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Jenny Hanrahan Medical Bills

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My story starts at a young age when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. My brother Patrick and I were very young at the time, I don’t remember the exact age but we were in elementary school. We watched her battle and beat, battle and battle until she passed away when I was 15 and my brother was 12. Through this experience and an extensive history of cancer on my Mother’s side of the family, the thought of potentially having cancer myself was always in the back of my mind.

After relocating to Denver from Bloomington, IL this Spring I decided to go through some tests. During this time I did genetic testing and some screens to see if I could have the possibility of getting breast cancer. Through those tests I found out that I didn’t have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 Gene and no genetic mutations, but they did find a small lump, which came back benign.

At this time because of my family history of cancer, I was in the highest bracket to have cancer at some point in time in my life. My doctor gave me a couple options where I could be proactive with screens and medication but the chances of having cancer were still extremely high. At this point I decided to be proactive and move forward with a double mastectomy and reconstruction. I will start this journey on August 3rd and will go through multiple surgeries throughout the end of the year including 2 large surgeries and 4 small ones.

The reason why I want to share my story is because it’s so important to be proactive! Get screened early and always go to those appointments even when they are super uncomfortable. This surgery will allow me the chance to watch my children develop into adults (when I have kids a long long time down the road) unlike how my mother wasn’t able to watch my brother and I turn into the people that we are today.  After my surgery I will go from the top percentile of high risk with the potential for breast cancer to the bottom 2% which is lower than the average women with no family history (12%). I believe my decision is the correct one for my brother, my father, my relatives and all the people in my life that I love and that love me. I feel fortunate that I can make this decision rather than making a decision on what treatment to take if the lump would have come back indicating cancer.
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  • Anonymous
    • $100 
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer

Jenny Hanrahan
Organizer
Englewood, CO

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