My Story

Hi! My name is Jason Berger. When people ask me how I’m doing, I say “remarkable,” because when something is remarkable it’s worth remarking about. I think my story is just that, REMARKABLE.

I’m a retired-disable police officer and a five-time thriver of cancer. I was diagnosed in 2004 with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PSCNL) and given two years to live. PCNSL is a rare form of brain cancer, so rare, it makes up less than 4% of CNS malignancies. It typically affects those who are immunocompromised, such as those with HIV/AIDS, organ transplants, or the elderly. I did’t fit any of these categories.

During my service as a police officer, I received two Silver and Gold Awards and an award from the county commissioner for accomplishments in my service. Additionally, I was involved in two shootings. I had the honor to be selected on the Ohio Lawman Travel Softball Team, in which we won a silver and two golds medals in the Ohio Police and Fire Olympics and played in tournaments across the country to raise money for the families of fallen officers. 

I have had five recurrences of cancer, of which each time I am told two years. I’m a walking history of treatment for PCNSL, including the barbaric blood brain barrier disruption treatment. This last recurrence, I was fortunate to finally seek the advisement of the experts in PCNSL at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.  I am now more than one-year post-stem cell transplant and thriving.  

This disease has tested my will, forcing me to DIG DEEP. It ignited my faith in my body’s ability to heal. And drove me to NEVER QUIT. 

As if blood brain barrier disruption wasn’t bad enough, I woke up from anesthia during the treatment 14 of the 20 time that I can recall. I was scheduled for 24 treatments, but asked my neuro-oncologist to stop at 20 because I was afraid I was going to die on the table.

The cancer affected my brain so bad, I had uncontrollable outburst, including swearing and unbiased honesty (no filter). 

I forgot how to do basic tasks. I let pills dissolve in my mouth and needed someone to tell me to drink the water. A friend had to coach me out of a bathroom stall after being in there over an hour sitting on the toilet with my pants pulled up.

On my fourth recurrence, I began falling to my left a lot, including the parking lot of the emergency room where I fell after I finally drove myself there (I had no business driving). I had lost the ability to walk and had to relearn how to walk all over again.

I always heard people say, “cancer is the best thing to ever happen to me.” I would think to myself, are you out of your mind. Now I’m one of those people.

I am still overwhelmed and moved by the outpouring of support from my community.

I was fortunate to experience several healings with a local faith healer. In a word, miraculous.

After my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, I began seeking treatment beyond standard of care which lead me to cannabis. I don’t think there’s a magic bullet, but I do believe it is a huge part of my longevity. It led me to the Cleveland School of Cannabis, where I’m a student ambassador. I’ve also spoken about the plant publicly.