A fan-favorite reality TV star's son just opened up about his colon cancer diagnosis at just 27, revealing he ignored symptoms for months.
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Jackson Jordan, the son of The Real Housewives of Potomac star Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, admits that he ignored signs that he may have been seriously ill leading up to the devastating diagnosis. The model candidly detailed that despite noticing telltale signs of colon cancer, like blood in his stool and changes in his bowel movements, he quietly kept it to himself.
In something most people can relate to, he didn't want doctors to hand over a negative diagnosis.
"It was more so out of fear of what they would say," Jackson recently told PEOPLE. "I was just kind of hoping it would go away or hoping I could do something myself to fix it without telling anybody."
The 27-year-old noticed the symptoms in the fall of 2025. However, he didn't go to the doctor until late November of that year.
Charrisse Jackson-Jordan Recalls Thinking Her Son "Looked Like a Ghost"
Feeling seriously ill while at the gym finally forced his hand.
"As soon as I stepped outside, it was like everything just felt too bright and my eyes were sensitive. I walked maybe a block and a half and felt like I was about to faint," he told PEOPLE.
He was staying with his sister, Skylar, at her Brooklyn apartment at the time.
"I had to sit down on the sidewalk for a few minutes, and then we walked back to her apartment."
Doing what sisters do best, she narced on her brother to their reality-star mother, calling to let Charrisse know that Jackson wasn't well. She was primed to look her son over at their Thanksgiving dinner shortly afterward.
"When I saw him, immediately I'm like, 'Something's not right,'" the 61-year-old recalled to PEOPLE. "He had lost a lot of weight; he was sort of lethargic and had no color at all. He looked like a ghost."
Reality TV Star's Son Reveals the Devastating Moment He Was Diagnosed with Colon Cancer
Shortly after, Charrisse urged her son to go to their family doctor. Blood tests revealed that Jackson's hemoglobin levels were dangerously low. He was given a blood transfusion and hospitalized for three days.
Further tests, including a colonoscopy, revealed a tumor. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with colon cancer.
"Because I waited so long to go to the doctor, I was already bracing myself for the worst, hearing that specific word," he confessed to PEOPLE. "So I was more concerned about my parents' reaction and emotions over myself."
"I remember them wheeling me back to my hospital room, and my dad was in the hallway crying," he added. "And then they wheeled me into the room, and my mom was, like, curled up on the bed I was staying in, and she was so emotional."
However, there was some good news. Despite Jackson dragging his feet about going to the doctor, the cancer was still caught early. His treatment began right away, which included two months of weekly radiation followed by four months of biweekly chemotherapy.
Jackson was declared cancer-free in early September of this year.
"I'm just grateful to have been able to persevere," he told PEOPLE. "This kinda gave me a different perspective on life, just living your life to the fullest because you never know what can happen."
Routine check-ups are a must for Jackson now. After the ordeal, he urges others to do the same.
"If you're going through something, don't wait," he urged. "Stay on top of it; get it checked out."
