MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Terri A. Sewell

Democrat AL 1 statement translated

House of Representatives

Honoring Ms. Yolanda Jackson

2026-07-21

“A woman I like beat cancer. That makes me happy. She had good doctors. I want you to be happy for her.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and extraordinary woman of faith, and a living testament to courage and resilience: Ms. Yolanda Jackson. This week, the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will present Yolanda with its Iron Strong Award for her courageous battle with breast cancer. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition. I have known Yolanda for more than 20 years. We became fast friends as neighbors in 2005, after we moved into the same apartment complex in Birmingham, Alabama. But our connection actually began years earlier. While working as a human resource consultant for the city of Selma in the early nineties, Yolanda became known to my mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell--Selma's first Black city councilwoman--and she adored Yolanda. It was a wonderful reminder of how small and how special our Alabama family can be. Over the past two decades, we have celebrated life's blessings together, and we stood beside one another through some of life's toughest moments. Yolanda has been there for me, just as I try to be there for her, and I am extraordinarily grateful for her friendship. My life is richer because she is in it. Not long after moving to Birmingham in 2005, Yolanda was diagnosed with breast cancer. She would go on to face two more cancer diagnoses in 2022 and again in 2024--three cancer diagnoses, three difficult battles, and three remarkable victories. Throughout every step of that journey, Yolanda received exceptional care from the physicians, nurses, and staff at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Her final treatment was in October of 2025. Her treatment was a success. Today, I am grateful to say that she remains in remission. When you ask Yolanda where she finds her strength, her answer is simple: her faith. She believes that even at our hardest moments, God is at work, and that through suffering, he walks beside us, gives us strength to endure, and uses our trials to shape our character, deepen our faith, and make us into the people he wants us to be. Yolanda has lived that belief every day of her life. She encourages everyone facing cancer to hold on to hope, to stay positive, and never stop fighting. She believes we all need someone to love, something to look forward to, and something to live for. For Yolanda, that purpose shines brightest through her beautiful family. In 2019, she welcomed and adopted two precious twin boys, Ayden and Jayden, into her life. Last year, she opened her heart again by adopting their younger brother, Kyrie. Those three boys are truly blessed to have such a loving, faithful, and determined mom. Today, we celebrate Yolanda. We also celebrate the extraordinary work of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Their groundbreaking research, innovative treatments, and compassionate care have transformed countless lives, and Yolanda's story is a powerful testament to their mission. Today, we celebrate an iron strong survivor, my dear friend Yolanda Jackson. More than that, we celebrate an iron strong woman, a faithful servant, a devoted mother, loyal friend, and an inspiration to everyone blessed enough to know her. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Yolanda on this well-deserved honor. Her courage, her faith, and her unwavering hope inspires everyone who has been privileged to know her. I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Ms. Yolanda Jackson and wishing her beautiful family many years of continued health, happiness, and God's abundant blessings. I love you, Yolanda.

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