Help Venessa Fight Cancer While Pregnant Fund
Donation protected
Hi, All—
I am Venessa's brother and I have started this fund on behalf of her family. I hope that you'll take the time to read their story and contribute if you can.
With thanks,
Marco
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Dear Community,
For weeks I've been grappling with the thought of whether or not to start this campaign. But, I've come to realize that it truly does take a community to endure and persevere amidst life's most difficult challenges. The hardest part about this journey is accepting our vulnerability and sharing our struggles with family, friends, and now strangers. I hope in doing this, we can emerge from this challenging time with renewed strength. So, we humbly, and with immense gratitude, ask for your support at this time.
Our Story
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It took us seven months to conceive—a miracle as far as I was concerned. I was sure we couldn't get pregnant. Not because a doctor confirmed it, but because of a lifetime struggle with the reproductive-adjacent issues, and plenty of family history to inform my conclusion. But, in August 2019, we confirmed that we were expecting, and for the first time in my life, I thought I was completely wrong about my body and its capabilities. That is until we learned that I had cancer.
At our 13 week ultrasound, after weeks of waiting to see our growing baby, I sensed something was wrong. I thought nothing of the fact that my belly was swelling quickly. I thought perhaps I would be one of those women who just showed early. But, the technician kept taking a lot of photos of other organs that did not have anything to do with the baby, and when I asked what he was doing, he simply ignored me and continued. Despite how uneasy I felt about the interaction, we left with a print out of the baby at 13 weeks, and I was so enamored, nothing else mattered.
I received a call two days later from our midwife. She told me they found what they believed at the time to be a large cyst on one of my ovaries. She informed me that she was in contact with an OB Surgeon and a local cancer center. I was to see the OB immediately, and I was also to schedule a CA125 test to confirm whether or not it was cancer. Unfortunately, I was unable to get an appointment with the surgeon for another two weeks, which by the time I did, I was almost 16 weeks pregnant, and my abdomen had swelled considerably. I arrived at my appointment, however, with renewed confidence from the lab results of the cancer screening, which came back negative. But, we still had to manage the cyst. The OB surgeon made it clear that they needed to operate immediately. The cyst had grown so big; it was now a danger to the baby and me. So we scheduled surgery for the following week. Terrified, I had no choice but to accept the circumstance. We had no idea what anesthesia would do to the baby, and despite the minimally invasive laparoscopic approach, there was a chance the baby may not survive. Disoriented and shaking, I awoke from the anesthesia to learn that they had to remove my entire left ovary and fallopian tube. The cyst had almost 3 liters of fluid, and the tumor within it had taken up my entire ovary. It was impossible to salvage. In the days and weeks that followed, I thought the worst of it was over. I thought all I had to do was rest and heal so that the baby could continue to grow. At 18 weeks, we checked in with our OB surgeon. My stitches were healing nicely, and the baby's heartbeat was strong. But, while in his office, he broke the news. He told us that I had a rare kind of ovarian anomaly. It was a germ cell tumor called an Immature Teratoma, which does not show up in a CA125. The tests revealed it at a grade2, which was cause for concern.
I am Venessa's brother and I have started this fund on behalf of her family. I hope that you'll take the time to read their story and contribute if you can.
With thanks,
Marco
------------------------------------
Dear Community,
For weeks I've been grappling with the thought of whether or not to start this campaign. But, I've come to realize that it truly does take a community to endure and persevere amidst life's most difficult challenges. The hardest part about this journey is accepting our vulnerability and sharing our struggles with family, friends, and now strangers. I hope in doing this, we can emerge from this challenging time with renewed strength. So, we humbly, and with immense gratitude, ask for your support at this time.
Our Story
-----------------------
It took us seven months to conceive—a miracle as far as I was concerned. I was sure we couldn't get pregnant. Not because a doctor confirmed it, but because of a lifetime struggle with the reproductive-adjacent issues, and plenty of family history to inform my conclusion. But, in August 2019, we confirmed that we were expecting, and for the first time in my life, I thought I was completely wrong about my body and its capabilities. That is until we learned that I had cancer.
At our 13 week ultrasound, after weeks of waiting to see our growing baby, I sensed something was wrong. I thought nothing of the fact that my belly was swelling quickly. I thought perhaps I would be one of those women who just showed early. But, the technician kept taking a lot of photos of other organs that did not have anything to do with the baby, and when I asked what he was doing, he simply ignored me and continued. Despite how uneasy I felt about the interaction, we left with a print out of the baby at 13 weeks, and I was so enamored, nothing else mattered.
