Donate to help Jana Abney. Thank you!!

Hi, my name is Brenda Abney, and I am fundraising for my daughter, Jana Abney.

She is fighting cancer, and this is her story.

On June 14, 2021, my life changed in a major way. At the age of 35, no one, including my doctors, would not have imagined my diagnosis of stage four colon cancer. It was a complete shock to all of us. Immediately after being diagnosed, my doctors began to develop a treatment plan in hopes of eradicating cancer. I must admit that I was afraid, anxious, and nervous, but hopeful that it would all work out for me.

On July 7, 2021, I had my first surgery and a month later, I started the first round of chemotherapy. I have been on this long and tedious journey ever since. It was the beginning of life-changing adjustments, many sleepless nights, continuous pain, job loss, and many questions I wanted and needed answers to. Before my diagnosis, I was always on the go. I loved hanging out with my family and friends. However, due to my diagnosis and COVID, I was confined to my home. I only left home to go to my many doctor visits, because I didn’t want to put myself or anyone else at risk of getting COVID.

After the first surgery and the first round of chemotherapy, God walked me through two additional surgeries in February and May of 2022 and another round of chemotherapy later that year. The second surgery in February was a planned surgery. I was ready to have the surgery so that I could get back to a normal life. However, God had other plans. After more scans, it was discovered that cancer had grown back in my abdomen, which resulted in me having a third extreme and life-changing surgery.

Proceeding with this surgery, my doctor recommended a second round of chemotherapy for six months. During my chemotherapy treatment, my doctor tested my levels, and it was revealed that the cancer cells were increasing instead of decreasing as we were expecting with chemotherapy. Basically, the chemo wasn’t working. My heart was broken, but I was still hopeful that I would be healed from cancer.

The doctor scheduled another CT scan and PET scan, and the results revealed four new cancer spots in different places in my body. Even with ongoing treatment, the cancer was not in remission. This time, my doctor developed a treatment plan that included two weeks of radiation and new medication. A few days before the first radiation treatment, I started to feel sick. I couldn’t eat or drink without getting sick. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal because I was still able to have the radiation treatment. However, as time went on, I began to feel worse by the minute, so I decided to go to the emergency room.

The tests from this ER visit revealed that I had a bile obstruction, and I was admitted to the hospital. The doctors wanted to avoid performing another surgery, so it was recommended to allow the obstruction time to pass on its own. After almost two weeks in the hospital, the blockage did not pass on its own, which resulted in a 4th major surgery.

Currently, I am healing and recovering at home, and I’ve started a new chemo medication. I must admit that all of this has been challenging for me – physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually. However, what I do know for sure is that God has me in His hands. He is bigger than what I am going through right now. My God is bigger than cancer. I am trusting Him and what He told me on the day I had my 1st colonoscopy and was informed that I had cancer. God spoke to me so clearly, and said, “This is going to be your testimony.” I believe and stand on His word. I know that God will not put more on me than I can handle. At the end of this journey, I will have a powerful testimony to share with others to give them hope and a future.

I am truly grateful for the medical care that I have received and continue to receive since battling this disease. The doctors and nurses have been wonderful. Their patience and attentive care have been reassuring and comforting. However, it all comes with a cost. The cost of good medical care is exorbitant. After two years of continuous medical treatments, doctor visits, medications, medical supplies, hospital stays, and home health care, you can only imagine how my medical expenses have accumulated since my diagnosis. I have had multiple CT scans and PET scans sometimes costing $4,000 per scan, plus the hospital visits and surgeries. On top of that, I have been unable to work because of the side effects of treatments. The cost of my medical care continues to rise.

My mission is to raise $50,000 to help with my medical expenses and ongoing treatment. This will help me tremendously. If you’re unable to donate, please keep me and my family in your prayers during this difficult time. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your generosity. May God bless you richly.

Sincerely,

Jana