Help Maron Jenkins Beat Pancreatic Cancer

Imagine you are 35 years old, married to the love of your life, with a nine-month-old baby and his three-year-old brother. You are smart, funny and you light up the room with your smile. To your boys, you are everything.

 

You have your whole life ahead of you—you’ve just been accepted into SFU’s teaching program after years of studying and working full-time all the while raising two young boys. So many exciting possibilities…

 

Overnight, your entire world comes crashing down. You are diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. All your dreams for the future turn into a fight for survival. You look at your babies, desperate to see them grow up. You hold your husband’s hand and never want to let go. Your insurance has denied your long-term disability coverage and you find yourself desperately searching for ways to support your family while fighting for your life.

 

On April 29, 2021, our beautiful Maron was given this diagnosis—Stage 4 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. Her world (and ours) stopped as she took in the news. She immediately started aggressive chemotherapy, but the cancer relentlessly continued to grow and spread. All of the approved treatment options in Canada have been exhausted. It’s now time to aggressively pursue alternative therapies to give Maron more time with her family—be a mom to her little boys and a wife to her loving husband. Promising clinical trials are available in the US and abroad but come at a significant financial cost, far beyond the means of this young family. Maron is strong. She can beat this, but she needs our help. Please donate today!

 

 

MARON'S STORY

 

At the end of February 2021, Maron and her family couldn’t have been happier. She was enjoying her last few months of maternity leave, planning to return to her position as a Child and Youth Care Counselor in the Surrey School District in May. After working tirelessly to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree as an adult student at Trinity Western University, she was accepted into the SFU teaching program set to start in January 2022, a dream she had been working towards for years. Together with her loving husband of eight years, Mike, they were raising two beautiful boys, Dylan (three) and Rhys (nine months). Everything was falling into place, life was wonderful.

 

Seeking relief from a nagging stomach ache, Maron decided to consult with her family doctor. She was prescribed antacids and told it was most likely digestion issues; however, the discomfort persisted over the next two months. Maron feared that it might be something serious, maybe even cancer, but at only 35 years old she was told she was too young, and it was most likely something minor with an easy fix.

 

Fearing the worst, Maron continued to advocate for her health and demanded additional testing. A CT scan on April 23rd revealed there was a suspicious mass on her pancreas that required a biopsy. Following several tests, a young mother’s worst fear had been realized. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer on April 29th. A quick Google search confirmed how terrifying and grim this diagnosis was. But the family held onto hope that treatment would be successful and buy precious time with her loved ones.

 

There are two treatment options available in Canada for this type of inoperable pancreatic cancer, both of them chemotherapy. Maron immediately started Folfirinox, as this was her best hope for success. Despite being one of the most aggressive and difficult chemotherapies to tolerate, Maron faced every challenge head on. Back and forth to the hospital, multiple days of chemo infusions and endless doctor appointments, Maron was now battling this horrible disease while still caring for her young family. Her life had been turned upside down.

 

These treatments lasted throughout May and June. A scan in July indicated this line of treatment was unsuccessful. The cancer had grown and spread. This was an emotional blow for the family, but their focus shifted to her second (and last line) of available chemotherapy, Gem/Abraxane. Determined, Maron was back at the hospital for treatments from August through October. They were exhausting, both physically and emotionally, but she was willing to do anything and everything to fight for her life.

 

Devastatingly, a CT scan in September, and again in October showed further progression of the disease. The cancer had continued to grow and spread. Now faced with the terrifying news that the second and last line of treatment was not successful, clinical trials and alternative therapies are the only hope for extending and saving Maron’s life. There is no cure for Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer… yet. Our wishes and hopes are that Maron can live long enough to see advancements that will give her the time she so desperately wants with her family.

 

Maron is undeniably a fighter. Facing her cancer battle with unfaltering determination, she has everything to live for. Mike, her incredibly supportive and loving husband of eight years, is a teacher in the Surrey school district. Originally from Wales, he moved to Canada to be with Maron after a chance meeting in a Welsh University while Maron was studying abroad. Dylan, their first son, is now four years old—he is silly, shy and very devoted to mom. Rhys is their youngest, just one and a half, and he is already a force. Curious and strong, this boy will climb anything and is ready to explore the world in front of him. This beautiful family needs and deserves more time together.

 

We need urgent help now. Donations are desperately needed to fund options for Maron. She needs to continue raising her gorgeous and loving young boys. Donations will be used towards clinical trials, alternative and private treatments, as well as easing the financial stresses on the family.

 

Please take the time to share Maron’s story on social media to help her fight and to raise awareness of this devastating disease.

 

Thank you for all the love and support you have shown Maron, Mike and the boys. It means the world to them.