Have You Met The Ginger?

By: Sydney Brammer

Some of you may know Jackson Ford as “that kid with the really red hair” or “the ginger”, and if you’ve never met Ford that’s pretty surprising because he loves meeting new people and is extremely easy-going and kind. From the perspective of Ford’s friend and the writer of this story, I can tell you he is someone you definitely want to know and be friends with.

The Fight Through Cancer

Ford is fighting stage three melanoma. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a type of skin cancer. According to Ford, the cancer is located on his back and formed due to sun exposure. Unfortunately, it got infected and spread to other parts of his body. He first found out he had melanoma on November 19, 2019. His initial reaction was he “didn’t know how to feel…or what to say. I felt numb.” Through this trial, Ford has gotten support from his friends, and especially his mom. Ford says, “My mom is really helpful because she hasn’t been very busy, taking me to treatments, and being there for me.” Ford is very thankful for his family going through this.

So how is Ford treating this? Every three weeks he gets treatment and afterward, for a few days feels really tired. His first trip to Stanford was an “amazing feeling of relief.” He got many treatment options and Ford felt very optimistic about getting cured. Flash forward to today, he goes to Stanford every three weeks on Mondays which makes him miss some school. However, he says, “The only thing that is affecting me most is the healing process after surgery. Other than that, I am feeling quite normal.”

The Red Card Game

Do you remember the Red Card Cancer soccer game the girls JV and Varsity teams held? January 17, 2020, was the Red Card Cancer Game in honor of anyone who has passed from cancer or who is currently fighting it. The teams honored two of our very own Rangers, Mandy Redden ’22 and Jackson Ford ’22. When asked how Ford felt about the game he said, “The Red Card Cancer game was an amazing way to raise money for the fight of cancer, and I can’t be any luckier getting all of the support from the people around me.” Not only was Ford honored at the game, but he was also interviewed by ABC News on how he was feeling. “It was a very new experience”, says Ford, “I felt awkward in front of the camera, but many told me that they saw me on the news and gave me a good feeling.” Ford knows he has the support he needs and is ready for the fight ahead of him.

“You always need to stay optimistic no matter what. You can’t let yourself overthink and go into a negative train of thought.”

Jackson Ford ’22

How Does Ford Still Manage His Athletics?

Ford has been playing soccer since he was about 3 or 4. His favorite thing about it is the fact that it’s a team sport and you have to work together in order to win, “There isn’t one star player in the game usually, it’s always a team effort.” Ford plays right or left-wing which is running up and down the field, distributing the ball into the middle, and helping move the ball up the field on defense and offense. Along with Redwood soccer, Ford also plays for the South Valley Chivas ’02 team which is a travel team here in Visalia.

Before the Corona Virus canceling his season, being involved with his travel team kept him extremely busy, especially during band season and having to stay late after school. However, he’s gotten used to it and it’s become a regular part of his routine.

Ford was also participating in track during the Spring season until it was canceled. His events were the 800 and the 400.

How is Soccer While Fighting Cancer?

Although the Corona Virus canceled his season, Ford hasn’t been playing since he found out he had cancer. He gets very tired after every treatment for about 3-4 days. He’s starting to get the swing back into things kicking the ball a little, but not a whole lot. However, before track season was canceled, he was planning to “recover and keep getting better and better.”

How Does Band Add to His Overall Load?

Ford has played the trumpet since 5th grade. Here at Redwood, he plays in the Advanced Band and is also a part of the Marching Band. It starts about two weeks before school starts to about November. Being a part of the Marching band is “very tiring” and all students involved have to stay until 9 PM twice a week. At first, it was hard for Ford to get used to, but now it’s something he’s learned to work his schedule around. It’s a stressful time for everyone involved, but “it’s worth it and something I really enjoy.”

He adds, “Mr. Ray has been very understanding of what I’m going through and not putting any extra stress on me, which is very helpful.”

“Practices are a drag, but the people there make it bearable. I’ve made a lot of close friends because we all go through the same stuff that we don’t want to be going through and they make it easier while you’re there.”

Jackson Ford ’22

What Classes is Ford Taking?

Ford’s classes are quite vigorous and are getting him on the right track for college. Even with everything he’s going through and involved in, Ford has a thriving 4.0 at the moment. His easiest class is Advanced Band because he “doesn’t have to put a terrible amount of effort compared to AP Euro which is my most difficult class.” He’s also taking Honors Math and English. For him, English is a little more challenging because he doesn’t like writing. However for math, he isn’t the best, but he does his best to understand the topic the best he can.

How Does He Manage His Time?

Ford is actually a very big procrastinator, but it doesn’t really have a big effect on him because he usually does his work at 1 AM.

“The more busy I am, the more I procrastinate and it just gets worse and worse which makes me tired all the time.”

Jackson Ford ’22

What is Life Like With the Ford Family?

Ford’s mom’s name is Erin Garner Ford and his dad is Jason Ford. His mom recently got a new job, she’s a Non-Profit Consultant and his dad works at COS as an Academic Counselor. Ford has two younger sisters, Emily Ford who is 10 years old in 4th grade, and Olivia Ford who is 14 years old in 9th grade. Emily attends Sycamore Valley Academy (SVA) and Olivia attends the one and only, Redwood High. Olivia plays volleyball here at Redwood on the freshmen team in the Fall and is also on a club volleyball team, DaKine Ohana (DKO) year-round. She’s a setter on the Redwood team and is also a setter and a right-side hitter on her club team. She’s also trying to swim for the first time here on the Redwood team. Emily also plays soccer for a club team called United and plays on a rec basketball team for fun.

