Photos by Summy Lam, Club COO; and USC/Kremer Johnson Photography
Cancer nearly cost Cora Jackson-Fossett, Retired, Pupblic Works, her voice and her life. Cora, a proud Club Member, had other ideas.
When she retired in 2014, Cora Jackson-Fossett needed two retirement parties, including one in front of the Board of Public Works, to provide enough opportunities for everyone to say goodbye.
In her memorable 36 years working at Airports and as the head of Public Affairs at Public Works, she met presidents, celebrities, mayors, civic boosters, and countless regular citizens.
As president of the Los Angeles Association of Black Personnel, she guided many young professionals to successful careers.
And during all of it, she used her brain, her heart … and her voice. Constantly.
But little of that prepared her for her greatest challenge: beating cancer.
Read about her career, her view on working for the City, her love of the Employees Club, and the battle that ultimately may define her, a battle she has prayerfully and thankfully won.
In this month’s feature, we honor, thank and celebrate Cora and her commitment to living her life fully and unobstructed. And we thank USC/Keck School of Medicine for their images.
Cora in the pages of Alive! Newspaper
Cora Jackson-Fossett
ALIVE! INTERVIEW
On Sept. 18, Club and Association CEO Robert Larios and Alive! editor John Burnes interviewed Cora Jackson-Fossett, Retired, Public Works, 36 years of City service and longtime Club Member. To survive cancer, Cora had her tumorous larynx – her voice box – removed. The surgery also separated the windpipe (trachea) from the food pipe (esophagus) and totally changed how she breathes, swallows, smells and speaks. For example, before surgery, she breathed through her nose and mouth, but after surgery she breathes through an opening in her neck called a stoma. Also, she now speaks using a voice prosthesis placed in the stoma, which enables her to create voice sound. In addition, Cora uses a heat moisturizer exchange (HME) to humidify and filter the air that she breathes, which her nose previously did before the surgery.
Cora sat down with Robert and John to share the ups and downs of her career and cancer journey. The interview took place at Club Headquarters downtown.
‘Make the Best of It’
It’s so good to see you again, Cora. How are you feeling?
Cora: I feel great. I hate the fact that my voice is limited, but I can’t change that, so I just continue to deal with that. But physically, I’m doing fine.
That’s great to hear. We’ll talk about that in a few minutes. But let’s talk about your career first.
Cora: Sure.
You started at Airports before transferring to Public Works, right?
Cora: I was very fortunate. I started with the City at Los Angeles International Airport in Public Affairs, and I was there for nine years before I went to Public Works. I had such a great experience and opportunity to do so much at LAX.
And your pathway from there was?
Cora: At Airports, I came in as a Public Relations Specialist in December 1990, and they gave me an in-house title as Media Relations Coordinator. That gave me a really great opportunity to do a lot of public speaking on behalf of the airport. I was the first Black P.R. specialist at LAX. Also, I had a chance to work directly with the Board of Airport Commissioners, including the late Attorney Johnnie Cochran, who served on the board, as well as the LAX Police dignitary protection group. I represented the airport for all the dignitaries who came through LAX and required media. That gave me access to meeting the presidents and the other celebrities.
I even met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and other people whom I’ve termed celebrities, so that was really a lot of fun. After about six years, I was promoted to Principal Public Relations representative overseeing passenger relations and working closely with the community relations team.
A great advantage working at LAX was the airport made its own money, had a big budget and was promoting LAX as an international cargo hub. I had a chance to go to conferences in Japan, Jamaica and Germany as well as in the United States. And in addition, Airports was really big on education; they were always sending us to training classes and things.
When did you move to Public Works?
Cora: In 2000, I went to the interview at Public Works. I really talked big in the interview! Lo and behold, I got the job. I was really stunned. I inherited about 18 employees who were not very happy. And then, of course, I didn’t have a budget, so that was very disappointing, too. But as I got to learn the department and realize all that they did, and got to learn the people and realize all of the talent that they really had – it took about three or four years, but once we started gelling and coming together, we were able to make a big difference.
Editing the Sentinel
And you’re now the Managing Editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel. How did that come about?
Cora: I started with the Sentinel while I was still working for the City, as their religion editor. That was in maybe 2011. All they required was for me to write about the faith community in Los Angeles, so I could do that and still do a full-time job. A few years later, they asked me, “Would you come on full-time?” I said, “No, I’m still working, I can’t do that.” And then, once I retired, I said, “Okay, I could do a little bit more.”
