Hello, and thank you for stopping by. Here is our story.

On a regular day, October 11th, 2023, Jenny had a " normal " mammogram and was told you are clear for another year. Then, a couple of days before Christmas, Jenny came to me after her shower and asked if I had seen any lumps in her armpit and her breast. After we investigated, sure enough, there were lumps—a golf ball in her armpit and a racquetball in her breast. We made the best of it and put on our smiles as best we could for the holidays with the family.

Jenny was able to make an appointment for January 15th. We went in, and after questions and examinations, the Doctor wanted her to get into the cancer center right away, so she was able to get us there on January 23rd for a mammogram, ultrasound, and Biopsy. Two days later, on January 25th, she got the call that confirmed our worst fears. Cancer was the diagnosis. We met with the initial oncologist, and we were hit with just over 2 hours of information until I finally stopped him and asked him what the following immediate steps were that we needed to do. We were both so overwhelmed that it was beyond stressful and terrifying. We met with a general surgeon, he did an additional biopsy and told us that if the Biopsy came back positive, he would not do the surgery, which left us almost in tears. And sure enough, it also came back positive.

The insurance company we had at the time asked if we would be willing to get a second opinion, we said yes with no delay. The only thing is that the doctors they wanted us to see were about 2.5 hours away. We decided to do it anyway and made the arrangements. Our kids hung out with some friends, Jenny and I drove to MN Oncology in Hudson, Wisconsin. The meeting with them was extraordinary; they made us feel at ease even though we were stressed and having a nightmare. When the Doctor stepped out to get some information for us, Jenny and I looked at each other, and we both said This is where we need to be, so we made the calls and made it happen.

Everything moved even fast, but it felt like a snail's pace. Our next step was planning for the kids to be still able to go to school and not miss time, and for our dogs for our future trips, which were going to be every three weeks for 2 days each trip.

Jenny's first chemo treatment was on February 19th, and then every three weeks until the end of June. This chemo was wrecking Jenny, she could barely keep anything in her system. She would eat, and 20 minutes later, it was gone. She continued to work, although taking about 2 weeks a month off because her body was hating chemo and the weakness of her immune system.

April 25th came, and our puppy got very sick. After having him in the vet for a while, we had to make the decision, and with the information from the vet and our situation, we had to put him down. 13-month-old puppy. It was so difficult because he was such an amazing dog that everyone loved and adored, even with his separation anxiety.

During all this, my place of employment decided they did not need me anymore and let me go on May 16th. Talk about adding more stress. Fortunately, considering the situation, I could get unemployment and negotiated insurance until the end of July. So now, not only are we worrying about Jenny's health, but we are also worried about financials even more than we were.

Surgery was set for July 15th, a double mastectomy and lymph node harvest. Once we heard back from the surgeon, they found abnormal cells in the "good" side. The Doctor was positive and felt extremely confident she was successful but would still need to do radiation and more chemo to make sure any residual cancer cells were eradicated. Chemo resumed on August 19th, but we only needed to be down there for 1 day, which helped the costs, but it was still hard on us.

Radiation started on September 9th and lasted until October 22nd. Jenny’s treatments were 5 days a week, for 6 weeks, which came out to 30 total treatments. We had to live in Minneapolis Monday through Friday and would come home on weekends to see the kids and the dog. A lot of travel has become a part of our lives.

Sometime in February, Jenny's truck decided to break down (Transmission), and even though we looked for used parts, it was determined that the repair cost outweighed the truck's value. We have been a single-vehicle family, it is getting harder to maintain that, and with winter coming, we will need another vehicle. We are looking for a used 4WD vehicle that will work for our family.

During all this, I finally received a phone call from one of the many resumes sent. I went to the interview, and shortly afterwards, I was offered the position and was excited to feel as though I was helping again. I started my job on May 5th, 2025, and have been happy that I get to go to work again.

Jenny's last chemo was on June 9th, and we were so happy about this day! We all went down that weekend, and the kids were there when Jenny was able to ring her bell, acknowledging that cancer did not win!

Early on, Jenny had made the decision not to have implants, but it is normal for them to leave enough skin during the mastectomy in the event the patient changes their minds. Jenny has maintained her feelings, and so one more surgery with some revisions to help her heal emotionally and physically. That took place on July 1st, she is recovering from this. Now we can heal as a family, and Jenny can heal. It has been a long ride, and now we as a family are working on recovering financially as well as mentally.