2/18/2026 UPDATE

From Jenn: We started the GoFundMe not knowing how successful it might be. We have been so awed by the support we have received! It has meant so much to us, taken a huge weight off our shoulders, and we are so grateful. Thank you for all your support!

The last many months have been very challenging. This new chemo treatment has been very hard on me, and I’ve been in and out of the hospital many times, this last time for about 4 weeks. I’ve been exhausted, in pain, dealing with intense migraines, nausea, GI distress and struggling immensely with keeping food down. It’s been breaking my heart to not be home, and to not spend time with and be there for my family.

If you know Terry and I, you know that we don’t like asking for help. However, I can no longer work, and we’ve started digging into my retirement. We don’t know what the road ahead is, but we’re doing the best we can with this difficult reality. We’re asking for your support, however you can give it. A monthly donation is the most helpful. If 10 people gave $20 each month, that would be $200 extra a month and would be sustaining over the long term. And $20 now is also immensely helpful. Texting or emailing this to friends and family is the most effective way to share, and posting on social media is also helpful! We welcome and deeply appreciate whatever support you can lend us.

BIG UPDATE 9/10/2025

Jennifer -- my big sister, your friend, cousin, neighbor -- could really use your support. It's with a heavy and hopeful heart that we are share updated news about Jennifer's health. The breast cancer Jenn faced in 2021 resurfaced earlier this year in her spine and was diagnosed as Stage IV. Despite surgeries and treatment, it was recently found in multiple spots in her skull, in new spots in her spine, and has metastasized further into her right hip and left femur. The places in her spine that were found earlier this year have also grown. Her cancer is considered incurable but she has been undergoing treatments to keep the cancer from growing further, which were clearly not working. In her last visit on 9/4/2025, her oncologists told her that without treatment, she would have maybe 6 to 12 months (give or take). They are going to beging a new therapy, Enhertu (via IV). She will have outpatient surgery on 9/16/2025 to place her port and treatment will begin shortly afterwards. Her doctor told her if the treatment starts to work, there are a variety of factors that influence prognosis, but that it could be years.

Jenn is a fighter, she's also remarkably resilient and accepting of what comes her way. In my talks with her, she reflects her typical stoicism saying "it is what it is and we don't know what will happen." I invite you to show up with support, care, love, connection, and the same sort of hopefulness that Jenn if bringing to the kind of news you never want to get for yourself or someone you love.

Her focus is on doing things she loves and enjoys which is beautiful! We don't know what the future holds, but we can support her and her family in living the most enjoyable and fulfilling days, months, years as are possible.

Some of the things she's excited about:

Despite a lot of support from many, including Terry, ours and his parents, and her employer, she is in a lot of pain and often really exhausted. Keeping up with kids (6 and 16), two energetic dogs, home, and work is almost always beyond her capacity. With this new chemotherapy therapy, she will undoubtedly have reduced capacity after treatments.

Our focus now is on lightening the energetic, stress, and financial loads and making her and her family's life as easeful and enjoyable as possible! 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 and now her skull, femur, and pelvis) limits her capacity to work. She's only able to earn half of her usual income as the family's expenses continue to grow and she may not be able to work with the new treatment.

• Her out-of-pocket deductible is $5000

• She pays around $200 for insurance each month

• 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, fatigue, and upcoming treatments limit 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!

UPDATES if you've read other posts:

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)