Jackie Hamad took her last breath in West Hartford, Connecticut, on April 3, 2023. A standout athlete, Jackie will be honored by Team Jackie this weekend.
A three-sport athlete, Jackie Hamad lost her battle with brain cancer in April, having been diagnosed a year before. Jackie had a high-grade glioma, a fast-growing cancerous tumor.
The Hamad family tried their best, but the disease spread too quickly. Even during those difficult times, the teenager didn’t lose hope of recovering, and whenever presented with the chance, Jackie would join her team in training sessions.
Her former coaches and teammates have nothing but praise. Jackie lost her life unfairly at a young age, but on the weekend, they would want to honor her with a big smile on their faces.
Jackie Hamad Obituary
At only 17, Jackie Hamad had already achieved what many could only dream about. A three-sport varsity athlete at Hall High School, Jackie was a team captain of the volleyball, indoor tracks, and softball teams.
Jackie passed away on April 3 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. A Hall’s CIAC scholar-athlete, Jackie only made it to a single volleyball game and a few indoor practices in her senior year.
But the impact she had made before her diagnosis was huge, which led to Jackie being honored posthumously. Jackie was honored by family and friends in May at the AquaTurf Club in Southington.
She had applied to colleges and received acceptance letters when she was at the worst point of her illness. In July, her parents, Mike and Pam Hamad, and her older brother Sam attended West Hartford’s softball game to pay one last tribute to the athlete.
Hamad’s indoor track coach, Sue Curnias, said Jackie’s passing was a great loss for the Hall community.
Her former coaches described Jackie as a hard-working individual who never stressed over results. She would show up early in training and always put her best foot forward on the field.
Jackie Hamad Family
Jackie Hamad’s family was always supportive of her athletic career. In an interview, her parents, Michael and Pamela Hamad, said their daughter was active in sports since age four.
Michael Hamad has a doctorate from Brandeis University in musicology and ethnomusicology. He earned his Bachelor’s from Colgate University and later earned an MM degree from the University of Hartford.
Michael previously worked as a Senior Journalist for The Hartford Courant and works as a Marketing and Communications Specialist at EASTCONN, a non-profit organization.
Her mother, Pamela Hammad, graduated from Colgate University with a degree in History and later earned a Master’s Degree in the same subject. Pamela also has a doctoral degree, which she earned earlier this year from the University of Bridgeport.
Pamela currently teaches social studies at Berlin High School and was previously a Middle School Principal at Canton Middle School.
Jackie’s older brother, Sam Hamad, is an Engineer at CHA Consulting, having graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2022. Michal and Pamela are active on Facebook and shared a Thank You message for Team Jackie.
When talking about her daughter, Pamela Hamad said her daughter would lift other people whenever they were down. The couple tried their best to help their daughter live longer.
The family bought an apartment in Boston and worked with a radiation oncologist. But the cancer had spread, and Jackie had slowly started losing her vision.
As Pamela said, Jackie had lived a lot in her almost 18 years, and Michael added they would try to be the people their daughter would be proud of.