Over the next few weeks, the Sunday Observer will share the stories of each challenger, how they got to where they are and their commitment to becoming better versions of themselves.

JODI Jackson was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at age 24.

A common hormonal disorder among women who are of reproductive age, the exact cause of PCOS is not known. According to the Mayo Clinic, the name of the condition comes from the appearance of the ovaries in most, but not all, women with the disorder — enlarged and containing numerous small cysts located on the outer edge of each ovary.

“… I started having problems with my menstrual cycle and it was lasting three months,” Jackson told the Jamaica Observer. “When I went to the doctor he said I had polycystic ovary syndrome, which are cysts that basically block the ovaries and don’t allow the egg to come out, so it causes infertility, among other things.”

Along with infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, the Mayo Clinic says excess hair growth, acne and obesity can all occur in women with PCOS.

“Growing up I was average size, participated in sports and everything in high

school… Never had a problem,” Jackson explained. “In trying to treat it and control all the symptoms I was having, weight gain came with it.

“And I became the heaviest I have ever been and also the weakest, because my iron level was very low, borderline blood transfusion kind of stuff,” Jackson continued.

Then in September 2013, she told the Sunday Observer, she decided that she “couldn’t allow my body to continue going down, and I stopped taking the medication”.

“It was making me weak. It made me change my eating habits because when you start feeling sick, comfort food is the easiest thing to reach for and I had to just change my thought, change how I viewed food,” Jackson shared. “Lettuce was no longer bush, it was something crunchy for me to have.”

She started her fitness journey then and was able to shed more than 20 pounds, moving from 187 pounds, when she was at her heaviest, to 160 pounds. However, she hit a plateau and just could not lose additional pounds. But since she started the Jamaica Observer/Gymkhana Absolute Fitness Challenge, Jackson has dropped to 142 pounds.

“Having a trainer has made all the difference, because I was 160 (pounds) for the last two months before I entered the competition,” an elated Jackson told the Observer. “I just wouldn’t move, no matter how much research I was doing, trying to get it down… but it just wasn’t working.

“So, having a trainer, trust me, it’s the best decision I have made,” Jackson, who has been working with personal trainer Gisel Harrow, said.

A lot of people have questioned Jackson about whether her cysts are gone since she has stopped taking her medication, but she says she is not focused on whether they are gone or not. She is just excited that she is seeing results and feeling healthier than she has in a long time.

“I am just excited to have my strength back because when I was at my weakest I couldn’t step up two literal stairs, not flights, without getting a migraine,” explained Jackson. “That’s how low my iron level was.”

“I am due for a check-up which I plan to do after the competition. I want to go with the best possible health,” said Jackson. “This month’s challenge has made me realise my body fat was just out of whack and even though I looked slender, I don’t know, maybe I was a bit unhealthy then, but just didn’t realise it because it wasn’t showing physically.

“So I want to go healthy to the doctor to hopefully get better results,” Jackson declared.