Donation protected
Aloha friends!
It’s time for an update. I’ve been reluctant to write and wasn’t sure what to say. In mid-April, I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
My heart breaks to announce this. For I put all of myself in the boat of healing and I rode the wave of Faith.
Yet there is great Freedom even in THIS breaking news now.
For in the breaking, my soul is liberating,
In the shaking, my being awakens most deeply to aspects of me never known.
And in the flooding, the depth of emotions melt all that is held within me like an iceberg.
And in the expanding, I find new connections to humans and wisdom.
And most importantly, in the breaking, God holds me in the palms of his hand and reminds me that I am NOT alone.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day to day. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen..." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I have been in a state of shock since that time. It’s taken me some time to be strong enough to share this update more publicly. Only a few close family and friends have known of this news.
Thanks be to God, my creator, for I know that in there is purpose in this hard time. I’m learning so much about myself, about healing, and about the exquisite treasure that life truly is. Every day that I get to live is an incredible blessing! I honor and respect this life God gave me, and I am feeling God’s support holding me through it. There are many small miracles happening every single day and I am keeping a journal of this to maintain supernatural perspective.
The news of this cancer recurrence came within 1 week of the death of my brother Christopher, who passed away in Early April in Japan. Between my brother’s death and this cancer recurrence news, I’ve just been in a state of emotional shock. This ongoing grief process feels like an iceberg of tears that I have held deep within me. A deeply held inner pain is slowly but surely being released from my cellular structure. Ultimately it is a Transformative Renewal process, yet not easy at all to endure. My one and only consistent prayer across time has been for Complete Radical Healing, so I actually feel blessed with a wave of deep healing and cellular renewal. I weep everyday though. It is so incredibly challenging.
More about my diagnosis:
My prognosis is GREAT. My Doctors give me an excellent chance of recovery and decades of life still to live. This diagnosis is serious yet it is not a death sentence. And I MUST stay with these protocols and my recovery requires a complete lifestyle change for the foreseeable future. I am ALL IN.
The medical scans I have had show that the breast cancer cells travelled from my lymph system into my lungs and bones. Also, in April when I had the pet scan, I had a strong reaction to the radioactive dye which they injected me with for the scan. The reaction caused all the cancer cells in my body to become aggravated and inflamed. So I lost my physical strength and was almost completely unable to walk for the month of May. I’ve never grieved so much in all my life, but I am finally feeling balanced and ready to take this ON.
It’s been very difficult for me to get past the self-blame involved. I’m someone who takes full responsibility for my choices. If I could rewind time, there are many things I would do differently, however I cannot change the past. And there were a number of uncontrollable factors which occurred, causing me great stress. Stress compromises the immune system and is the enemy of a person healing cancer. Also, pride prevented me from reaching out and asking for more help. I was stressed by going back to work full time and attempting to take this healing process on by myself as an independent person. I wanted to receive help from others, but others were very busy with their own issues and lives, and many were not equipped to support me. So part of it, is that our culture supports people working hard, which usually involves high stress, and doesn’t work well for a person fighting cancer. It’s been very difficult to find a space to actually rest and recover by staying in a healing mode, due to the demands of life that continue to press on me.
On the bright side, I have a wonderful female oncologist on Maui named Dr. Cecilia Choi. She has a large staff and the mission of her practice is to make people feel at home, also maintain a good quality of life while choosing best targeting medicines available. She prescribed a chemotherapy medicine in tablet form. It is a targeting drug that she says is very effective in treating my type of cancer. She also prescribed high dose pain medications to combat the bone pain. The drugs have strong side effects including fatigue and systemic aching pain. My medical doctors have classified me as “Disabled” due to this condition now.
Also, I get to work with the wonderful Dr. Bridget Bongaard ,who directs a nonprofit called Maui Cancer Resources. She organizes regular meet up groups for us with cancer to share resources and time and be of support to one another. I am extremely grateful for Dr.B and this support group, so that I do not feel so alone on this journey.
I’ve also been speaking with various specialists and doing a lot of research, and I’ve come up with a list of therapies and supplements that are scientifically backed and complement the pharmaceutical drugs I am taking, to create a more complete package of healing.
My research will continue, and financial help will allow me to hire the best experts to my team to help me fine tune my protocols moving forward.
My estimated needs add up to over $25.000 over the next 6 months, and this is an extremely conservative estimate, not including normal living expenses. If you are interested in the specific details of my proposed healing protocols, I can share that privately.
Between rent and normal costs of living, I just am not able to manage ongoing expense of my extensive expensive medical needs.
It’s always been hard for me to ask for help and it takes courage for me to do so. So thank you for hearing me!
Thank you for your support and I send all my love from Maui!
Jenny
I will not die but Live, and I will proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118-17
Organizer
Jennifer Dodd
Organizer
Kahului, HI