They said, “Why don’t you just write about more things than just the faith community?” I was elevated to a staff writer. I enjoyed that because it gave me something to do in retirement. In January 2022, the Managing Editor quit, and I told the Executive Editor that I could temporarily manage the production until a new managing editor was hired. After about a month, the executive editor said, “I found somebody.” I said, “Who?” He said, “You.” I said, “I can barely talk.” This occurred after my surgery, but I’ve been doing it ever since, and I enjoy it.
The Diagnosis
In the City, you used your voice all the time. You presented to the Board of Public Works. You presented to the City Council. You met dignitaries. You ran the Public Affairs Office. How scary was it to think that you might lose it, or even your life, after your diagnosis?
Cora: Robert, it was very frightening. It all happened so fast. It started with an earache in January 2020. I had been going to my primary care doctor to try to get some relief for the earache, and she was prescribing all sorts of medicines, and I wasn’t getting any relief. The primary care doctor referred me to an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist). This was around March. Of course, then the pandemic closed everything down, so that got delayed until May. First, the ENT took me to an outpatient center in an attempt to remove the tumor through a slit in my throat. But it proved too large. So the ENT referred me to a surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC. And he said, “We’d better do this right away,” or I might not live. It all happened during the course of three or four weeks, and I really didn’t even have time to get scared or upset. I did not recall that surgeon telling me I would not be able to talk like I used to. He might have, but everything was just a blur. My husband remembered the surgeon saying, “There are alternative ways of talking.” I was very shocked and surprised after surgery and opened my mouth and nothing came out. It took a lot of mental brainwashing to get through that crisis.
I never even knew about this type of surgery, laryngectomy, until it happened to me. All I knew about was those commercials on TV where they show those people who have it. It’s so important that people know there’s life after a laryngectomy, and that you can survive the mental challenge that it puts on you.
Photo courtesy USC/Kremer Johnson Photography
How are you adjusting?
Cora: Pretty good. When I first learned to talk, I used an electrolarynx device that you put up to your chin and talk, but that wasn’t working very well for me. Then I got the voice prothesis device, which I use with an HME or a heat moisturizer exchange to filter and humidify the air that I breathe. But to talk with my first prosthesis, I had to depress the HME to speak and my vanity wouldn’t let me stick with that; I cannot be pushing the button when I’m talking to people because I’m so dramatic and expressive. My speech therapist said, “Okay, try this. This is a hands-free HME.” It’s pretty good. It’s got limitations. I can’t holler, I can’t scream, and I can’t even laugh like people do. But because I can still talk, I have learned to be even more expressive, so people know I’m laughing. You deal with the cards you’re dealt. That’s my philosophy – make the best of it.
That’s a great philosophy. But it couldn’t have been easy.
Cora: No. In the first surgery, the surgeon takes skin from your wrist and your thigh to rebuild your neck. I made the mistake of looking it up on Google! But the skin did not take, so I had to have a second surgery to rebuild my neck using skin from my chest which did work out. Then I had a series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. After that, I was given a prosthesis to enable me to learn to talk.
It took a lot of prayer and positive thoughts. I had a great support system with my family, with my church family, my former coworkers, and my close friends. What really helped me the most, Robert, is that nobody would come to my pity party. Every time I felt sorry for myself, they’d say, “Oh no, you can make it, I don’t want to hear that.” So, I gave up on that line.
Was your cancer potentially life-threatening?
Cora: Definitely. At first, when I went to see the surgeon at Keck, he did some MRIs. He looked at it in a preliminary way and told me, “Okay, we’ll try to do the surgery in a couple of weeks.” By the time we got home, the surgeon had called my husband and said it was a lot worse, bring me back. That we had to do it that week. It was such a big tumor. They ended up taking out my larynx and 44 lymph nodes. I’ve lost 20 percent of my taste. It was pretty life-threatening.
Speaking Again
How did you learn to speak again?
