A Mother's Fight Against Aggressive Breast Cancer

Hello! My name is Jennifer, and I am a mother of two young special needs children.

My daughter, who is seven, was diagnosed at 18 months old with a rare form of severe scoliosis. She began with a Mehta Cast for several years and now wears a Mehta Brace to help keep her spinal curvature from progressing. It is the hope of both her pediatric orthopedic surgeon and me that by wearing this prosthetic device, we can delay her corrective surgery (growing rods) until she reaches her teen years, so she will only have to undergo and endure one procedure instead of several.

My son, who is four, is suspected of being autistic by his doctors and therapists. He is currently attending physical therapy and occupational therapy weekly, and speech therapy twice a week. We were in the process of getting him formally diagnosed when I received my detrimental diagnosis, which hindered my ability to currently pursue his diagnosis.

Early this month, I was diagnosed, at age 39, as a single mom, with stage 3b, invasive ductal carcinoma, grade 3 (the most aggressive type of tumor) breast cancer that is border lining triple negative (ER+ is 1-5%, PR+ is 1-5%, and HER2-), which is one of the most difficult to treat and one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.

I had my chemo port surgically implanted Friday, June 20, 2025, and am now facing 20 weeks of intensive chemotherapy treatments, followed by a double mastectomy, followed by continued chemotherapy treatments and/or possible radiation, and lastly, reconstruction, if all goes well. Even with treatment, there is no guarantee that my cancer will remain in remission.

Despite these difficult times, I attempt to remain strong for my children, but the stress, uncertainty, and now financial strain (not to mention the upcoming symptoms from chemotherapy) have taken me to a place I never expected to be. My first chemotherapy treatment begins Wednesday, June 25, 2025, and I know things will indeed get worse before there is any hope of improvement.

Between chronic fatigue, migraines, pain, anxiety, and unrelenting dizziness, as well as now being diagnosed with hypertension blood pressure (probably the cause of some of my current symptoms), I am already finding it difficult to work my normal hours, which were necessary to support my two children, alone, and pay for daily living expenses.

Due to this, I am forced to focus and stress over how I will continue to financially support my children, rather than focus on overcoming this horrific battle and healing from this traumatic experience that no one should ever have to face.

It is because of this desperation that I am reaching out to friends, family, and anyone who could possibly help my small family in our time of need. I need to find a way to overcome this battle - mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially - for the sake of my children.

So, please, if you could find it in your heart to help us during this time of need, you will have my eternal gratitude. Please be sure to share your name, if you do, as I would love to extend a personal thank you to everyone who can help, even if it is just a small donation (I understand times are hard for many of us out there). Right now, anything helps. If you are unable to donate, please don't feel bad - instead, share this story with your friends and family so more people can learn of our situation.

And when I do beat this terrible disease, I promise to pay it forward to as many as I can help. No one should have to experience this horrible disease, and no one's children should have to worry about losing their only parent. My prayers are with everyone suffering from this disease, or who has already lost someone to this disease.