the Hospital via our peer-to-peer platform. Highly customizable and easy to use, peer-to-peer fundraising enables individuals to turn any activity into a means of supporting comprehensive, quality care.
"My mom is my favorite person”, says Alise; “She’s still super stylish; super super cute—she looks at life like either you push forward or you cannot." Margaret and Alise are inseparable: the eldest of Margaret's children, Alise witnessed the grace and resilience her mother carries firsthand. "My mom would go to work and then she would come home and cook meals for us and then she'd make something for herself...a fantastic mom." Alise and her family face every challenge with their signature pragmatic tenacity—a trait Margaret credits to the family's Guyanese heritage. When she learned one of her children had cerebral palsy, Margaret leapt into action the moment he was born. “I really believe that some of my mentality is the reason I’m still here,” notes Margaret. “It’s not easy but try to stay as positive as you can.”
"My family is very very close: we're a small but mighty crew.", Alise affirms. Margaret's diagnosis upended their lives in unforeseen ways: She had to retire early but got to spend more time with her family. Alise had always looked out for her younger siblings—Benjamin and Alexandria, but now she also had to tend to her mother as well. The three siblings make sure their mom knows they will always have her back. “It has not spread, but it’s not going away – so my mom will never be able to say the cancer is in remission…We had to really rely on faith, rely on each other…everyone has been my mom’s biggest supporter.”
"Caring about someone when they're healthy isn't easy but caring for them when they're sick is even harder.” Alise continues, “She's the strongest person I know; it's very hard to watch the person who has done everything for you and made sure all your dreams come true, even now, hurt." Committed to living boldly, Alise’s family banded together almost immediately. “Each one of my children has been to chemo with me at least once,” says Margaret. Alise offers, "We try to make sure we do what we can for my mom. We're not ignoring the fact that my mom has a terminal illness, but we will not let life be defined by her terminal illness." Other family members offer support as well, like Alise's beloved older cousins Alisa and Nilaja providing support when they can and Alise's stepfather also helped previously.
Sustained by family and determined to give back, Alise found the peer-to-peer platform to be the best method for her fundraising. "How ever I can help I want to", she mentions, "and if being public and sharing my story helps someone else feel like they can share their story or know they can create a peer-to-peer page for one of our other initiatives that hits home for them, I'm more than happy..." The Peer-to-Peer platform empowers the breakthroughs happening at NewYork-Presbyterian by rallying communities to make a difference for patients. Whether it's a webpage honoring someone, an athletic challenge for a cause, or a donation for a special occasion, peer-to-peer fundraising allows people to support the Hospital in their own unique way.
Empathy and gratitude fortifying her efforts, Alise recognizes that caring for all requires all to care. “It’s important to support women’s health because if we don’t, as a society we’re going to fail. People should not have to choose whether they can afford the medication that’s going to help keep them alive or if they need to buy groceries. Accessibility is something everyone deserves.” Thinking on her journey as a caregiver, Alise is profoundly thankful: “My mom having cancer brought us together by reminding us that time is precious and making memories is the greatest gift we can give someone we love.”