Eight days after moving to Birmingham from her hometown of Auburn in 2005, Yolanda Jackson was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thus began a relationship with the research and clinical trials available through the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center that has spanned two decades, three bouts of different cancers, and Jackson’s return to living in Auburn.

“It was by the grace of God that I was already in Birmingham to receive my first cancer treatment,” Jackson says. “Just the magnitude of the facility – and how thorough and meticulous they are at UAB – you get a level of comfort with that.”

During her initial treatment for breast cancer, Jackson participated in genetic testing through UAB and learned that she was BRCA1 positive, meaning she has a higher risk for developing several types of cancer. As a result, Jackson continued regular cancer screenings even after her breast cancer went into remission.

"[Yolanda's] success definitely reflects both her own perseverance as well as the coordinated work of all our people from the multi-disciplinary team."

Syed Qasim Hussaini, M.D.

Those screenings paid off in 2022 when she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. The disease was caught early enough that all she needed was surgery. But then in April 2024, Jackson was diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer, which required an intensive multi-disciplinary treatment course, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

“This one was the hardest by far that I’ve had to endure. I went through some tough treatments,” Jackson says. “But I’ve done so well since then because of the treatment that I’ve gotten at UAB. Even though I’m living in Auburn, I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else.”

Jackson’s surgical oncologist during this process, Syed Qasim Hussaini, M.D., says patients benefit from the comprehensive approach the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center takes when it comes to treating severe cancer situations.

“Her treatment was a very specialized form of care that you don’t get most places,” Hussaini says. “You need a medical, radiation, and surgical oncologist, all working together and communicating with each other, as well as nursing and a lot of people supporting behind the scenes.

“Her care required close collaboration. The sequence of treatment, the timing, and the interpretation of response all matter. Those decisions are reviewed together, so the treatment plan itself is often individualized rather than fragmented. Her success definitely reflects both her own perseverance as well as the coordinated work of all our people from the multi-disciplinary team.”

After completing the treatment, Jackson enrolled in a one-time, restricted-eating clinical trial for rectal cancer patients, designed to determine if intermittent fasting can be beneficial during recovery. It was yet another way that she has embraced the research opportunities available at UAB, in addition to the cancer care she receives.

“When you go into the Kirkland Clinic for an infusion or while waiting to go back into the labs, you see a lot of sick people. That makes you realize the benefits of these clinical trials,” Jackson says. “God can do a lot of wonderful things through suffering. So even though the patients might be suffering while they’re going through this treatment, out of that suffering can come something wonderful, because there are a lot of great minds at UAB collecting the information and doing this research that one day might help others.”