My name is Jess (as some of you already know) and on the 28th of December I headed to the ER with pain in my leg that I associated with my decade old back injury. I was given a CT scan and they discovered something concerning enough to admit me for the night. What they found turned out to be an abscess in my abdomen of significant size. They placed a catheter to drain it and ran cultures of the tissue to check for any bacteria (there ended up being none).

There was something else they saw on the CT scan that also concerned them. Enough that they wanted to have a biopsy done. After what felt like WEEKS of waiting, I was informed on January 9th that it was cancer. Cancer that had not originated where they found it, therefore it is metastatic. What they did know was that it was Müllerian (meaning it originated from the reproductive system).

I was finally released from the hospital on January 12th. Upon release I saw oncologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan that after testing discovered that it is Metastatic Endometrial Cancer. I had my first round of chemotherapy on February 9th, exactly 1 month after diagnosis.

I have spend some time in the hospital since due to extreme pain but finally have the pain under control for the most part. It’s going to be a long and arduous road, but I’ll get there one way or another.

Since January, I’ve been doing my best to stay strong and focus on my health, both physical and mental but the reality is that the bills are beginning to stack up. Every day brings new challenges, and it’s been difficult to keep up with the mounting medical costs and costs of just living, while also trying to prioritize my recovery.

The funds raised here will go directly toward covering my most urgent needs—some medical bills, helping with rent, electricity, my car bill, and groceries etc. Your support with these things would mean I can focus more on healing and less on the stress of making ends meet. Even the smallest contribution will make a real difference in my life right now.

I’m not usually one to ask for help, but I couldn’t be more grateful for any support you can offer. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for considering lending a hand during this difficult time. Your kindness and generosity truly mean the world to me.