Ford and his younger sister, Olivia both go to Redwood. When asked how school was with his sister, “It’s a hassle”, says Ford. He adds, “She always wants me to take her earlier than I want to go, but it’s also really nice because then I don’t have to drive all the way to a middle school.” Ford and his sister get along fairly well even though they’re very different people.

The Ford Family has two dogs, Stanley and Shirley. Stanley is an “old guy that I can hug and just lay down with. But, Shirley is a weird, irritable weirdo that I can only pet at certain times of the day, she has her moments.”

The Sister’s Point of View: Olivia Ford ’23

Going to school with your sibling has its pros and cons. When asked how it was, Ford said, “It’s cool seeing him around. We talk a lot which is nice.” She loves to see her brother more and he gives her free rides to places. However, the worst part is “He can get annoyed sometimes and tell me to go away when he’s with Ciera (his girlfriend).”

Ford’s initial reaction when she found out Jackson had cancer was that she was “confused. I wasn’t sure how to feel.” However, now she’s kind of used to it because he gets a lot of treatment and is confident that he will beat it. Ford and her brother have always been pretty close so Jackson getting cancer hasn’t been a drastic change in their relationship.

Ford’s favorite thing to do with Jackson is gossip, “we tell each other the tea.” To support him, Ford doesn’t bring it up because Jackson doesn’t talk about it.

What is Life Like Outside of School For The Ginger?

One of Ford’s favorite hobbies is hanging out with his friends. He says he’s very spontaneous and likes to decide what to do at that moment, not ahead of time because it’s more fun that way. He also likes to drive around with his friends “out of the blue” and live in the moment.

“I like to decide what to do that night, never the day before because planning things causes for expectation.“

Jackson Ford ’22

Before quarantine, in Ford’s free time he went to his girlfriend, Ciera Sesock’s, ’22 house or his best friend, Lucas’ house. Ford says, “I’m not one to stay alone when I have free time. When I am alone it’s because it’s a weekday.” He also listens to music, procrastinates homework, and scrolls through TikTok for hours. He also likes to cook chicken with his best friend, Lucas on the weekends.

Being 16, and a new driver, Ford likes to drive a lot, and “it’s very nice being able to leave and to choose where I’m going.”

So who is Ciera? Ciera Sesock is Ford’s girlfriend for a little over six months, they met on the first day of school. They have Honors English 2, Honors Math 3, and AP Euro together so that’s how they met. Ford’s favorite thing about her is that he can talk to her about anything and that he can be his “raw self” around her. Ciera has helped Ford tremendously throughout this difficult time by being there for him when he needs her or when he doesn’t feel good.

The Girlfriend’s Point of View: Ciera Sesock ’22

Sesock thinks it’s a very “unfair situation that he has to deal with that (cancer) because he’s so young.” To help him through this time, she treats everything like there’s no cancer to keep him happy and forgetful of the hard times.

“A lot of people cry around him and make it seem like he’s going to die, but I want to keep his life as normal as possible.”

Ciera Sesock ’22

When Sesock first found out Ford has cancer she was very scared because “when you hear the word cancer people tend to think of it as a death sentence when that’s not necessarily what it is. There are many treatments to fight it.”

Now that it’s been a while since Sesock found out Ford had cancer she’s more “confident in his ability to beat it because he’s on a treatment plan and he’s getting it every three weeks.” Of course, she’s still a little scared, but she knows everyone is doing everything they can to fix it.

In the beginning, Sesock and Ford couldn’t do everything they wanted to because of his surgeries, but now he can do more things such as play a little soccer.

Sesock’s favorite thing to do with Ford is the exact same thing Ford said, go on drives and blast music. They listen to Heavy Metal and Rap music and have dance parties in the car.

The Best Friend’s Point of View: Lucas Washam ’22

Washam and Ford have known each other since elementary school, but became best friends in 7th grade. As his best friend, Washam was very nervous when he found out Ford had cancer, but according to Washam, Ford had a “really good attitude and stayed positive. He didn’t let it take over his personality.”

To help him during this time, Washam does his best to be there for him and get his mind off of it. One thing they do to get his mind off of it is eating a lot of chicken, as that is their favorite thing to do together.

Washam’s first reaction to Ford having cancer was he was “surprised. It didn’t settle in at first, and I was like dang, that sucks.” However, now Washam feels a lot better and “relieved” because Ford is getting a lot of treatment and feeling a lot better.

Ford fighting cancer doesn’t stop them from doing what they want everyday, “We don’t talk about it as much because we want to let him live his life.”

“He’s a great person and is always there for everyone, so it’s cool that everyone is there for him and has his back as he fights cancer.”

Lucas Washam ’22

In conclusion, Jackson Ford doesn’t let cancer affect the way he lives his life. He considers it only a part of the journey and something next up to overcome and accomplish. Being Ford’s friend is truly an adventure and from any perspective- the writer of this story, a reader of this story, or someone who listens into one of his conversations can clearly see that Ford is kind-hearted and doesn’t let this one little, yet big thing define him. Keep your head up Jackson, stay strong! Redwood’s got your back.

Tags: cancer, jacksonford, redcardcancer, Redwood, redwood gigantea