Jennifer was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 2012. For the past 4 years, she has been dealing with chemotherapy, transfusions, and white blood cell treatments to keep the cancer at bay. Despite all of this, she returned to graduate school to pursue a career helping others as a mental health therapist. Fighting cancer for so long is a hard and tiring battle, and Jennifer has had to take a break from her studies due to fatigue and dealing with medical treatments.
Recently, Jennifer's leukemia entered an accelerated phase (with signs of a blast phase), and she has needed more frequent and stronger treatments. At the same time, the chemotherapy drugs have begun to cause liver damage. Jennifer's doctors have told her that going forward, she will need to have a bone marrow transplant or find a clinical trial that matches up with her specific condition and health.
For all of her working life Jen has focused on finding jobs where she can help others. She has served those most in need through jobs in vocational rehab, supporting individuals with disabilities and the homeless. Jen is striving to get back to her graduate studies, so that she can complete her degree and continue trying to make a positive impact in her community. But as someone who has worked so hard to help others, it has been difficult for her to reach out for help herself. That is why we have created this page for her, in the hope that those who love her can reach out in the ways that are most helpful right now.
Here are some ways you can help:
1. Register to become a bone marrow donor. We have not found a match for Jen yet, but hope to find her perfect match soon. To join the registry, go to
https://join.bethematch.org/ (
https://join.bethematch.org) For those of you in the Los Angeles area, we will be having a donor drive in the near future, and will update this page with details as soon as they are available. To organize a donor drive in your area, go to
https://bethematch.org/support-the-cause/participate/host-a-donor-drive/ (
https://bethematch.org/support-the-cause/participate/host-a-donor-drive/)
2. Send positive and encouraging thoughts and messages. Call, text, reach out on Facebook, send a card, leave a message here! Jen is still new to California, so simply providing positive thoughts and giving her support go SUCH a long way.
3. Donate to Jennifer's GoFundMe page. Since Jennifer cannot work or go to school until her condition gets better, any contributions can help pay for things Jennifer needs, like a new wig, household expenses, meals, rides to treatment, medical expenses, etc. Please note that any donations made on this (Caring Bridge) page, do not go to Jennifer, but rather to serve to support Caring Bridge. To donate directly to Jennifer please visit her GoFundMe page
https://www.gofundme.com/jennifernewman (
https://www.gofundme.com/jennifernewman)
4. Sign up to give rides to treatment, or send Lyft or Uber gift cards. Jen usually needs rides on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from Hermosa Beach to UCLA Cancer Center in Torrance. She also needs rides less frequently to medical appointments at UC Irvine. If you may be available to provide a ride to a medical appointment, please send a message to Melissa Haylock at melissah_slp@yahoo.com. We will start a driver list and contact you to see if your availability matches up with Jen's needs.
5. Sign up to bring meals or have meals delivered. If you are able to bring a meal, or have one delivered, please sign up on this Meal Train site
https://mealtrain.com/vv7r8z (
https://mealtrain.com/vv7r8z) If you do sign up for a meal, please contact Jen at jnewman1007@gmail.com or Deepak at deepakkparashar@gmail.com to coordinate. We will include healthy delivery options on the Meal Train site as soon as we can! Please note that Jen has significant diet restrictions (i.e., no grains, wheat, breads, rice, fruit, dairy or sugars). If you don't live in the area, you can also send gift cards for Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Amazon Fresh, or Vons.
6. Sign up to run errands or help with daily tasks. Contact Jen directly or email Melissa Haylock at melissah_slp@yahoo.com if this is something you can do.
7. Help Jen find alternative treatments or clinical trials. Right now, she is working hard to do the research herself. But Jen says it would be a lot of help emotionally to have teammates to help find a solution with her. Let us know if you can help research alternative treatments and clinical trials locally and nationally. Send information about possible clinical trials to Deepak at deepakkparashar@gmail.com
We know that Jen is very dear to her friends and family. Thank you for any help you are able to provide!
