Get to know Advance Team member Jessica Ramsey

“I am motivated to take part in the mission to #EndCancer so that everyone — children, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends — can have more time with their loved ones.” - Jessica Ramsey

BY Allison Schaffer

Advance Team member Jessica Ramsey with her husband, Tommy, and their children, Louise and Everett. Photo courtesy of Brandy Stoesz Photography

Born and raised in Houston, Jessica Ramsey grew up with MD Anderson in her backyard. She joined the Advance Team in 2017 but has been passionate about advancing cancer research for more than a decade. In addition to her service on the Advance Team, Jessica has generously supported MD Anderson through a number of events including the Little Galleria, A Conversation With a Living Legend® Houston, the Boot Walk to End Cancer® and Santa’s Elves. A job in financial reporting and her two children, Louise, age 7, and Everett, age 5, keep Jessica and her husband, Tommy, on a fast-paced schedule. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, one can now find them at home watching Netflix rather than out enjoying live music in their free time. Despite the change in everyday life due to COVID-19, Jessica believes it’s important to continue her work to advance MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer.

Hometown: Houston

Education: The University of Texas at Austin, Bachelor of Business Administration, Master in Professional Accounting

Advance Team Service:

Member since 2017
Events Committee, 2017-2019

Tell us about yourself in three words.

Empathetic, analytical and spirited.

How did you become involved with MD Anderson and the Advance Team?

When my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, our family felt lucky to have the No. 1 hospital for cancer care in the nation just a few miles from home. We knew that MD Anderson is where he would receive the best care. After he died, my family knew we had to continue the effort to stop this aggressive disease, which is hard to detect early and often resistant to treatment.

We started the Harold M. Hecht Endowment Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MD Anderson in my dad’s memory. I also worked to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research through the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which has provided a number of its competitive research grants to MD Anderson scientists and clinicians.

I was nominated to serve on the Advance Team by a friend who knew of my connection to MD Anderson and had witnessed my passion for advancing pancreatic cancer research as a recipient of my numerous email requests to donate or join my team for an event.

What motivates you to take part in our mission to end cancer?

My dad loved children and they loved him back. He passed away before I had my children and it breaks my heart that they never met each other. I want to change this story for other families.

In 2018, my brother-in-law, Adam, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a form of brain cancer, when his son was 9 months old. After surgery and rehabilitation, Adam was treated with proton therapy and chemotherapy at MD Anderson. Fast forward to 2020, he and my sister welcomed a new baby sister for their now almost 3-year-old son. They also celebrated a year of stable MRIs since Adam finished his treatment. I am motivated to take part in the mission to #EndCancer so that everyone — children, parents, grandparents, siblings, friends — can have more time with their loved ones.

What does “Making Cancer History®” mean to you?

Making Cancer History means working toward a day when cancer doesn’t cause suffering or threaten lives. It’s a singular focus that drives innovation and ambitious plans like the Moon Shots Program®.