Update: With Heavy Hearts

With sadness, we wanted to share the news that Jenn passed away June 24th, reunited at last with her beloved Mike.

In the span of just a few months, Maya lost both of her parents -- Mike in March and now Jenn. Jenn fought with such courage throughout this past year: surviving major spinal surgery, grieving her husband, and loving Maya fiercely every single day until the end. Jenn was a light to the world, and she will be deeply missed by everyone whose life she touched.

Maya is now 20 years old and facing a future without either of her parents. The financial realities that prompted this campaign haven't lessened -- they've now grown. The needs that Jenn described when she started this page - the house, the bills, Maya's education, the cost of simply moving forward -- now fall entirely on Maya's shoulders.

Jenn and Mike poured everything into raising a daughter they were proud of. The most meaningful way we can honor them both is to make sure Maya doesn't face what comes next alone.

If you are able to give, please give. If you've already given, please share. Every contribution, every share, every kind word in the comments matters more than you know. Thank you for loving this family.

From, Jenn's friends Meg, Susannah, and Heather

Original Post:

For the past year, Jenn has been battling stage IV lung cancer, which resulted in bone metastases, including a broken hip and hip replacement on Christmas Day 2024. She spent six weeks in the hospital and skilled nursing facilities, but the support of her beloved husband Mike made all the difference.

Mike himself was no stranger to health issues, having lived with congestive heart failure for ten years, as well as chronic kidney disease and blood cancer. He and jenn often joked that there should be an out of pocket maximum for bad medical luck, but they made a great team raising their daughter Maya in the face of adversity.

At least until a few weeks ago, when things suddenly took a turn for the worse. Jenn developed a tumor on her ribs that was compressing her spinal cord, and had major spinal surgery on February 17th. Her neurosurgeon told her that she had been days away from paralysis, but the surgery was mostly successful.

Jenn went into inpatient rehab and progressed extremely well, but Mike deteriorated over that period. Already on dialysis for end stage renal failure, he went back to the hospital for extreme fatigue, and found out that his heart was failing. No longer a candidate for surgery, he would not make it home before dying.

Separated from each other in two different hospitals, Jenn and Mike fought to keep their fierce connection to each other during Mike's last fewe days, with Jenn traveling from rehab to vist him on a day pass. She was unable to be with him when he passed on March 13, but was able to be with him shortly after and say a final goodbye before returning home to her now 19-year-old daughter Maya.

Jenn and Mike are surrounded in community and love at this time, but the financial ramifications are very real. Mike's death will result in an 80% loss of income for the family, leaving Jenn with only her SSDI federal disabiity payments for the time being. Medical bills, funeral expenses, college tuition for Maya, rising health insurance costs, and daily living expenses all add up. (Mike did have a life insurance policy through his work, but we are told that since he was an employee at his company for less than two years, the life insurance company may try to contest the benefits.)

Any and all contributions -- as well as social media shares of the campaign -- will be welcomed. Your contribution may make the difference between Jenn being able to keep her house or having to sell, or between Maya having to be saddled with student loan debt or starting her young adult life debt-free. Please honor Mike's memory by supporting the people he cared for most.