On the road to recovery from cancer

<p>Migraines are a painful and disruptive part of life for those who suffer from them, but for Petaluma resident Kimbell Jackson, they became so debilitating that she was forced to retire from her career in the wine industry.</p><p>“She had about 170 migraines in one year, which was pretty weird,” said her husband, Jeffrey Weissman. “She got misdiagnosed with a seizure disorder and they put her on all these medications. She eventually got fed up with that, weaned off the medications and was able to keep the migraines at bay with biofeedback.”</p><p>Jackson's migraines, however, remained chronic to where she lost her job in January 2010. She was unable to find any solution for her migraines and her condition worsened.</p><p>“Last October, she developed a pirate drag in her left leg, which prompted the doctor to have her do an MRI,” said Weissman. “That's when we found out that she had five brain tumors.”</p><p>With Jackson's COBRA health coverage having run out, it took a couple of months to get health coverage through the county so that a biopsy could be done. The biopsy determined that Jackson had lymphoma and she began chemotherapy in January of this year.</p><p>“She's undergone seven months of treatment so far and luckily the latest MRI shows the tumors are gone,” said Weissman. “The doctors give Kim a 70 percent chance of remission. We're still in the thick of it, though. She needs to go through rehabilitation and eventually back in the job market.”</p><p>Weissman said that her medications cost up to $6,000 for 10 pills, and although she has some medical coverage, she faces high co-payments and cost of living expenses.</p><p>In order to help raise funds to cover all the medical costs, Weissman is hosting a fund-raising show, “Tumor Be Gone” on May 21 at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa featuring an evening of comedy, music, hors d'oeuvres and wine and a silent auction.</p><p>“I called on a number of dear friends in the entertainment industry to help out,” said Weissman. </p><p>Residents may remember Weissman for his acting role as George McFly in “Back to the Future” sequels, Teddy Conway in Clint Eastwood's “Pale Rider” and Gerry Hannon in “Corked!” He continues to work as a screen and stage actor, comedian and educator.</p><p>Weissman and Jackson met while doing children's theater. After 20 years, they reunited in 1995 and married 10 years later in Sonoma County.</p><p>For “Tumor Be Gone,” Weissman has rounded up a number of well-known performers such as Grammy-nominated singer Perla Batalla, stand-up comics Dave Pokorny, Emmy Award winner Rick Overton and Michael McShane from the British version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, along with comic cabaret duos Richard and Sandy Riccardi and Lol Levy and Nancy Gold. Local improv troupes Slip-Goose Monkey, 6th Street Improv and World's Biggest Comedy Duo. There are also some surprise guests planned.</p><p>“I'm delighted that we have all this talent,” said Weissman. “And we've had some great donations for the silent auction.”</p><p>Items up for bid during the silent auction include items such as wine, original art, massage, five-weeks tuition for a filmmaking course and a three-night stay at a cabin used in the MGM film “Rose Marie” starring Nelson Eddy, Jeannette MacDonald and James Stewart. There are also some autographed photographs of celebrities and movie memorabilia on the auction block.</p><p>To check out the items up for the silent auction, visit the event Facebook page by searching for “The Benefit and Silent Auction for Kimbell Jackson's Health Fund.”</p><p>“Tumor Be Gone” begins at 8 p.m. May 21. All proceeds will be used to support Jackson's fight against brain cancer. </p><p>For tickets, call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/165999. </p><p>Donations may be made to Kimbell Jackson's health fund at Paypal.com using the donation account of jeffreyweissman@sbcglobal.net. </p><p>(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yovanna.bieberich@arguscourier.com)</p>