I share with you Jackie D’Agosto’s story in the hopes of receiving help from the community. Jackie is 39 years young, she is truly kind, smart, caring and compassionate. She is the first to lend a hand to those in need. She takes care of her own with pride. Being a mother is a dream Jackie has been longing for all her life. This dream was ripped away from Jackie when she lost her baby girl in 2012 and almost did not survive due to  labour complications. Jackie never stopped trying to become a mother, she tried early in 2020 to have a baby and unfortunately had a miscarriage in March 2020. She is truly a warrior and an exemplary woman. Motherhood is something she thought she would be able to accomplish later in her life. 

Last year, Jackie began to experience intense cramping, heavy periods and exhaustion. Jackie being the person she is, decided to wait it out and be strong. Last December the bleeding became intense and the pain only got worse, which led Jackie to a visit to the ER. After a few appointments and scans, Jackie was unfortunately diagnosed with stage 2 uterine cancer on February 11th, 2021, which has now spread to her cervix. This news came as a huge shock to Jackie and her family. Given her young age and strength, no one saw this coming.  Jackie and her husband recently bought a house last year and their lifelong savings went to this house. Before the cancer diagnosis, Jackie and her husband were in the middle of renovations at their recently purchased home. All the renovation plans amongst many other life plans have been put on hold to cover the cost of the cancer treatments Jackie will have to undergo. She was devastated to learn the out of pocket expenses she would have to pay for. 

After her diagnosis, she was referred to Sunnybrook where she is being seen by her oncologist along with other specialists involved in her care. After running several tests and consulting with her specialist, they came up with a course of treatment. The options were to undergo hysterectomy followed by chemo and radiation 5 weeks post-op or a strong chemo treatment which only had a 20% success rate. 

This has all happened very fast and Jackie had to make the hard choice between a hysterectomy and a hard course of chemotherapy. This is a choice Jackie had to make with little time and a decision that did not come easy to her. Jackie ultimately decided that she would have the hysterectomy as it was the best option for her longevity. The next steps in her treatment is to undergo an emergency IVF treatment as her last chance in becoming a mother. The government does not offer any type of coverage for IVF treatments for cancer patients unfortunately. Having children is something that Jackie and her husband Luis (AKA “The Claw” ) have longed and prayed for. 

The clock is ticking, Jackie has very little time left before she undergoes a hysterectomy and lymph node removal. The emergency IVF treatment will allow for an egg retrial  which later on will be used for Jackie and her husband to conceive a child through surrogacy. Additionally, after Jackie undergoes the hysterectomy she will need a few months to recover and her husband will also need to take time off work to care for Jackie. After the hysterectomy she will need to undergo radiation and chemotherapy to ensure the cancer is removed for good. Jackie is no longer able to work as she is experiencing a great deal of pain and her symptoms are only worsening as the tumour grows. The IVF treatment limits her ability to take a large variety of painkillers and she is left to suffer the pain until the IVF treatment is complete. Not to mention the countless number of doctors appointments she has weekly which also require her husband to be off work as Jackie does not drive.

Cancer is hard enough already and these financial burdens are an added stress that we can help Jackie and her family with. We are asking for any donations possible whether big or small to raise an estimated $30,000 for the emergency IVF treatment, cancer treatment and the time off she and her husband will need.  Jackie’s cancer is unfortunately growing faster than anticipated and we seek the help of the community. We ask that you help make it possible to give Jackie the chance to become a mother and fight this cancer battle. All prayers and generosity are tremendously appreciated! We will continue to update you all on this journey and share any updates that the family wishes to share publicly.