Darlene McCoy Jackson, a prominent radio personality, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2023. In this candid Q&A, she discusses her ongoing battle with the disease, emphasizing self-advocacy, faith, and holistic approaches to treatment. Jackson shares insights on coping strategies, community support, and maintaining a career while facing a life-altering diagnosis. Her story offers hope and practical advice for those confronting similar challenges.
[Editor’s note: This is a truncated transcribe of a longer video interview. Please see the video for the extended version. Some errors may occur.]
When did you first hear about breast cancer, and how did it impact your life?
I was diagnosed in March 2023. It has impacted my life greatly. I take full responsibility to advocate for myself throughout this process. You hear horror stories about how the system works and doesn’t work, and how you have to take the lead in certain areas of your health. It has taken precedence over everything else in my life. While I’m believing God for total healing, I’m still walking out this process. You don’t want to be considered just another number and get the same treatment as everybody else when your biology or your particular diagnosis is different from others.
What were your first thoughts when you heard the diagnosis?
My first thought was, “How am I going to tell my husband? How am I going to tell my kids? How are we going to move forward with this?” It’s scary when the doctor calls and says, “Yes, it is cancer.” Those words impact you greatly. That’s a very scary conversation to have.
What have you learned about yourself and your faith during this transformation?
I’ve learned I’m more of a fighter and warrior than I thought. Some people get into a storm and feel like they don’t have what it takes. That’s exactly how I felt—like I didn’t have what it takes and I didn’t know what to do. But something inside me continues to encourage me to push, ask questions, and stand still until I get answers. These processes weigh heavy on your spirit, but I won’t give up. I won’t stop fighting. Faith without works is dead, and it has placed a responsibility on me to see this through step by step.
How do you get out of bed and not be a victim of this disease?
I wrote a song in 2011, “I Shall Live and Not Die,” and I continue to tell myself that. I see myself on the other side of this journey as I move forward. As African-American women, we’re used to warring, fighting, and winning. A lot of us feel like we haven’t won, but maybe we’re not at the end of the journey that has been chosen for us, and maybe we just haven’t gotten to the other side yet. All we have to do is keep going. Always. All we have to do is keep believing in what we declared, and I declare that I shall live and not die. I will be well, and I’m warring and winning. What you tell yourself means everything in the midst of a storm.
How did you approach your husband about the diagnosis?
I texted him to call me when he had a second. I said, “Listen, I want you to brace yourself. I got a call from the doctor, and they said, ‘Yes, it is cancer.’ We need to get a plan together and walk out this process.” He said, “I don’t know what we’re going to go through, but we’re going to win, and we’re in it together.” Having someone with you who will walk with you, encourage you, and stand beside you when both of you are totally uncertain of what’s happening next is so necessary and so helpful when you’re going through this process.
What have you found in the area of sisterhood?
I recommend getting into gatherings with people going through what you’re going through. There’s a new meaning to BFF: “breast friends for life.” It’s important to get a breast friend. You can share notes, stories, and ask questions. You want people who understand what you’re asking and what you need, people who can stand with you as you keep walking. Sometimes you can just open up and listen, express things, and ask questions. You’re going to have so many questions as you go throughout this journey.
Can you tell us about your treatment approach?
I chose a holistic journey. I distanced myself from stress and drama, learned to manage stress levels, and learned to meditate. I started learning how to eat, what to put in my body and what not to. It’s been a holistic lifestyle change, and it’s been helping me. The cancer is not gone, but it’s not spreading or staging. I just had another MRI, and they said they think they see another spot of cancer. But they’re waiting on the results. We’re still on the journey, taking it as it comes, and walking it out.
How do you manage your career and stay present for opportunities?
I appreciate Urban One, upper management, my team, and everybody that has been supportive during this journey. I was on a journey before this interrupted me. I had a purpose and vision. I am still faithful to hold on to what I’m doing and show up as I’m supposed to, because my assignment continues. So, I keep going. I’m going to keep going.
Why is finding peace in a storm so important?
A: Peace is where you get your direction and your shift. I started meditating, doing breath work, sitting still and being quiet. Prayer is talking to God, but meditation is hearing back from God. When you’re sitting still enough and quiet enough, you can receive the downloads and inspiration from God himself—when He speaks to you and shows you how to lean, when to move forward, when to sit still, when to get shaken up, and when to just be quiet. Peace is the weapon I use against chaos. It’s a spiritual weapon, and I meditate every day.
How have you revised your vision of food as energy?
As a busy person, it’s sometimes hard to stay as strict as I want to be. I gather data on how everything I’m doing weighs on the journey. We continue to do blood work and watch to see if the vitamins and herbs are working. I’ve been surprising myself with some of the food I’m able to make and create to stay faithful to this journey. We continue to gather data, do blood work, and keep watching to see if the vitamins are working, if the herbs are working, or whatever else.
