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Our Super Bowl Ad Star

Jackie Myers used to divide her life into before cancer/after cancer. But she has moved beyond that. Now Jackie measures her life in terms of before children and after children. Becoming a parent changed everything.

Jackie Myers used to divide her life into before cancer/after cancer. But she has moved beyond that. Now Jackie measures her life in terms of before children and after children. Becoming a parent changed everything.

“My dad always told me, ‘Be happy, work hard and go to church.’ When I was young, I had more grand goals. Now I understand my dad’s wisdom,” Jackie says. “What I wish for my own children is simple: I hope that they are happy, healthy and generous to others.”

Jackie and her husband, Rodney, of Cary, NC, have three daughters, Amelia, 5; Kate, 3; and Ainsley, 3 months. Jackie’s dad, Thomas Darden, didn’t live to see his daughter become a parent herself. There were years when her parents didn’t dare hope that far ahead. They just prayed that she would survive.

At 17, Jackie was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She and her mother, Cora Darden, found a temporary “home away from home” at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham during Jackie’s nine weeks of outpatient radiation treatment.

“I hold the Ronald McDonald House dear to my heart,” Jackie says now, decades years later. “It felt just like home. We lived several hours away, but because of the House my mom was there for me every minute.”

The daughter of a Marine, Jackie admits to a few good cries back then. But overall, she stayed optimistic and just took one day at a time. Her mother’s steady strength helped carry her through.

Jackie intends to be that kind of role model for her own girls. When they are older, she will tell them about surviving cancer. She’ll explain about facing down fear, about the power of courage and faith. “That’s all that matters,” Jackie says.

Behind the Scenes

Doesn’t every woman dream of going to Hollywood? Working with an award-winning director? Having her own makeup artist, wardrobe consultant and “movie star” trailer?

Initially, Jackie Myers said, “No, thanks.”

Just days after giving birth to her third child, Jackie got a phone call. McDonald’s was creating a TV ad in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities. They were looking for a young mother who had been helped by a Ronald McDonald House when she was a child. “I couldn’t imagine flying cross-country with kids, toys and diaper bags — especially the week before Christmas,” Jackie explains. “Besides, I’m no actress.”

Still, the more Jackie thought about it, the more she wanted to find a way. “I’ve always wanted to give back to Ronald McDonald House Charities in a meaningful way,” Jackie says. “Doing this ad was the first step in giving back.”

Weeks later Jackie, her infant daughter, and Jackie’s sister, Barbara Greco, arrived in Los Angeles. Jackie spent the first afternoon modeling outfits with an Oscar-winning wardrobe consultant. The next morning, she moved on to makeup and hair. “The makeup artist asked what other commercials I’d worked on,” Jackie says with a laugh. “She made me feel like a star!”

Finally Jackie arrived on the set, where there were five dark-haired, dark-eyed toddlers, all wearing identical clothing. Even more surprising, all of the toddlers’ mothers were dressed just like Jackie on the off-chance they were captured on camera.

It wasn’t the Hollywood glamour she’d anticipated. “The filming was a lot of hurry up and wait,” Jackie says. “It was an entire day of me playing with children while the director just kept shooting over and over, rotating the toddlers periodically.” Jackie found the baby actors “cute as pie” and the legendary director, Joe Pytka, “very charming.”

After two whirlwind days in Hollywood, Jackie was back home in North Carolina hugging her own three daughters. And planning a big Super Bowl party, when her 30 seconds of fame would debut.

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