Let's give Jennene the space to #BeatCancer

Sometimes, the hardest things happen to the absolute best people, and this is one of those times.

If you know Jennene, you'll know she's one of the coolest, calmest, warmest, funniest, most brilliant humans on the planet. If you don't know Jennene, I can assure you that if you ever met her, you'd want to support her in this moment. She's got a heart of gold and a laugh that you can't help but join along with. She's a badass boss babe, a steadfast and loving mom to her four-year-old daughter Isla Rae, a beautiful friend + sister + daughter + community member, and the love of Michael's life.

She and Michael have a lot in common. He's also one of those people anyone would hope to know—cool, creative, funny, authentic, and wildly kind for someone who can also be the life of the party.

The perfect pair—they got together and created the most deeply close and loving little family and a successful business.

And then life threw them a very scary curveball.

Jennene has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, a Primary angiosarcoma of the breast. Angiosarcomas make up about 1% of all cancers, and angiosarcoma of the breast makes up 2% of all angiosarcomas. Not to be mistaken with breast cancer, the rarity of this form of cancer means that the treatment path is not clear-cut, and the prognosis can be terrifying. Due to the lack of documented cases (only 1 or 2 women per year in BC) and the scarcity of research, it needs to be treated on a case-by-case basis. Her treatment plan includes chemotherapy, removal surgery, and weeks of daily radiation.

Jennene is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and her original plan was to finish this cycle and take a month to build up her immunity before surgery. She's recently discovered that the chemo may have stopped working, and she may need to stop her treatments early and expedite the removal surgery. They are waiting for some tests to determine the next steps for her.

Until now, she's been continuing to try and run her business, but the doctors have told her it's time to put all her energy into her treatment. Her best chance to fight this is to rest for at least 4-6 months during her surgery and treatment—allowing her body to heal. This isn't easy to hear for a woman who has passionately pursued everything she has ever put her mind to, including her career. But now is her one opportunity to fight for her family, health, and life.

Another thing that Jennene and Michael have in common: they're the kind of humans who will do anything for anyone who needs it. But never ask for anything in return. I know this because they've both been there for me through challenging times. So, I want to be there for both of them now.

As soon as I heard the diagnosis, all I wanted to do was support in some tangible way, and many of you may have felt the same. Between her cold cap treatments, uncovered meds and therapy, holistic care, extra childcare, and the loss of income for many months to come —I hope we can help ease some of the financial stress that has come during an already unimaginably stressful time for them.

Let's come together and support these beautiful humans. Let's give Jennene the space and time to fight and heal.

Isla Rae needs her mom. Michael needs the love of his life. Her family needs their daughter and sister. I, and many others, need our friend. The community needs the passionate, driven, brilliant, loving, hilarious energy that Bean brings into it daily.

If you don't know Jennene, I assure you that this world is infinitely better with her in it, and I would be endlessly grateful if you would consider supporting this beautiful family. A small amount of support from each of you could quite literally mean everything to them.

They would never ask for help themselves, so let's send what we can—and all the healing energy we can muster.

Sometimes, the hardest things happen to the absolute best people—and we all get to come together and show them the power of love and community.