A pediatric nurse since the 1970s, Sherrill Jackson always thought she was well informed about breast cancer. But she never thought she would be diagnosed with the disease herself in 1992, when she was 46.
“It was the furthest thing from my mind,” said Jackson, RN, MHSA, CPNP, who is a pediatric nurse and manager of the School Based Program at Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers. “I had no family history. Although I work in the medical field, I was just as afraid and nervous as anyone else.”
She survived breast cancer with the strong support of her family and friends, she said. And 16 years ago, she founded an organization called The Breakfast Club, Inc. to provide other women with a support system as well as educate them about the disease.
Since its inception, The Breakfast Club has provided educational information about breast health to more than 12,000 people and support services to more than 500 breast cancer survivors. The nonprofit has distributed more than 1,500 bras and more than 700 breast prostheses to women who could not afford them. Through its Faith On the Move program, the organization has made mammograms accessible to more than 2,600 women via their churches.
On Friday, April 25, Jackson will receive the 2014 Lifetime Achiever in Health Care Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon at the Frontenac Hilton.
“We are bringing a lot more awareness, especially in the African-American community, where women are still being diagnosed in the late stages,” said Jackson. “We are getting the message out. Within the African-American community, we have established trust and that’s really important.”
Throughout her career, Jackson said she has always chosen to work in communities that are underserved medically.
Jackson graduated from Homer G. Phillips School of Nursing in 1967, and that’s where she “fell in love” with pediatrics. Enrolling in the Homer G. Phillips program was one of the best career moves she ever made, she said.
“When I went through the program, they were not only teaching us nursing, they also taught you lessons for life,” she said. “The women I went to nursing school with have been in a club together for almost 30 some years. We all feel like the education we received there inspired excellence.”
Jackson went on to work at Grace Hill for 27 years. In 1996, she also started working part-time at People’s Health Centers, opening up their radiology department and getting the center certified to do mammograms. In 2006, she joined People’s full-time to manage the centers’ school-based program.
“I enjoy collaborating with the various schools and the nurses who are over the departments,” she said. “The program enables children to get medical care without the parents having to take off work.”
She also loves how People’s reaches out to the community in many ways, including health fairs, activities and immunization days.
One of her favorite outreach projects with People’s is the community gardens. About 11 years ago, Jackson led the creation of a community garden across the street from a senior living residence, near Goodfellow and Delmar boulevards. She partnered with Gateway Greening to apply for a grant.
“I’ve learned a lot from the seniors who love to garden,” she said. “As a result of that garden, we formed a bond with the police department to help the seniors to work with it. The seniors don’t have stamina, but they have lots of knowledge.”
Outside of her work with People’s, she has become increasingly more active in the community since her diagnosis.
“I would not have ever chosen to have breast cancer, but it has changed my life,” she said. “I have been on local and national boards. I don’t think that would have happened if I had not been diagnosed with breast cancer.”
She is a board member with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure St. Louis Affiliate, Disparities Elimination Advisory Committee for the Siteman Cancer Center, and National Sisters Study on Breast Cancer.
And she is also a board member with The Breakfast Club, Inc. The club’s stated goals are “to increase the rate of mammography screening, clinical breast exams and breast self-awareness among African-American women residing in North St. Louis City and County.”
Before her diagnosis, she said she always thought the medical field was “further along” in its breast cancer outreach. She said, “The Breakfast Club has opened my eyes that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Tickets for the 14th Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 25 at the Frontenac Hilton are $750 per table for VIP/Corporate seating and $50 each/$500 table for Individual seating. To order tickets, call 314-533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.
