DJ O.G. One Loses Eyesight Due To Surgical Complications

David Jackson, better known by Portland Trail Blazers fans as DJ O.G. One, has been the team’s in-house DJ for nine NBA seasons, bringing a fresh sound to the Moda Center and entertaining the fans. He’s been an active philanthropist in the Portland community for even longer. But for the past few weeks, Jackson has been unexpectedly sidelined.

On March 14, doctors at Providence Portland Medical Center removed a cancerous tumor from Jackson's rectum after he was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. Jackson scheduled the surgery during a long Blazers road trip, hoping to be back with the team soon. After surgery, he realized things would not go as planned.

“All I could remember after coming to, was I had no vision,” said Jackson. “And from my shoulder to my right hand, I could feel nothing.”

—via Katherine Cook, KGW

Since the surgery, Jackson has been effectively sightless, with only some peripheral vision in his right eye and almost no vision at all in his left. Additionally, he does not have full function in his right arm. In a Facebook video last week, Jackson indicated that although he can now move his fingers again, they still lack sensory touch.

Jackson cannot return to work Trail Blazers games until he can see and feel enough to operate the turntables, and he does not know when he will be able to resume his day job in the Multnomah Education Services District, where he works as an Alternative Education Transition Specialist, helping African American, Black, and multi-racial students reconnect with their community schools after exiting juvenile detention.

Jackson has given so much to the Portland community, and if you feel the need to give back, follow this link to his GoFundMe account, created by Jackson’s friends, to assist with his medical expenses. You can also make an impact by simply sharing his story.