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Overcoming Obstacles Award: Geneva's Jill Jackson

Nothing knocks the smile off Jill Jackson's face.

The recent Geneva graduate has been fighting a rare form of lung cancer since December, but the girl Geneva track and field coach Peter Raak calls "Ms. Positive" has maintained an optimistic outlook throughout.

"I think it's the kind of personality she has regardless," Raak said. "She always has a big smile on her face. She is one of those kids who always finds the bright side of any situation."

The 18-year-old has remained active for someone who over a six-month span underwent two right lung lobectomies and four rounds of chemotherapy, among other procedures.

Though unable to compete during the indoor track season, Jill attended as many practices as she could so she could be around her teammates, many of whom she counts among her inner circle of friends.

The two-sport athlete - she also played tennis for three seasons - likewise attended Geneva's first outdoor track practice in the spring.

Having achieved last season's personal goal of running the 200-meter dash in 28 seconds flat, she hoped to compete in at least one outdoor meet if not more as a senior, she said. The COVID-19 lockdown eliminated that possibility, however.

While receiving treatment, Jill still found time to manage the Geneva girls track and field Instagram account, finish school work, read for leisure, play guitar, sing and write songs. The future Dayton Flyer, who intends to study Elementary Education and Spanish, also carved out time to enjoy her favorite telenovelas.

Jill said her determination to stay as active as possible was spurred by an inspirational quote: "One of my favorites is that life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."

Nominated by Geneva athletic director Dave Carli for her inspirational attitude and dedication to remaining part of her team, Geneva's Jill Jackson is the winner of the Daily Herald's Prep Sports Excellence Overcoming Obstacles award.

"I wasn't one of those patients that would just sit around and feel depressed because you're not able to really participate," Jill said. "Still being able to be part of a team just lifted spirits. Getting to be part of it made me feel happy."

When she couldn't be on hand for practices, her teammates sometimes brought practices to her. Since Erik and Colleen Jackson's home is near Geneva High, Raak would sometimes run the track team past the house to cheer up Jill. On one team-bonding occasion, the track team dropped off notes of support for their teammate who embodies hope.

"We always say that she's really just a ray of sunshine," said Alana Policastro, Jill's friend and two-sport teammate. "I feel like that is so true to her heart and her optimism. Even though she was going through something, she always saw that the end was going to be worth it. She knows what she went through was bad. She sees the light through it all and knows her family and friends are always there for her. I just love her so much."

Jill's closest friends supported her in many ways, according to Adrianna Gonnella, a friend and two-sport teammate.

"We were there if she wanted to talk about cancer," Gonnella said, "but I feel like people who are cancer patients sometimes just want a group where they can kind of forget for a little bit about hospitals and medical stuff. We were also those people."

Jill's positive attitude was never more evident than on June 3. Thrilled to be done with her final surgery but isolated in Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital for four days, she threw a solo dance party for herself, filmed it and posted it on Twitter. The tube still poking out of her side to assure her lung did not collapse was not going to stop her.

For Jill, the solo dance party was a metaphor for dancing in the rain in the face of a storm.

"For anyone who is going through anything, really, you shouldn't wait for everything to pass over," she said. "You should make the most of every second. I didn't sit around and do nothing while I was going through chemo. I was with my friends being active.

"Now, I'm here. I danced in the rain."

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Senior Jill Jackson, a tennis and track athlete at Geneva, battled through a form of lung cancer this year with positivity and a passion for the track team, according to the school's athletic director Dave Carli. Courtesy of Geneva athletics
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