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Fall is in the air as we just celebrated Labor Day and the beginning of school. It seems appropriate to share a story about Eblen Charities helping those in our local schools. Dr. Rob Jackson, the Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools, reflects on a time when he needed assistance from Eblen Charities. This story is so heartwarming, and we were privileged to have Dr. Jackson express what Eblen Charities means to him.
Dr. Jackson has four children that all attended Buncombe County Schools. He started his career as a teacher in the school system. Dr. Jackson’s son, Joshua, was diagnosed with a form of Hodgkin's Lymphoma when he was in 5th grade at Fairview Elementary. After being cancer free for several years, Joshua's cancer returned when he was in 8th grade at Cane Creek Middle School. This time the family had to take JJ to Chapel Hill for intense cancer treatments.
Eblen Charities helped Dr. Jackson’s family with the expense of travel to help them fight for their son’s life. Joshua had never missed a day of school. With six weeks of treatment in Chapel Hill for a stem cell transplant, this would be a long road. When he showed up in Chapel Hill, all the doctors and nurses were wearing Team JJ t-shirts. One by one, the staff would come into his room wearing those Team JJ shirts. This kind gesture really put him at ease when he was admitted. Buncombe County Schools along with Eblen Charities made this happen. He was so scared for this bone marrow transplant, radical chemotherapy and proton radiation therapy far from home but was able to feel the love from his community during this crisis.
After six long weeks of intense treatments and isolation. Joshua was able to come back home to Asheville and start recovering. We are thrilled to report that after all these years, Joshua is cancer free. He studied broadcasting and is working for ESPN. Dr. Jackson will never forget the thoughtfulness and support he received from Eblen Charities. Dr. Jackson said, “Eblen Charities has been amazing to our family and so many other families in our community.”
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