Donate for Jen Nelson's Cancer Surgery Recovery & Prosthetic

As some of you may know, our dear friend, Jen Nelson has been diagnosed with very rare and metastatic stage 4 sarcoma. For those of you who are not familiar with sarcoma, it is a cancer of the bone and connective tissue and can arise from various tissue structures (bones, joints, muscles, etc.).

Her journey started back in the Fall of ’23 when she found a bump on the inside of her left foot. Fast forward to today and she is about to face the toughest time of her life, with a below the knee amputation of her left leg scheduled for September 5th (you can read her full story below, on how this has progressed).

As you all know, Jen is an avid outdoorswoman. She would choose to be hiking in the mountains, fishing on the river, and spending her time out in the woods over time indoors, any day of the week. The outdoors is truly her happy place.

With this life changing surgery, she is going to be temporarily limited from all these activities. BUT we have no doubt after she gets her prosthetic, she will be back doing everything she loves, and more! Jen has told me that she is ready to take on even more physical challenges after this is over.

I’m reaching out to all of you, to surround her in love and financial support during this challenging time. This is a major surgery, with a prolonged recovery. She will need time off work, aggressive physical therapy, medical equipment, and of course prosthetics (which are wildly expensive, and insurance often only covers one, or even just a portion of one). As an active woman, one prosthetic isn’t suitable for her lifestyle. After chatting to fellow amputees and support groups, it’s imperative to have more than one prosthesis.

This is how her cancer journey began...

It was September of 2023 when she noticed a bump growing on the inside of her left foot. Eventually this bump began to grow and become uncomfortable.

After seeing her podiatrist in October, he was concerned by the growth and ordered imaging which showed that she had an unusual appearing tumor.

In November, she underwent a tumor biopsy. The results of the biopsy suggested a type of rare sarcoma but was difficult to fully differentiate, as it was unlike any tumor sample the specialists at OHSU had seen.

In January 2024, she had an extensive tumor removal surgery at OHSU. It took some time to heal and recover from this. The tumor was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, which confirmed the diagnosis. She was then told she had an incredibly uncommon cancerous tumor called a “Malignant Ossifying Fibromyxoid Tumor” (OFMT). These types of tumors are a rare high-grade sarcoma that commonly arise in the soft tissue of extremities and often have a good chance of metastasizing – typically to the lungs.

In February, Jen had a chest CT which showed that she had multiple small nodules in both lungs. It was unclear how long they had been there for, and there was a chance they could be nothing. But the fact that she had known cancer in her foot made them worried that the nodules could be cancerous. The plan was to watch them closely with repeat CT scans every few months.

In March, Jen traveled to New York City with friends and family to meet a sarcoma specialist at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in Manhattan. He was truly amazing and provided Jen with some hope that her cancer was treatable.

In May, she underwent a big lung biopsy surgery to determine what the nodules were. Unfortunately, the results devastatingly came back as sarcoma. Thus, confirming stage 4 metastatic cancer.

In July, she had a repeat CT scan of her lungs which showed 2 new nodules, and a repeat MRI of her foot which showed increasing regrowth of the tumor at a faster rate than what was expected. As the foot tumor continued to grow, so did the recurrence of her foot pain.

Here we are, 11 months later and she is scheduled for a below the knee amputation on September 5th.

Currently, the plan is to continue to closely monitor the nodules in the lungs. As for now, she does not need chemo or radiation, but that future is still unknown. We pray the nodules stay small and not bothersome forever.

Throughout all of this, Jen has been INCREDIBLY positive and strong. She has shown such grace throughout the most difficult period of her life. And while she is nervous for this next step, she is moving forward courageously.

Let’s all show her our love, support, and financial assistance during this life changing time in her life. The very last thing she should have to worry about is how to pay for a prosthesis and any additional medical expenses she may have.