Jennifer’s Story

Site created on November 10, 2019

For several months, Jen has been experiencing some minor stomach pains.  The pains and occurrences  became worse as the timing for an annual checkup grew near.  After some elevated bloodwork was and abmnormal ultrasound were received, Jen scheduled a CAT scan and the results indicated potential for an abnormal mass in her ovaries.  Jen was scheduled for a hysterectomy on Monday, November 4th, because her doctor decided this was the best course of action given the recent scan that showed an enlarged ovary, elevated blood work, and family history.  During the surgery the doctor found numerous "skittle" sized cancerous tumors and decided it would be best to stop the procedure, so that Jen could undergo chemotherapy to shrink those tumors and  reschedule the surgery after several rounds of chemotherapy.  The treatment plan is expected to include 3 rounds of initial chemotherapy, followed by a full de-bulking procedure, finalized by additional rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. 

Jen is currently recovering from her initial surgery and will begin chemotherapy the last week of November.  We expect 3 rounds before her surgery.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Erich Shore

Update from Jen....
Well, it's been a little while since an update. 3 chemo rounds total since the last post, with the last and final chemo yesterday!  Huge milestone.  Most have gone as expected.  The port I had put in a few months ago has been a game changer.....no more trying to find veins and mishaps around that.  My tumor markers have continued to come down.  The last one at 7.2 which is very much in the normal range (0-35 normal).  I will meet with the Dr in a few weeks to discuss next steps of maintenance.  More than likely it will be avastin infusions every 3 weeks for a year.  Possibly adding an immunotherapy in if it makes it's way through FDA anytime soon.  May be a blessing to stagger those out - avastin a year, then immunotherapy a year.  But no more chemo!  Thank you so much to all of my people that have been a lifeline of support and encouragement.  It truly is a miracle that there is no evidence of cancer right now, are we so very grateful!  We are also realistic and know this journey is ongoing.  Anyone that's read up on the statistics around ovarian cancer knows they aren't great - but we are choosing to believe I'm the exception of those statistics.  Daily bread, trusting and believing God, and living life are our mantras these days.  Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement and love.  I serve an amazing God, and that above all else will get us through the days in faith and not fear! Praying you all are staying healthy, sane and protected in this crazy season of Coronavirus. God bless all of you that are on the front lines in various capacities, putting your life on the line to help us.
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