Support Jennifer's Battle with Stage 4 Cancer
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Jennifer -- my big sister, your friend, cousin, neighbor -- could really use your support. The breast cancer Jenn faced in 2021 has resurfaced in her spine and has been diagnosed as Stage 4. Although there are treatments, it is considered incurable. Jenn is a fighter, but she is in a lot of pain. Despite a lot of support from Terry and family, she is quite limited in her ability to earn income to support her daughters (6 and 15), two dogs, home, growing medical expenses and all the bills. Your help now will support Jennifer and her family in this challenging time. It would mean the world to us!
Why Jennifer and Terry need your financial support right now:
- The pain (from tumors that are eating away at her spine) limits her capacity to work. She's only able to earn half of her usual income as the family's expenses continue to grow.
- Her out-of-pocket deductible is $5000
- She pays around $200 for insurance each month (which she's at risk for losing given her reduced hours)
- Terry has picked up more hours to make ends meet, but what their family needs now is more time together and less stress.
- The pain limits Jenn's ability to keep up with taking care of herself, her family, and their home.
- Because this isn't curable, we know it's a long game that requires minimizing stress and maintaining/improving quality of life. This means as much support as possible over the long haul.
There are so many ways to contribute!
- Here on GoFundMe as a single contribution or as a monthly recurring donation.
- Through Venmo or PayPal as a single or recurring contribution— PayPal: @jac0822; Venmo: @JenniferCox_6114
- Through check via the mail—please reach out to me or someone close to her and we'll send you her address.
UPDATES if you've read other posts:
- On 3/27/2025, Jenn met with her oncologist who confirmed it is the same HER2-, estrogen receptor + cancer that is now in her spine and sacrum, now stage 4. Her liver is currently clear.
- It's incurable, but there are treatments.
- She started monthly injections of three medications today, 4/3/2025, and will be starting a chemo pill and radiation.
Below is more information about her experience and treatment.
Jenn had been experiencing intense back pain over the last several months. Scans revealed she had spots on her vertebrae, sacrum, and liver. Further testing revealed lesions on her T12 and T2 vertebrae and sacrum and that these are indeed a recurrence of the breast cancer she was treated for in 2021, invasive lobular carcinoma (stage 3 originally). The tumor on T12 fractured her vertebra and was causing her immense pain.
On 3/7/2025, she had kyphoplasty with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and biopsy on the T12 vertebra. Basically, they did their best to destroy the tumor and then filled in the now empty space with bone cement to support the vertebra. The neurosurgeon reported they were able to destroy quite a bit of the tumor, but they were limited by how close to the spinal cord it is. Though the surgery was mostly successful, she has continued to experience severe pain which has made basic life things extremely challenging.
Jenn has also been struggling with common cancer symptoms: nausea, fatigue, lack of appetite, pain, weight loss. And while Jenn is really resilient and positive, she has been struggling at times to feel like this is even real, to know how to make sense of it, and to know how to think about the future.
The folks at her work have been very supportive and flexible. Even so, she has been struggling to work the minimum 30 hours she needs to maintain her insurance, which is obviously extremely important. Working fewer hours also means less income and more pressure on the family to make up for lost income. More stress is the last thing folks need when fighting cancer.
It's never good news to have a recurrence of cancer, but cancer that spreads to the bones and liver is extremely serious. It's considered incurable though there are treatments. On 3/27/25, she met with her oncologist who confirmed the metastasis of the cancer (HER2-, estrogen receptor +) to her spine and indicated they don't see it in her liver. On 4/3/2025, she had her first treatment of three injections which she will receive monthly. She will also start taking a chemo pill and begin radiation. On 4/7/2025, she meets with the radiation therapist.
When Jenn gives the signal, we will be starting a meal train to keep her family nourished as she goes through acute treatment. We will post updates on Facebook, the CaringBridge site, and here as well. All support is greatly appreciated!
We will continue to share updates here and on the Facebook page. We know that it's hard to know what to say in such moments, but know that hearing from you feels so meaningful and fortifying to Jenn.
Big love and light to you all.
Jess (Jennifer's little sister)
Co-organizers (2)
Jess Cox
Organizer
Shepherdsville, KY
Jennifer Cox
Beneficiary
Miranda Kallage
Co-organizer