Help Jen Vitale Fight and Heal from Breast Cancer

Dear Friends, Family and Community,

Our beloved friend Jen Vitale was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. While it was detected at an early stage, Jen isn’t a candidate for lumpectomy due to the invasive nature and how the cancer has spread. She is scheduled to have a bilateral mastectomy at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, and her surgery date is October 21.

After her surgery and further testing, Jen might need radiation, chemotherapy or other cancer treatments in the months ahead. We’ll continue to update this page as we learn more.

As many of you know, Jen is a badass event producer who recently moved back to New York City. What you may not know is that the past few years have been an extraordinary effort in courage and resilience after she was violently attacked on the street in Brooklyn, fought for her life in the ICU and survived a life-threatening brain hemorrhage and other injuries with long term impacts that she's still recovering from.

In her first few weeks out of the hospital, Jen’s partner left abruptly, she had to move twice in three months and she returned to work far too soon out of financial necessity. For years, Jen has fought bravely while struggling with PTSD, severe chronic migraines, cognitive and neurological impairment and injuries that will require future surgery to repair her cervical spine. The men who attacked her were never brought to justice, she received no compensation and has taken on significant debt as a result of ongoing health treatments. Jen has largely gone through this experience alone due to the initial shock and severity of her injuries, the sudden departure of her partner and subsequent isolation during the pandemic. She carried everything on her own shoulders, not wanting to burden others. While she learned a lot about her own strength and courage, she also learned how important it is to ask for support and let her friends and family in.

Jen has been fiercely committed to healing and recovering from this violent assault, and was just starting to get back on her feet when she received the breast cancer diagnosis. We don’t want her to go through another health crisis alone. She needs our support.

The mastectomy, potential further cancer treatments and reconstruction procedures will have a significant impact on her body and her livelihood. She won’t be able to work while undergoing cancer treatment for an unknown period of time and was already facing financial setbacks due to the attack. Freelance work doesn't have the same protections of full time corporate work – FMLA leave, disability, etc. We don’t want her to struggle and suffer from the stress of financial instability to the detriment of her health.

Jen absolutely has the strength, determination and courage to fight breast cancer with everything she’s got. In order to do this and have continued access to treatments, take care of herself and recover, we want to give Jen the safety net she never had after the attack.

Throughout her career, Jen has produced many fundraising events that raised millions of dollars for cancer research and other life-threatening illnesses. Now is the time for us to give back and rally around a fundraising event for our amazing friend Jen, with that larger-than-life laugh and joyful twinkle in her eyes.

We are asking for your support to assist Jen with the following:

*Medical expenses

*Alternative medicine and therapy not covered by insurance

*Healthy meals

*Monthly living expenses

*Moving expenses

*Any additional unforeseen costs

As Jen’s extended family and friends, we hope that some of the many hearts she has touched over the years will come together to help her in this time of need. If anyone has the strength and optimism to heal and recover, it’s Jen. If anyone has the power to help her get there, it’s you.

We’re incredibly grateful for your kind and generous donations, and your help in spreading the word of this campaign.

​With love from Jen’s friends,

Emily, Gwen, Jackie, Maryclaire & Stephanie