Dear Community,

So many have reached out to check up on Uncle Joel Jackson and his recent diagnosis and now battle with pancreatic cancer. You all know him as President of our Tribe, a zealous advocate for our community, always working to protect our ways of life and our homelands. He continues this by fighting for his life right now with all of us by his side. Many of you have asked how to help, so we wanted to share this update along with ways your support can help him. We now have a treatment plan and a better idea about what this is going to take. He just finished his first of four chemo rounds. He’ll be home for two weeks between each round. We expect to be done with this first cycle by mid-August.

Here’s how to help:

Prayer & Blessings
Every prayer, word of encouragement, blessings over his life, songs, smudgings, carrying him into the water with you when you dip, and speaking life into him is so needed and appreciated.

Fundraising
Funds for him and his escort, his nephew Burt Jackson, to support their needs - his fight is the priority yet bills still need to be paid. While the costs of direct care are being covered by tribal health so far, there are lots of other costs that he and the family are covering where your support will be meaningful (a medicine side sleeper pillow system, infusion hoody, walker with a seat, smoothie ingredients (expensive ingredients in the village), Ensure (his favorite is strawberry but also likes vanilla), complimentary medicines (massage, chiropractor, acupuncture - if tribal health refuses to cover), baggage fees, travel incidentals, etc.)

Food
He can’t really eat much. While his sense of taste is mostly gone, his sense of smell is highly elevated—strong smelling foods make him nauseous. He can drink smoothies and Ensure. He tries to eat a little and is hungry for our Native foods that are more plain cooked and prepared, but again, only a couple bites. Most of the things he enjoyed before, he can’t eat now. He is becoming more sensitive to cold internally and externally. He enjoys sweets - especially likes berries and fruit, strawberry items, lemon items, but again can only handle a couple bites. If you’d like to share food with him, that’d be so welcomed but we wanted to paint a realistic picture for you since his diet is very limited right now.

Company
He enjoys being with family, friends, our community - and it’s good for his healing. However, he gets tired very easily, so please know that ahead of time. Also, if you are feeling sick or are recently over being sick, please wait to be fully well before being around him. He will also wear a mask when he’s in public spaces or where there’s lots of people. We greatly appreciate your understanding and support for this.

Showing your support
We are making t-shirts as a way to show your support for him and bring awareness to the fight against pancreatic cancer. It’ll also serve as a small fundraiser (cost of shirt plus a little to help out) so keep your eyes out.

Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement during this time. Every gesture, donation, and prayer means the world to Joel and our family.