The son of a “Real Housewives” star is opening up about a frightening health battle that began with symptoms he tried to ignore and ended with a colon cancer diagnosis at just 27 years old.
Jackson Jordan, the son of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” star Charrisse Jackson-Jordan, revealed that he spent months hiding troubling symptoms from his family because he was terrified of what doctors might discover.
The model, now 28, first noticed blood in his stool and changes in his bowel habits during the fall of 2025. Rather than seeking medical attention, he convinced himself the problems might disappear.
“It was more so out of fear of what they would say,” Jackson told PEOPLE in a new interview. “I was just kind of hoping it would go away.”
But by late November, his condition had deteriorated.
While staying with his sister, Skylar, in Brooklyn, Jackson began feeling extremely weak during an outing to the gym. After walking only a short distance, he became dizzy, unusually sensitive to light, and feared he might faint.
He was forced to sit on the sidewalk before eventually returning to his sister’s apartment.
Concerned about his condition, Skylar contacted their mother, who immediately sensed something was wrong when she saw Jackson around Thanksgiving.
Charrisse, 61, recalled being shocked by her son’s appearance.
He had lost a significant amount of weight, appeared exhausted, and was unusually pale.
“He looked like a ghost,” she told PEOPLE.
She urged him to see the family’s doctor, setting off a series of medical tests that revealed just how seriously ill he had become.
Bloodwork showed his hemoglobin levels were dangerously low, indicating severe anemia. Jackson required a blood transfusion and spent three days in the hospital.
A colonoscopy subsequently revealed a tumor, and doctors diagnosed him with colon cancer.
Although the news was devastating, Jackson admitted he had already feared the worst after delaying medical care for so long.
His biggest concern was how his parents would react.
He recalled seeing his father crying in the hospital hallway before being wheeled into his room, where his mother was overcome with emotion.
Fortunately, doctors discovered that the cancer had not spread, giving Jackson an encouraging outlook despite the seriousness of his diagnosis.
He began an intensive treatment program that included approximately two months of weekly radiation treatments followed by four months of chemotherapy administered every other week.
Treatment concluded in August 2026, and scans in September showed no evidence of cancer.
Jackson says the experience completely changed his perspective on life.
“I’m just grateful to have been able to persevere,” he told PEOPLE, explaining that his illness taught him to appreciate each day rather than take his health for granted.
His story also highlights an important warning about colorectal cancer, which is increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults.
According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms can include blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, abdominal discomfort, and unusual fatigue.
Although these symptoms can have causes other than cancer, they should never be ignored.
Current guidelines recommend routine colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45 for adults at average risk. However, people experiencing symptoms should seek medical evaluation regardless of their age, and those with certain risk factors may need screening earlier.
Jackson now faces regular follow-up appointments to monitor his health, but he is grateful to be moving forward with his modeling career and his life.
He and his mother hope that sharing his experience will encourage others, particularly younger people, to take unusual symptoms seriously.
His message is simple: Don’t let fear keep you from getting medical help.
“If you’re going through something, don’t wait,” he urged. “Stay on top of it; get it checked out.”
So awful to have something like that at 27.