11 Jun Surviving Ovarian Cancer | Jackie Bezart

Jackie Bezart has been a police officer for the Long Beach Police Department for the past eight years. Her assignments have included patrol officer, recruiting officer, background investigator, youth services and Police Athletic League. Her current assignment is Police Cadet Coordinator and department spokeswoman assigned to Media Relations.

Officer Bezart is a liaison for the Police Chief’s African American Advisory Group, and she assists with Cultural Diversity training and Media Relations training to new recruits and community police academy participants. She is an active department peer counselor, is active in the community and often called upon to organize and facilitate meetings between the police department community groups.

In April 2008, Officer Bezart was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The diagnosis was discovered literally by accident during another fairly routine exam. Her doctor suggested an ultrasound, “Just to be on the safe side.” Because she was diagnosed early she is now a survivor who lives life one day at a time and each day to the fullest.

She found that even with a supportive family and friends base she was at a loss as to how to share her diagnosis with her work family and what or how much information if any she was comfortable talking about. She found that strength from another survivor (Lieutenant Joe Levy) at the Long Beach Police Department who knew just how to support her because he too was a survivor who had been there. That communication helped her to get through the rest of her treatments and deal with her work family in a positive and comfortable manner.

She is a survivor who is traveling this journey one day at a time and her daily bread of prayer and faith allows her to live life to the fullest with no regrets. She believes there is a blessing at the end of every adversity and is thankful everyday for having a doctor who believes in going the extra mile just to be on the safe side. She has a large supportive family with whom she is very close and friends whom she believes have wings for they must be angels for caring about her so much.

Officer Bezart is a dedicated police officer, community servant and activist. Her greatest satisfaction comes from working with young people and making sure their voices are heard.