"at'll probably change next week," they said.
But it didn't.
In school, Jackson took advanced placement
classes. His sophomore year, he attended a
school for gifted students. Focused on his goal,
he attended the University of Chicago and
graduated with a degree in biology. He also
attended Wayne State University School of
Medicine.
Now in a surgical residency, his goal was within
sight.
Death Sentence
"Come on…" the attending physician urged,
eager to get on to the next case.
Jackson felt a sharp prick.
Looking down, he saw blood on his gloved
hand. He'd stuck himself with a needle—one
contaminated with HIV. In an instant, he knew
that his career might be over. Even worse, so
might his life.
"HIV was a death sentence," said Jackson. "It
would take two sets of labs and six months to
know if I had contracted HIV and how serious it
was." Looking back, Jackson realized this was his
third close encounter with death.
e first time was the summer before second
grade.
"Several of us kids were playing in the
neighborhood when a car full of college boys
pulled up," he remembers. "Come here!" they
called. "Look at all the toys we have in the car.
Why don't you be part of our contest?"
"e others remembered being taught about
'stranger danger,' a warning to beware of, or
to not befriend strangers because they can
be potentially dangerous, and to run away,"
Jackson said. But being curious, he went
straight to the car.
"A neighbor saw what was happening and
yelled, 'Jackie! Come here!' I turned and ran to
him, and that scared the boys away.
"My second close encounter with death
occurred when I was in medical school. I was
home visiting my mother when I was awakened
by plaster falling on my face. Someone trying
to kill my brother had fired shots through the
wall. One bullet struck a metal bar next to my
head. If it had been a half inch on either side, it
would have killed me.
"Now, I'd been contaminated with HIV.
Fortunately, I knew the power of God to heal."
Born and raised in Detroit, Jackson had
been introduced to that power as a child. His
grandparents, who had once been Unitarian,
began taking him with them to a new church in
town started by a young, 23-year-old preacher
named Keith Butler. It was at Word of Faith
International Christian Center that Avery and
his sister accepted Jesus.
eir mother was born again in her 30s,
and soon learned about God's healing power.
When Jackson was diagnosed with attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, she refused to let
doctors medicate him.
"Instead, she enrolled me in martial arts and
had me spend more time in the Word of God,"
Jackson recalled.
1 4 : B V O V
Dr. Avery Jackson
performing
surgery (top), and
at 11 years old
(right)