I received a call two days later from our midwife. She told me they found what they believed at the time to be a large cyst on one of my ovaries. She informed me that she was in contact with an OB Surgeon and a local cancer center. I was to see the OB immediately, and I was also to schedule a CA125 test to confirm whether or not it was cancer. Unfortunately, I was unable to get an appointment with the surgeon for another two weeks, which by the time I did, I was almost 16 weeks pregnant, and my abdomen had swelled considerably. I arrived at my appointment, however, with renewed confidence from the lab results of the cancer screening, which came back negative. But, we still had to manage the cyst. The OB surgeon made it clear that they needed to operate immediately. The cyst had grown so big; it was now a danger to the baby and me. So we scheduled surgery for the following week. Terrified, I had no choice but to accept the circumstance. We had no idea what anesthesia would do to the baby, and despite the minimally invasive laparoscopic approach, there was a chance the baby may not survive. Disoriented and shaking, I awoke from the anesthesia to learn that they had to remove my entire left ovary and fallopian tube. The cyst had almost 3 liters of fluid, and the tumor within it had taken up my entire ovary. It was impossible to salvage. In the days and weeks that followed, I thought the worst of it was over. I thought all I had to do was rest and heal so that the baby could continue to grow. At 18 weeks, we checked in with our OB surgeon. My stitches were healing nicely, and the baby's heartbeat was strong. But, while in his office, he broke the news. He told us that I had a rare kind of ovarian anomaly. It was a germ cell tumor called an Immature Teratoma, which does not show up in a CA125. The tests revealed it at a grade2, which was cause for concern.
Even more concerning, the cyst had grown immensely, which caused it to burst during the procedure. The OB went on to explain that the surgical spill most likely unleashed cancer cells into my system, and ended the discussion by advising us to seek advice from an oncologist immediately.
Devastated and also racing against time, I contacted Sloan Kettering. They assembled a tumor board to review my case. Because of the rarity of the tumor, and the fact that I was pregnant, they had to devise a unique treatment approach. I was then scheduled for four rounds of chemotherapy starting the day before thanksgiving. The doctors made it clear that I would do four rounds, and then we would pause to allow the baby and me some recovery time before the birth. Once the baby is born, we will resume extensive testing, and either move forward with more chemotherapy and/or perhaps a full hysterectomy.
I am a freelance designer, and my fiancé is a web developer. I have not been able to work since this ordeal began, and he is doing his best to keep us afloat while working a fulltime job and taking time off to be a support for me during treatment and numerous doctor visits. To reduce our overhead, we broke the lease on our apartment and moved into what was originally intended to be our investment property ( which we had only recently poured our entire savings into) located in rural NY. Our insurance premium is incredibly high and only covers me at the moment ( not Justin and not the baby ). Meanwhile, all of the out-of-pocket costs from endless doctor visits, surgery, and cancer treatments are piling up very quickly.
Your support will help relieve the stress of the financial strain so that we can focus on the baby's arrival, healing from birth, and prepping for the next phase of treatment.
I never thought it would be easy for me to get pregnant. But, I never imagined this. Battling cancer while pregnant is a surreal and disorienting experience. The emotional and physical toll is unbelievable. I am humbled by this experience, and I am forever changed by it. Please know we have nothing but immense gratitude for your contributions. I know with your support, we can get through this.
With love and infinite thanks,
Venessa, Justin, & baby Fiona.
Devastated and also racing against time, I contacted Sloan Kettering. They assembled a tumor board to review my case. Because of the rarity of the tumor, and the fact that I was pregnant, they had to devise a unique treatment approach. I was then scheduled for four rounds of chemotherapy starting the day before thanksgiving. The doctors made it clear that I would do four rounds, and then we would pause to allow the baby and me some recovery time before the birth. Once the baby is born, we will resume extensive testing, and either move forward with more chemotherapy and/or perhaps a full hysterectomy.
I am a freelance designer, and my fiancé is a web developer. I have not been able to work since this ordeal began, and he is doing his best to keep us afloat while working a fulltime job and taking time off to be a support for me during treatment and numerous doctor visits. To reduce our overhead, we broke the lease on our apartment and moved into what was originally intended to be our investment property ( which we had only recently poured our entire savings into) located in rural NY. Our insurance premium is incredibly high and only covers me at the moment ( not Justin and not the baby ). Meanwhile, all of the out-of-pocket costs from endless doctor visits, surgery, and cancer treatments are piling up very quickly.
Your support will help relieve the stress of the financial strain so that we can focus on the baby's arrival, healing from birth, and prepping for the next phase of treatment.
I never thought it would be easy for me to get pregnant. But, I never imagined this. Battling cancer while pregnant is a surreal and disorienting experience. The emotional and physical toll is unbelievable. I am humbled by this experience, and I am forever changed by it. Please know we have nothing but immense gratitude for your contributions. I know with your support, we can get through this.
With love and infinite thanks,
Venessa, Justin, & baby Fiona.
Organizer and beneficiary
Marco Jimenez
Organizer
Leeds, NY
Venessa Jimenez
Beneficiary