My name is Karen, and my best friend Jennifer is battling Stage 3c Ovarian Cancer.

No one deserves this fate, but anyone who knows Jenn knows two things about her; that she is an amazing person, and that she has had more than her fair share of health issues in her life. So frankly, I'm pretty pissed off.

After nine rounds of chemo last year with some success, and an attempt to control it with a hormone medication, the cancer has continued to spread to surrounding organs, including the liver.

Currently,  the liver tumour is not operable and to make matters worse, Jenn has a  rare “low grade” form of this disease. On the surface that sounds like good news, but it is not. "Low grade” means the response to chemo is much poorer than with “high grade”.  Although Jenn is getting excellent treatment at Juravinski, all that can currently be offered is a Standard of Care for “high grade” ovarian cancer. This new protocol has only a 10% chance of being effective for her. 

The prognosis for this situation is on average, three years.

That said, Jenn’s most recent CT shows some shrinkage due to the addition of a new drug, and that provides an extra ray of hope.  

COMPLEX HEALTH  ISSUES
Jenn also has a rare genetic condition called Marfan's Syndrome which is a complex and far-reaching disease and has necessitated an extensive spinal fusion and rod implant as well as open-heart surgery in the past. https://www.marfan.org/about/marfan

While she has managed this bravely and without complaint her whole life, this makes her treatment more complicated and has resulted in an increase in medication costs.

During her treatment at Juravinski, Jenn and her husband Joe Fazakas, have explored alternative therapies to boost her chance of winning this battle. Among others, these include  LRHT (Loco Regional Hyperthermia), a state-of-the-art treatment that delivers heat to improve overall outcomes of chemotherapy.  Jenn has responded well to this supplemental treatment and feels that it has reduced the side effects of the chemotherapy.

These treatments are not covered by OHIP and are very expensive. It requires a 3 hour round trip to Kitchener, 2-3 times over several days immediately following each chemo treatment. This grueling regimen and the additional expense add an even greater burden to an already very stressful and trying situation.

There are other alternative treatments she is exploring which sound promising but are also not covered, and of course, expensive. 



FAMILY TRAGEDY
On top of Jenn's current medical situation, her family has encountered some unthinkable challenges this past two years, including the unexpected and tragic death of her brother-in-law, and her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Even one of these events is devastating,  never mind two. Now add a cancer diagnosis, grueling treatments and side effects, financial worry, and other complicating health issues. It takes a strong person to deal with any of this, yet Jenn has met these hardships  with grace and grit. 

So, those are the hard facts, and why we need help. But let me tell you a bit more about Jenn herself.


A BIT ABOUT JENN I KNOW & LOVE
Anyone who knows her knows that Jenn is probably the most selfless and caring person that you would ever wish to meet. This is evident the first time you meet her.  Despite her own serious health issues, pain, exhaustion, and stress, Jenn has always been there for her family and friends. Without fail, her first question is, "How can I help?".

Her kind-heartedness extends to the animal world, with a soft spot for the unwanted and homeless. From One-Eyed Jack, the visually impaired cat at her former workplace who needed a new home, to the completely insane but lovable Shogo, her dearly departed black Lab, to the mellow, pampered and extremely lucky Lily, an adopted rescue dog, and semi-permanent fixture on the best chair in the house, Jenn's desire to make life easier for the less wanted creatures of the world is just one of the reasons we love her.

Jenn likes humans too! In particular, her devoted husband Joe Fazakas. Jenn and Joe have been a couple for over 11 years but have known each other since childhood. Their fathers were good friends and the two families were close as the kids grew up. But it wasn’t until many years later when Jenn and Joe separately attended a Steve Earle concert at the Festival of Friends, that they reconnected and fell in love.  A shared love of music, especially live shows, has been an important part of their lives, and one we are hoping can continue. 

Joe is an accomplished pianist, Music Director at Church of the Epiphany in Oakville, and a music teacher. Despite this busy schedule, Joe has been at every chemo appointment, taken the tedious drives to Kitchener (no offense, Kitchener), cooks amazing and healthy meals for our dear girl and has generally been a total rock during Jenn's health and family crises. We are thankful for him every day, but obviously, this comes at a cost to him too; emotional, financial, and physical. 


Jenn has always had a creative side and has worked as a graphic designer, freelance photographer and landscape designer. Unfortunately, her health has made it impossible to work, and like many working in creative fields, job security and health benefits were not part of the equation.

As Jenn's best friend of 30 years, I am faced with a mix of feelings; hope, fear, denial, anger, hope again. So I'm going with hope and anger, as these can be productive if moved to action. Here's where you come in.

LET'S KICK OVARIAN CANCER'S ASS (OKAY, MIXED METAPHOR, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN)
We are trying to raise funds to help offset some of the significant expenses that Jenn has encountered as she fights this disease. This ranges from the essential (uncovered medications,  treatments, expenses incurred due to lost income), to the mundane, irritating and endless (parking fees, OTC creams to deal with uncomfortable and infuriating side effects of the treatments). 

CANCER IN THE TIME OF COVID
We know that at this time, hardships are befalling many people. But imagine dealing with a cancer diagnosis and all that entails during this time of uncertainty.

Please consider contributing to Jenn's cause. She's helped so many.
Now it's our turn to help her. 

We're new at all of this, but we promise to update you all regularly on Jenn's progress, and how donations are being applied as we take this unwanted but necessary journey together. Donations can be made anonymously and kept confidential if that’s  your preference. 

And once it's safe out there again, Steve Earle is still touring...