Help Jennifer Mandell Battle Breast Cancer Again

I am creating this GoFundMe to help support my friend Jennifer Mandell, who is so bravely facing breast cancer for the second time. Jenn and I met in 2019 while we were both dealing with this awful disease. When she told me this summer that hers had returned, my heart broke because no one should have to deal with cancer twice. But cancer is an asshole, and it doesn't care if you've moved on and gone back to living your life. Below is her story, so please read on and consider helping if you can...

Jenn was first diagnosed in 2019 and had aggressive surgery (double mastectomy) in order to minimize the risk of recurrence. With only a 3% chance of it coming back, everyone was confident that cancer was in her rearview and the future was bright. The experience inspired Jenn to shift her career focus to women’s health and she opened her own pelvic floor PT practice in 2022.

Fast forward to this past summer, Jenn was juggling 3 full-time jobs: single mom of active 7-year-old twin boys, fledgling small business owner, and pelvic floor physical therapist. The news that her cancer had returned in a more aggressive form came in late August, and by early September she had started a 20 week chemotherapy regimen with surgery and radiation to follow. If all goes well, her treatment should be complete by summer of 2025.

As a small business owner, Jenn no longer has paid time off or coverage for short term disability. She is worried that she may have to close the practice that she has worked so hard to build. She is also struggling to keep up with her boys' sports/activities, and those are the things that are keeping their spirits up as they watch her go thru this again. The cost to keep everything afloat is overwhelming, and any donations will be used to ease that burden and allow Jenn to focus her energy on getting better.

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Thank you for any help you can give - it will be so much appreciated.

Marisa