Jamie's Story

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.”  Song of Songs 4:7

This verse uniquely reflects the life and legacy left by Jamie Lynn Gilmore who passed away on the 20th of June 2019. She was 37 years old. Jamie was born in the Houston area in 1982. She was an extremely strong, resilient woman who was given the battle of fighting cancer since the age of 14. After being a pediatric cancer survivor, Jamie went on to live the life one would be very proud of, building a life with her husband, Garrick Glascock.

In 2002, Jamie gave birth to their beautiful, miracle baby, Mikala. Although Jamie continued to battle cancer relapses, she wouldn’t let it get her down. She juggled being a loving partner, a great mother, and a career woman all at the same time. Jamie was continuously working to further her education & build her career. Early on, she worked as a paralegal, then dove into real estate investments, and became a realtor. At the age of 29, she opened her own brokerage firm and in 2012 she was accepted into the Texas Realtors Leadership Program. Little did she know her fellow realtors would be a strong support for what was coming next… READ MORE HERE

Jamie Gilmore, Founder of Jamie’s Hope, was born in the Houston area in 1982. Jamie is a pediatric cancer survivor and resiliently fought a rare form of cancer called Acinic Cell Carcinoma. 2012 marked the 4th time her cancer relapsed and the year Jamie gathered family & supporters to start a nonprofit called Jamie’s Hope. The mission of this non-profit organization is to support personalized medicine research at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center while helping those directly affected by cancer and raising awareness on cancer prevention and early detection.  By donating to Jamie’s Hope YOU are part of the “Cure”. Jamie wants to personally Thank Dr. Tsimiberidou and ALL of the staff at MD Anderson. 

“You were truly part of the inspiration which led me to create this non-profit organization.” – Jamie Gilmore

Jamie’s Story

In 1996, at the age of 14, Jamie discovered a small nodule in front of her ear. Jamie’s local ENT believed the small nodule was a cyst. Lab samples were submitted to Pathology following Jamie’s 6 hour operation to remove the nodule. Pathology results diagnosed the nodule as Acinic Cell Carcinoma. Following diagnosis, Jamie was referred to a local doctor who advised against radiation due to Jamie’s age and the small size of the nodule.

In 2002, at the age of 20, another small nodule appeared in the same location. Jamie was then referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX for treatment. Surgery was scheduled to remove the mass. Prior to Jamie’s surgery routine labs were performed. The morning of the operation, Jamie was given the surprising news that her hormones were slightly elevated indicating pregnancy. Consequently, surgery was canceled and Jamie returned home with her family. Doctors closely monitored Jamie throughout her pregnancy as the mass was growing very rapidly. Due to the cancer, Jamie was induced at 38 weeks and gave birth to a beautiful and perfect daughter, Mikala.

On January 23, 2003 Jamie endured her most challenging operation: a 12 hour operation to remove the mass and reconstruct her neck and facial area affected by the cancer. Following the surgery, Jamie underwent radiation treatment of the affected area for 6 weeks. Since that surgery and radiation treatments, Jamie never suffered a relapse of cancer in the facial or neck region again.

In 2005, at the age of 23, Jamie suspected she had suffered a sports injury in her hip area. After several doctor appointments and numerous tests Jamie was informed of a new mass in her pelvis. Jamie was again referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center for treatment. Jamie underwent surgery to remove part of the bone including six weeks of radiation.

In 2008 feeling strong and optimistic, Jamie began training for the local Susan G. Komen Marathon. Unfortunately, this was to be short-lived; she suffered a fractured hip, resulting in a partial hip replacement. It was time for routine check-ups with her doctors.

In May of 2012, Jamie received the news of another cancer recurrence in her pelvis. Multiple tests revealed several new locations in Jamie’s right pelvic area, left ischium, and lymph nodes. The cancer had once again returned. Today’s medical technology doesn’t provide a standardized treatment option for the rare cancer that continued to plague Jamie’s body. Jamie received chemotherapy at MD Anderson through clinical trials in their Targeted Therapy Department for over 2 ½ years. She had “stable” results while enduring numerous side effects but she continued to fight.

In December of 2014, Jamie personally declared war on her fight against cancer and made the choice to LIVE and change her life! For the next 2 ½ years Jamie fought her cancer with lifestyle by using the Gerson Therapy method, eating a plant based diet, mediation, and LIVING. She fell off the wagon and hit rock bottom several times, but she never gave up and each time came back stronger! Jamie has become a true inspiration to many even people without cancer!

 In 2017 Jamie’s cancer spread to her skull bone, collar bone, left femur, large area in her left pelvic bone, and that the original areas have worsened. Jamie spent most of 2017 at home on hospice due to numerous hospitalizations from pain and displacement because of flooding from Hurricane Harvey. At the end of 2017, Jamie had a couple bad falls which caused her left femur to become lodged into her pelvic bone and due to the cancer it was unable to be reconstructed.

 In 2018 wanting to walk again Jamie came off Hospice to continue her fight. She started an immunotherapy treatment and continued to live a healthy lifestyle in hopes to eradicate or reduce the cancer so she could have a hip reconstruction. 

After years of admirable resilience and extraordinary combat, Jamie passed away on June 20th, 2019. Though she is no longer with us, her story and her strength lives on and inspires us daily. Through Jamie’s remarkable resistance and drive, she gave us the greatest gift of all, a legacy of hope. A legacy that will survive the days and years, and the trials and tribulations. A legacy that builds a community and empowers our strength. A legacy to doubtlessly and unquestionably, hope. Together, we can make change. Together, we can change the world. Together, we can end cancer.