Kacyann Jackson bravely battles bone cancer

At age 28, Kacyann Jackson's world was upended by excruciating back pain that left her collapsed on the floor at work.

But what she thought was fleeting discomfort soon unravelled into a devastating reality, stage four chondrosarcoma, an aggressive and rare form of bone cancer. Now in the fight of her life, Jackson leans into faith, family, and a growing online community, determined to find light in the darkest places.

It all began last April, when Jackson tried working through pain at Mother's Enterprise.

"While I was cashing, I felt a sharp back pain that I had to literally move from the cash register. I was in so much pain, I fell to the ground and I couldn't get up," she recalled.

That evening, as she attempted to head home, the pain struck again. She had no choice but to visit the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

"When I went there, they told me that I have to stay and they are going to run some blood tests... but nothing came back out of the norm. So, they told me I should do an MRI because it might be a case of scoliosis," she said.

An MRI in May pointed to multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. More tests followed, including a CT scan and a biopsy that was sent overseas for further analysis. Then came the crushing chondrosarcoma diagnosis.

"It was a hard pill to swallow," Jackson admitted. "I was in shock. I walked straight to the front of the hospital and just started crying. Mi keep on a think, 'How mi ago do this?'"

Unable to work, cancer has taken her independence, and even her ability to go to church, a place she loves deeply. Her body has changed too.

She has been undergoing chemotherapy, which has taken a severe toll physically, emotionally, and financially. The side effects include severe diarrhoea and vomiting, and her veins swelled so badly that she could no longer feel her own hands.

She also developed severe infections.

Jackson's diagnosis was also a painful echo of the past. Her mother died from a rare form of leukaemia when she was just seven years old.

"The worst part? I had to be treated on the same ward where my mother was - ward four. I had to hide and seek just to see my mother there when she was sick, and now I was going through the same thing," she told THE STAR.

Yet beyond the physical pain, there was another battle she never expected. With no steady income since July, Jackson turned to the social media platform, TikTok, for help.

"Mi family help, but my TikTok platform help mi too," she said. Through live videos, she shares her journey, raising awareness and hoping for support from strangers. Some viewers send virtual gifts, which convert into cash.

"Some days mi go live di whole day and nuh make a dollar. You affi be consistent," she explained.

On top of that, discrimination follows her online.

"When I used to show my bald head, people would accuse me of being part of a certain community I don't want to name," she said. "It made me second-guess myself at first, but I'm glad I don't have a weak self-esteem. Nothing they say can break me."

Still, there are days when the weight of the sickness, the money worries, and the endless cycle of hospital visits appears too much.

"Sometimes mi feel emotionally drained," she admitted. "If you had asked me about faith last July, I would have told you I had none. "I used to ask, 'Why me?' I was angry."

But she found comfort in the story of Job in the Bible.

"Job went through 10 times worse than me and still came out blessed. That gave me reassurance that God can come through for you, it just might not be on your timing," she said.

Nine months into her diagnosis, Jackson is on her second cycle of a new chemotherapy regimen. There are still 10 more to go, and the road ahead is uncertain. But she refuses to give up.

"No matter what you're going through, there is always a God that listens, a God that answers prayers," she said. "What faith means to me now is that God is in control."