Evelyn Jackson was a girl who loved to party! The sweet, wonderful daughter of Lighthouse Commodities team member Adam Jackson, her time here was cut short by cancer. And Lighthouse is honoring her life, her memory and her family by providing scholarships for parties in Evelyn’s name to hospitalized children as part of the Sanford Hospital Child Life program.
Evelyn was born in a small town in Iowa, just before the covid pandemic began. The earliest months of her life were spent at home, with her sister, mom and dad. When her family was expecting a baby brother, Evelyn began experiencing irregular fevers, seemed more irritable, and had less of an appetite. Doctors thought the symptoms were a viral infection, but they lasted for weeks, causing more pain and weakness. One month after her baby brother was born, Evelyn was diagnosed with cancer when she was only 20 months old.
The cancer she had was called neuroblastoma. Doctors found a grapefruit-sized tumor in her belly. She had to start chemo right away. As Evelyn’s second birthday approached, she finished four cycles of chemotherapy, and she had surgery to remove what was left of the tumor. Her family drove to Philadelphia to consult an expert in neuroblastoma, and after that meeting, they made the decision to quit their jobs, sell their house, and leave Iowa to seek care at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In Philadelphia, Evelyn underwent two stem cell transplants. It was very hard for her to recover from that treatment, and she was in the hospital for months. Next, she received radiation to her belly where her tumor was. Her family bought a house, her sister started school, and they all looked forward to the last part of Evelyn’s treatment - 5 months of immunotherapy. Unfortunately, Evelyn had a life-threatening reaction to the medication and needed life support to survive. After all of that, the Jackson family was very grateful to celebrate Evelyn’s third birthday.
Evelyn’s dad started working for Lighthouse Commodities in March 2023 – the same time that Evelyn’s cancer came back. Every month, Evelyn and her mom would go to the hospital for treatment and stay there for a week. When she turned four, treatment was still working against the cancer. But in the following months, the cancer became harder to treat and it spread rapidly. When she was only four and a half years old, Evelyn passed away.
Through her trials, Evelyn was a perfect example of how to love and live fully in the years she was given. She brought people together and she loved music and dancing, baking and sprinkles. She knew what it took to throw a great party.
The Jackson family is delighted to stand behind this initiative honoring Evelyn. We understand the hardships that a medical diagnosis can bring to a child’s life, and we hope to see joy – with lots of dancing and sprinkles – come to children who deserve to celebrate every precious birthday.