Cora: I had a speech therapist. I was determined to talk again. I’ve talked all my life. I just can’t stop talking. I had to find a way, and after the electrolarynx wouldn’t work for me, I really didn’t want to talk. The speech therapist really helped me a lot to learn to speak with a voice prosthesis and hands-free HME. I’m very fortunate in that. I had so many years of public speaking, so I do know how to project, how to bring air up from the diaphragm. Even about 40 years ago, I could sing, and I knew about it then. Those things help.
What has it taught you?
Cora: It has taught me to be a lot more appreciative of life and of the blessings and the abilities that I have. One of the greatest things this whole experience has taught me is to think before I speak. Before this, I’ve always considered myself to be very witty and charismatic, not realizing I’ve probably been obnoxious and getting on people’s nerves. A lot of people were not amused by what I’d been doing and saying things just off the top of my head. But now, because it takes a little bit more effort to talk – it doesn’t hurt or anything – but because I can’t project, I can’t just interrupt people or cut people off if it’s in a noisy environment. I really think about what I’ve got to say and use my words a little bit more wisely and stop trying to be so cute and witty.
This journey has been very good about teaching me to be very appreciative of life. It could have been so much worse. There are so many people who have it so much worse than me. They’ve gone through the surgery, they can’t talk, or they have a lot of problems with mucus and swallowing, because it does affect how you swallow and how you eat. It’s made me not like to go out to dinner a lot and eat because people want to talk when you’re eating. It’s a little difficult to do with the surgery because it takes so much water to push the food down. You always have to make adjustments in life. If it wasn’t this, it could be something else.
Mentoring
Talk about your mentoring of others who are going through this surgery.
Cora: I try to keep them encouraged and challenged. I am a mentor with this organization called Imerman Angels Cancer Support. It’s headquartered in Chicago. I mentor people from all over the country; the organization matches us up with our age group. We’re not allowed to give them any medical advice, but I just try to keep them encouraged and to let them know that there is a life after the surgery because at first, it’s so overwhelming after the surgery. If you’ve talked all your life one way and now all of a sudden you can’t, that can be really mind blowing. And if you don’t have a strong support system that’s really encouraging you and telling you can do it, you can make it, then you can tend to feel like you can’t make it. I try to keep my mentees encouraged and stay in touch with them on a regular basis.
I’m also a member of Nu Voices Los Angeles, which is a support group sponsored by Keck Medicine for head and neck cancer patients. Occasionally the doctors will ask me to speak with people who are having a laryngectomy to reassure them that there is life after this surgery. In addition, I’m heading this initiative with Nu Voices to educate people in general about laryngectomees. We’ve launched this video campaign on YouTube (scan the QR code to view video) to briefly show people how laryngectomees still enjoy life.
Wisdom in Retirement
How is retirement?
Cora: Retirement is great because I have a part-time job, but it takes up only maybe two and a half days a week. So, I have the rest of the time to do what I want, get my nails done, get my hair done, get massages, travel a little bit. I enjoy that a lot.
Looking back on your career, how would you evaluate it?
Cora: It was a valuable period in my life that I’ll always appreciate. I learned so much working for the City. I learned a lot about the airport when I was there; I learned even more when I came to Public Works. And I’ve come to see how committed and dedicated City employees are to doing a good job and meeting the needs of the public. Before I came to Public Works, I never gave the trash men a second thought. Once I got there and I came to see how important it was, and I met the people operating the trash trucks, I saw how committed they were to their job. It gave me a whole different perspective.
What are you most proud of about your career?
Cora: I am really proud of the fact that the people I worked with, whether they were my staff or my superiors or colleagues, were all committed to doing the best job and representing the City as best we could. In addition, we were all committed to meeting the needs of the people. In my position, we would get phone calls from all across the City from people who needed things, like, “My trash hasn’t been picked up. Potholes on my street need to be filled. Can you get rid of the graffiti?” We would work hard to respond to those needs. I’m very proud that we gave people a more positive impression of City departments and what civil servants are trying to do.
What do you wish you knew then?
Cora: I wish I knew this [surgery] was going to happen. No, maybe not … I wish I knew to shut up sometimes and listen a little bit more and be a little more kind and encouraging to people. When you’re young, you’re so full of it and think you know so much and are so ultra-confident, so I wish I had been more considerate. I was never a mean person, but I could have been kinder and gentler.
Public Service
What would you tell a City employee whose first day is today?
