Mary Jo's Celebration of Life

After reflection and collective support, my brother and I have decided to reach out to our friends, family, and our wider community to inform, seek assistance and promote a collective healing energy for my mother as she battles the recent dreadful and heartbreaking diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

For those listening, my name is Jenna. Collectively with my closest kin, we have decided to start a GoFundMe for my/our beautiful and courageous mother, Mary Jo Armiger. She has been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. This news has come as a shock and has resulted in life-altering circumstances. We began this anxious-ridden journey around our last Christmas of 2021 with a concerning ultrasound. Two weeks later, during the first week of January, malignancy was determined, and by January 25th she was on the operating table for 11 hours undergoing an aggressive HIPEC surgery. Her body went through the wringer….her surgeons removed many tumors/clusters of tumors, in addition to her appendix, spleen, gallbladder, naval, partial removal and resection of her bowels, partial removal of various sections of her peritoneum, and of course, her tubes and ovaries. In addition to the surgery, she will also be enduring Chemo treatments that have just begun and will likely continue on and off for the foreseeable future of up to 3 years.

Painting a picture of my mom will always be very rewarding. Mary Jo is so much more than being the best mom ever…she is a genuine Friend, a loving Sister, a supportive Mentor, and a devoted Therapist. Many of you may already know her - many of you may have grown up with her. She is kind, loving, determined, and the bravest person we know. She enjoys exercising, adventuring the outdoors, spending time with her family, loves good soulful music….AND Dancing! This woman loves to dance her heart out! She has always been a strong advocate of a holistic and healthy lifestyle. For instance, growing up with her as a health-conscious mother, she made time to cook fresh healthy meals for her kids/family fostering a holistic lifestyle for all of us. She has certainly made a lasting impact on her kids' lives and those who are close to her.

Mary Jo is self-employed as a Trauma Therapist. Motivated by her desire to heal the suffering, she went to college, whilst maintaining a household and 2 young children, to get her Master's degree in order to serve her community in a profession that would impact people's lives for the better. She has dedicated her life and embodied her true self as a healing practitioner for the past 25 years. She has worked with countless families and individuals - and she can’t imagine doing anything else. As someone who has braved her own traumas and many personal losses over the years, she continues to maintain the very best outlook on life and remains on the road of optimism.

The much-needed surgery for her survival, as well as the upcoming chemo treatments, have resulted in her being unable to work while recovering and will continue to prevent her from being able to work full-time or even consistently part-time. If you’re self-employed or know anyone who is, you could understand the extreme difficulties imposed when not being able to work and experiencing a loss of income. I don’t really know how she will react to the fact that I’ve started this fundraiser, as she is a prideful and private person, always taking care of her family, who more often than not, doesn’t put herself first.

Well today, we want to put her first. The reality is her inability to work enough to produce what is needed to maintain the cost of living, in addition to the costs of multiple treatments that she will need to fight late-stage cancer. The road to recovery is long…we as a family will do our best to help support her, however, the financial burden of fighting cancer is daunting and unpredictable.

Watching and experiencing her having to fight this battle is unimaginable and beyond heartbreaking. If it feels right and there is the ability to help provide some economic support, she and my family will forever be grateful for the contribution. Her recovery is a team effort and the support and healing manifestations will go a long way in the longevity and quality of her life.

From the bottom of our hearts,

with love and light,

Jenna & Jason