Following her first diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in June 2023, and after surgery and initial rounds of chemotherapy, Pamela Jackson of Mesa, Ariz., felt great, diligently taking her medications and showing up for blood tests every three months and scans every six months.
With a mobile chemo pack, she even continued working at her high-stress job, handline $1 million-plus agreements as a customer service representative for an international pool equipment company.
But after her cancer returned and spread to her liver in July 2025, Pamela was not, at first, convinced that she wanted to go through another round of chemotherapy. “I was very adamant,” she said.
Clearly reviewing all her options with Dr. Rizwan Khawaja, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Clinical Investigator for Novel Cancer Therapies in the Oncology Research Division at HonorHealth Research Institute, Pamela decided to try again: “If it works, ok. If it doesn’t, I’ve got all my affairs in order.”
New clinical trial starts
Aug. 19, 2025, she began a new clinical trial designed by a Redwood City, Calif. firm, Revolution Medicines, that included a drug called Daraxonrasib, plus two now-standard drugs for pancreatic cancer: Gemcitabine and Nab-paclitaxel.
Less than a month later, when Pamela received the results of her first scan on Sept. 10, she discovered her tumor had shrunk 30%: “I said, ‘Whoa’,” she recalled, giggling with delight at the memory.
Her tumor has since shrunk another 2%, and Pamela, now 62, is enthusiastic about the future. She spent her most recent birthday in Jamaica, retired from her job, and is planning trips to see her children and grandchildren in Houston, and attend a big family reunion in the small town of Pampa, in the Texas panhandle. “I’m living life the best I can,” she said.
As for HonorHealth, “There’s not enough time in the day,” Pamela said, to sing the Research Institute’s praises:
“HonorHealth has top-tier amazing people. The bedside manners, the treatment, the listening, the empathy — I don’t know what it is in reference to HonorHealth when they hire. Everyone that I’ve encountered are amazing. They’re very friendly. It makes you feel good. You’re welcomed with a smile. No one shuns you off. They ask you how you feel, and they listen.”
From Dr. Khawaja to the Institute volunteers, “Everybody’s great,” Pamela said, rattling off the names of nearly a dozen doctors and nurses she has encountered. “The whole team is just amazing!”
