Jenny’s Story

Site created on March 17, 2018

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement!

 In mid-February, Jenny was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  Jenny is starting this fight with a Stage 3 diagnosis (Stage 3 cancer means the breast cancer has extended to beyond the immediate region of the tumor and may have invaded nearby lymph nodes and muscles, but has not spread to distant organs.)  Her doctors have put together a comprehensive plan, and Jen has moved through a number of different tests to ensure that doctors and putting together the best possible plan.


Jenny started her chemotherapy on Monday, March 12, and will receive this treatment bi-weekly for the next 16-20 weeks.  The treatment will likely continue with surgery and radiation, but will be dictated by the cancer's response to the first treatment. 


As all family and friends know, the O'Donnells are an extremely upbeat and optimistic bunch.  They're trying to keep life as normal as possible, and part of keeping up with normal life the face of cancer is putting together a functional site where info can be easily shared.  Jenny is even doing her best to maintain her full time job, and as we were together recently, I noticed that she was fielding tons of questions from so many fantastic and concerned supporters.  Now you'll be able to check on things here and Jen will be able to focus on health, her family, and work in the best possible way.  

Newest Update

Journal entry by Jenny O'Donnell

This past week, while recovering from my hip surgery, my belly started filling with fluid.  I was supposed to see the oncologist on Thursday, but I got in there on Tuesday when I called Monday about the issue.  They immediately had me take a CT test to figure out what the fluid was and to see what was going on in there, and I found out Wednesday there was indeed a lot of fluid, and then they could also see some enlarged lymph nodes around my liver.  The lymph nodes are apparently causing a lot of the extra fluid.  I saw the oncologist Thursday and we came up with a new plan to fight this back again.  He was surprised it was active again after just a few weeks off chemo.  We were going to wait a few weeks to get started on the daily pills, but now we've decided to go back to chemo.  I will start next week. 

In the meantime, I've had about 12lbs. of fluid drained out of my abdomen which felt amazing to get out.  I plan to rest this weekend and watch the corona virus fallout... 
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Jenny Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation powers a page like Jenny's for two weeks.

If you donate by May 12, your gift will be doubled, up to $10,000, thanks to a gift from Living Water Foundation.

Comments Hide comments

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top