You’d be hard-pressed to find a working parent who puts family above everything else more than Jessica Abelsohn. Literally raised by her ‘village’, Jessica learned early on the value of finding your community and loving them back. So when this working parent lost her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2014, Jessica co-founded #PurpleOurWorld to raise awareness and make sure no other family felt as alone in their experience of the disease as she once did.
Jessica performs the balancing act between motherhood, career, and running the #PurpleOurWorld collaboration with amazing integrity, diligence, and grace. We look back on our story with Jessica with a glimpse into her inspirational world.
Can you tell us about your career journey so far?
I studied media and communications at university and then continued with a postgraduate law degree. I never wanted to be a lawyer though, so when I finished university I started looking at jobs in policy, writing, and journalism.
I started my career at the content marketing and custom publishing agency Mahlab as a junior writer. Over the three years I was there, I worked my way up to editor. I edited a couple of magazines, wrote across several client portfolios, and produced and edited corporate videos. It was a very varied role.
In early 2015, I decided I wanted to be my own boss so I resigned and went freelance. Since then, I’ve worked with numerous content marketing and writing agencies to produce blogs and articles. Some of the work is published under my name — I’ve featured quite a bit on Babyology — and some is ghostwritten on behalf of companies or CEOs.
I love the freedom and flexibility it affords me, especially as I can manage #PurpleOurWorld while earning a living, and doing something I absolutely love — writing.
You sadly lost your mother to pancreatic cancer and then co-founded #PurpleOurWorld. What has been your biggest challenge? What have you loved the most?
Mum passed away from pancreatic cancer in August 2014 and #PurpleOurWorld was born a couple of months later. We founded the movement to coincide with the inaugural World Pancreatic Cancer Day (WPCD) which falls in Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month each November.
In the beginning, the most challenging part of it all was the fact that I was working full time while trying to get the movement up and running, meeting our charity partners and our ambassadors, and also managing social media.
As time went on though, the most challenging part, became doing it all without my mum, which sounds a bit weird as it’s because of her that we founded it. My mum was the life of the party and would absolutely love everything we’re doing, which makes it all the more bittersweet that she can’t be part of it or even see it all flourish. The thing I’ve loved the most is really seeing the difference that we’re making. We started #PurpleOurWorld to raise awareness for the disease and make sure no other family felt as alone and uneducated about pancreatic cancer as we did when we were going through the treatment with mum.
We’ve really noticed a huge difference in the level of awareness, which was our ultimate aim. If I had to name something specific that I’ve loved the most, though, it would be a toss-up between forming the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance in Australia with our charity partners, being an inaugural member of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, and lighting up the sails of the Sydney Opera House purple for WPCD.
You’re a very inspiring woman and give back so much. What motivates you?
Thank you! Probably the thing that motivates me the most is my family. I have a very close-knit family, which I can completely attribute to the way I was raised — by my village. When my mum was diagnosed, our village rallied around her and around us, and the care that we received was second to none. Part of the reason I went freelance was to be able to be there for my family when and if needed, and to give back to the community.
My sister and I were raised by parents who believed that there’s nothing more important than family and community, and part of that is giving back.
Of course, the other person who motivates me most is my mum. Everything I do and everything I am is because of her. And while #PurpleOurWorld is now about so much more than my mum (it’s about all the other families and loved ones too), her memory, her zest for life, and her passion really drive me to do everything I can to raise the profile of the deadliest cancer.
And then there’s my son. Because my ultimate aim is to create a better world for him. My wish is that he grows up knowing that while his nana passed away from pancreatic cancer, no other child will lose a loved one to the disease. Our ultimate aim is a cure.
Congratulations on being the proud parent of a gorgeous son. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve found about being a mother?
There have been two main things that surprised me. First, I am capable of doing all of this without my mum. I never dreamed that I would be doing this without her wisdom, wit, and guidance. I am fortunate that I have a very close-knit family, extended family included. My immediate family has been invaluable in his upbringing — from advice to babysitting. But they’ll still never replace my mum, nor do they try. But we’ve all made it our mission that my mum’s grandchildren will know her — they may not meet her, but they’ll know her. In fact, I’ve found myself sounding just like her on many occasions.
The other thing that has surprised me most is a parent’s ability to just get things done. No matter how tired, sick, or fed up I am, or how much work I need to do, my son still needs to be fed, clothed and cared for. There have been days where I’ve had a splitting migraine and no medication has touched it, and I still find a way to pick up the pieces and get everything done. To me, it’s quite simple, there’s a little person relying on me, and he needs his mummy.
How have you found navigating motherhood, being a working parent, and running #PurpleOurWorld?
I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. Incredibly tough. There have been days where I’ve had to put my work or #PurpleOurWorld first.
I’ll never forget when my son was 11 months old, I accidentally left the front door open and I checked a work email. In the three minutes that I was checking my emails, he took himself outside and fell down a full flight of stairs.
There’s incredible guilt involved. But, there’s also an incredible opportunity. Our setup has also allowed me to really be with my son. I can choose when and where I work so that he comes first. I’m fortunate that this is the case. I can also work around him. In fact, I was making calls and sending emails for #PurpleOurWorld from my hospital bed when he was just two days old.
Of course, there have been opportunities that I’ve had to turn down. For example, I was unable to attend the second World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition Meeting in Montreal because I couldn’t leave a seven-month-old at home and he couldn’t come with me. While it was definitely the right decision, it was a tough one to make.
What’s one dream you have that you’ve yet to accomplish?
With #PurpleOurWorld, we’d love to see awareness becoming a bit more mainstream. It’s not enough that families of those going through pancreatic cancer know the symptoms and risk factors, we need the general community to understand this so that cancer can be diagnosed in its early stages. There is no early detection test and there is no cure. For the majority of pancreatic cancer patients, diagnosis happens too late and it becomes palliative care, rather than treatment for a cure. That’s probably the dream I’m still chasing — helping to eradicate pancreatic cancer. For us at #PurpleOurWorld, we strongly believe the only way we’ll do this is by education and awareness. Because people who are educated and aware of the awfulness of the disease are more likely to donate money to help find a cure.
How do you stay sane with the juggle? What is your way of coping when you find yourself frustrated, overwhelmed or burned out? How do you look after yourself?
I’m not sure whether it’s nature or nurture, but I’ve always had the attitude that you just have to get things done. I think that’s why I generally cope with juggling so many balls at one time.
To-do lists are my best friend. I create a weekly to-do list and then a daily to-do list and tasks are prioritised. I put everything down on these lists — even things like making the spag bol for dinner. That way, I can see what I have and haven’t done and can ensure the most important things get first dibs.
That’s not to say I don’t have my bad days — there have been plenty of moments when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel and give up on working for myself, chasing the money just to pay the bills and everything in between.
When these days hit, I pretty much give in to the frustration. My strong belief is that you need to let yourself feel, otherwise all of those frustrations will bottle up inside and it’s going to be much worse in the long run. So, I’ll give myself a break, whether it’s 10 minutes or two hours. I’ll procrastinate with some cooking or housework, or I’ll go for a walk if the weather is right.
When I’m stressed because of deadlines or the #PurpleOurWorld workload, I find hanging out with my son is the absolute best medicine.
I’m happiest when… I’m with my family—all of them from grandparents to the smallest of kiddies.
I’m addicted to… I’d like to pretend it’s not the case, but I’m going to have to go with coffee. My day simply cannot start without two shots of it.
My role model is…my mum. She worked right up until a few months before she was diagnosed. She showed me that mums can work and still be there for the kids, no questions asked.
