*Life for Jearlean Taylor has been no crystal stair. On the outside, she always appeared to be a beautiful person that had it all together, but her life behind closed doors told a very different story. Although she physically appeared perfect, her life was filled with secrets that affected her 24/7.
While others appeared to be living a ‘normal’ life, Taylor was suffering with chronic medical complications due to a rare cancer that she faced at three-years-old.
“I struggled with self-pity, unhappiness, depression, low self-esteem and even suicidal thoughts. I found it hard, embarrassing and painful to be considered different,” says Taylor. However, after many years of reconstructive surgery, she managed to brush herself off and conquer her fears, embarrassment and health-related issues. “I am not my ‘bags’.  I am beautiful from inside out. I am changing lives through my story.”
What started out as a normal day in Baltimore, Maryland, with Taylor and her siblings playing in her family’s backyard, quickly took a turn for the worst.  While playing, her older sibling noticed blood on Taylor’s clothes and immediately alerted their parents. Not sure, what was going on, they rushed her to the Emergency Room and Taylor’s life was forever changed. She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma or RMS, which damaged her vaginal area and bladder.  She had an ostomy, only Taylor’s was permanent. She would then go on to have countless surgeries.
“I was cancer-free a year after my diagnosis, but left with permanent ostomy (colostomy and urostomy), which aids my bladder and bowels functions, which cause me to wear two ostomy bags,” she says. Her sandwich-sized bags are located on each side of her stomach, just at the navel area.
An ostomy refers to the surgically created opening in the body for the discharges of wastes. An ostomy bag (pouch) attaches to the abdomen and is fitted over and around the stomach to collect the diverted output, either stool or urine. RMS is a childhood cancer that normally affects children age 3-15 years-old and it starts in any organ that contains skeletal muscle cells. The tumors are located in the head, neck, bladder, and vagina.
According to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), about three percent of all childhood cancers are Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). About 350 new cases of RMS occur each year in the United States.  Most rhabdomyosarcomas are diagnosed in children and teens, with more than half of them in children younger than 10-years- old. These tumors are usually embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (ERMS) and tend to develop in the head and neck area or in the genital and urinary tracts.  RMS is slightly more common in boys than in girls. No particular race or ethnic group seems to have an unusually high rate of RMS.
From age 3 to 12-years-old, Taylor’s life was interrupted from the rare cancer, several reconstructive surgeries, and lengthy hospital stays at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, New York. She would receive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Moreover, she managed to make it through childhood and her teenage years despite having accidents and being teased at school. Her parents eventually pulled her out of school and homeschooled her for one year so she could adjust to her ostomy.
“I was trying to hide a secret but my mom kept telling me I had to tell my story. I started telling my story to other family members, and I started telling friends but because I was so active they couldn’t believe it,” says Taylor.
In high school, she played sports (volleyball and badminton) and she had to eventually tell her coach.
“I just start telling my story and telling my story and it kept encouraging me.”
At the time, her volleyball coach was attending seminary school and she began encouraging Taylor to tell her story too.
“She just kept encouraging me. Between her and my mother, they kept encouraging me.” Â Taylor said her volleyball coach would tell her, “You have a major testimony and you’re going to bless people.”
When asked how she gets through all of this on a daily basis, Taylor says, “It’s really my faith. It’s definitely the support from my brothers and sisters. It’s my relationship that I have with the Lord.  It’s my daily relationship with the Lord.”  “The Lord inspires me to want to go on and just life itself. Life happens and we are going to go through some trials and tribulations. I’m his miracle child. He’s been blessing me. My relationship and my faith in God play a major role in my life and I just have to give him thanks,” she says.
“My pastor, Rev. Therm M. James, is a great inspiration in my life. He is like a father figure to me. He encourages me every Sunday morning and that encourages me to help others. I’m able to help others. I’m very thankful to my pastor. He’s been a great influence in my life.” Her parents are deceased.
To see her outer appearance, you would never know that Taylor suffers with these adversities. Today, this 48-year-old beauty is helping cancer survivors, ostomy patients, aspiring fashion models and those suffering with low self-esteem. In fact, she has been modeling for 17 years and has started her own modeling company, J & Company Christian Modeling.
“We build, train and develop from the inside out. I wanted people to feel good about themselves,” says Taylor. She is also the founder of Osta Beauties, a cancer/ostomy support group.
“I would tell anyone dealing with cancer to hold on to hope. Our circumstances or situations don’t have to dictate our future. Have courage. We’re not victims. We’re victorious. There’s a purpose for our pain and what we go through in life. Just keep the faith and keep hold of your support group.
In 2013, she self-published her autobiography, “Pretty Girl Blues.” Â “This is how I felt most of my life. You feel pretty on the outside but blue on the inside.”
Former NFLer Rolf Benirschke’s organization, The Great Comeback, awarded Taylor with the “The Great Comeback Award.” Â In addition, Taylor serves on the Baltimore Chapter of Ostomy, and she recently began public speaking at health & wellness fairs, workshops and organizations across the United States.
“Even in the midst of our pain and suffering, there’s still light at the end of the tunnel. I just encourage people to keep fighting. It’s a blessing that I am a cancer-survivor.  Being a survivor made a difference in my life.  I’m just happy I can give back.”
Through all the trials and tribulations, Taylor’s life has been a remarkable journey of hope, faith and strength.
“This was a story I was once ashamed of. Â God is my strength.”
Purchase Jearlean Taylor’s book at www.prettygirlblues.com or Amazon.com.
EURweb associate journalist Angela P. Moore is based in the Atlanta area. A passionate writer-and-photographer-at-heart, she freelances for local and national magazines. She pens articles on celebrity profiles, art, music, business, travel, entertainment, health, self-help, and consumer-related issues. She is also the founder and owner of APM Public Relations. In the realization of her life-long passion for writing, Angela will release her debut book winter 2016.   She can be reached via [email protected].
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