Cora: I would tell them to try to learn as much as they can, and that they’re in such a wonderful organization. The great thing about the City is that you can do anything, and you don’t have to always have a lot of degrees to be able to qualify to do it; there’s a wealth of opportunity.
Another great aspect of the City is that it pays a living wage. You can take care of yourself and your family with the money that you make. So, take advantage of all of the opportunities that the City offers, and to consider the type of career that they want to have in 20 years and work towards it. There’s very little that you cannot do in the City.
How do you feel about public service?
Cora: It is so unappreciated, I believe. But if it’s not done, when the trash is not picked up or the potholes are not filled, everybody goes nuts. But up until then, they don’t even think about it. I’m just as guilty. I’ll never forget when I was working for Public Works, and I was getting briefed on a sewer project. I was always getting briefed on a sewer project because we were doing sewer work all over the City. And I admit, I was halfway listening until they said, “And then we’re going to be on Buckingham Road.” I said, “What? Buckingham? That’s where I live. What are you talking about?” I went bonkers.
Seriously, a lot of people never think about the contribution that public servants make to their quality of life. But the overwhelming majority of City employees are very committed to doing a good job and want to be sure that at the end of the day, that they feel good about meeting the need, about staying within budget, about meeting the timeline, whatever it is. Civil servants should be very proud of the contributions they’re making to help everybody.
One thing I learned, especially in Public Works, was that no matter where the community is, everybody wants the same thing. Whether it’s an affluent community or a lower-income community, everybody just wants the trash picked up, they want the graffiti removed, they want the potholes filled. They want a good quality of life, and that happens only because we have public servants in those departments making sure it happens.
Club Membership
You’ve been a Club Member for many years. It’s the Club’s mission to celebrate, honor and express our gratitude for the dedication and service that employees like you and others have provided for the City, and now the County and the State. The dignity of public service is a topic that’s really close to our hearts, so thank you for bringing it up.
Cora: You all do a great job. Every month in Alive! I learn about people and the different projects that are going on. I live in Council District 10, not far from the Vision Theater in Leimert Park. When I read about that project last year, I’m like, “Oh my God, it’s getting closer to opening, thank goodness.” It’s right there near me. I was very excited.
What’s your favorite part of the Club?
Cora: I love those discounts!
Everybody does.
Cora: The amusement parks and the movies and everything. I like that. My son likes the jewelry and things that you can get at a discounted price.
From Corporate Jewelers, a great partner of ours.
Cora: I also like the insurance offerings. I think they’re a pretty good deal. I already had some insurance through the Club, but I thought, well, I’ll add some more.
We’re here to celebrate, honor, and express gratitude to public service employees for their dedication and service. We just happen to be experts at insurance, at discounts, at custom merchandise, and at communication with Alive! But truly, our purpose and mission is to recognize those who have dedicated their hard work to make the City a great place.
Cora: You all are doing a good job at all of that.
Thank you. What do you love about your life?
Cora: I like that I always have the potential to do more and fulfill whatever I desire to do. I was fortunate when I was in the City. I had great mentors and very encouraging women who were very supportive, executive women like Valerie Shaw, who was a Public Works Commissioner; Delphia Jones, a Chief Management Analyst at Community Development Dept.; and Rita Robinson, a General Manager at several City departments who is also on the Club Board. We all still go out and have lunch on a regular basis. Anyway, I’ve always felt like I could do whatever I wanted to do, as long as it was legal, you know! And I still feel that way.
Rita Robinson, Club Member; Cora; and Valerie Shaw.
I want to stress what a good employer the City of L.A. has been for me and for thousands and thousands of other people, and how it has afforded so many people the ability to have a good quality of life. It has been filled with many great employees who are committed to their job.
I also want people to know that the Employees Club of California has been right here for us, and Alive! has done a great job of telling our stories and offering us a whole lot of different products to help make our lives even better. Without somebody telling our stories, nobody would ever know about us. I hope that people will remember that next time they read about a public servant in Alive!
What’s at the heart of Cora?
Cora: I try to guide my life by four things: Approach life with enthusiasm. Treat others with respect. Have faith in God. And never stop learning. I try to live by that. No matter what thing happens to you, if you stop and take a minute, you can figure out a way to deal with it. If you have a positive attitude, you can accomplish a whole lot and enjoy life a lot more.
Cora, we are delighted you are thriving again, and we thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Cora: Thank you, Robert and John! •
