Help Jenna Bryson Overcome Stage 4 Cancer

If you are reading this you know and love Jenna Bryson. As one of her bestie's I'm helping raise money to support Jenna through this next phase in her fight against Stage 4 Cancer.

Every donation and any size will help both Jenna and her loving partner Jeff as they face this together. For the next six months while Jenna is going through Chemotherapy these funds will help with food, rent, bills, medical expenses and keeping Jenna here in California where her treatment is being done.

If you can't donate send them an uplifting message, (if in Los Angeles) swing by with some food or give a hug. Support doesn't just come in money form!

Absolutely ever cent of the fundraiser will go to Jenna Bryson.

As always Jenna is taking on a traumatic experience with zest and humor. Below is Jenna's story from how it all began...

On November 15, 2023 I went to the ER because for over a week I had not been able to walk more than a block without doubling over and crying in abdominal pain. I thought it might have been digestion related (think of the worst constipation you’ve ever had except the kind that causes you to scream out in agony), so I had stopped eating, too.

Two days later, November 17, I was in the operating room receiving emergency surgery to remove two fraternal twin tumors growing on each one of my ovaries; “Tweedledee” and “Tweedledum” were the size of a grapefruit and a cantaloupe, respectively.

In recovery, the surgeon reported that they thought the tumors would be borderline, not fully malignant, which is different, so I went home to heal, hopeful that this emergency experience was the last of it.

It was on our lord and savior Taylor Swift’s 34th birthday when I found out this was only the start of my journey fighting cancer. I went to see the doctor and found out the tumors were malignant for Endometrial Cancer - well differentiated, and the lowest FIGO grade possible, which is a 1, so the doctor still had hope. He said this is the type that grows very slow, potentially for years. Looking back, I saw signs as far as 10 years ago that my body was changing, but I digress. I was told I would need a second surgery, a hysterectomy and lymphectomy to make sure the source (as suspected) was in the uterus, and to see if any had spread to the pelvic lymph nodes.

I had another CT scan, but there was unfortunately a “mild nodularity” on the right side of my diaphragm, so now a full open abdominal surgery would be needed. On April 24th, 2024, the surgery was completed; it took 12 hours, because again something new would be found, that my uterus had grown into my bowel and therefore, needed to be cut and resected.

So where’s the good news, am I right? The surgical team took their time and got everything out that was concerning and with good margins. Although it had technically spread to my right side of the diaphragm the tiniest bit (5mm) and it was on the cellular level of my omentum (which they completely removed), the rest of my organs, bones and lymph nodes all looked clear. They were never scared for my safety during the 12 hours either, so I’m sorry to report I did not have an NDE (although, I did see a black void full of androgynous, gold, glowing humanoids looking at me before I woke up in recovery, that was wild).

I thought the next week I spent in the hospital, bloated like a floppy land fish, would be the worst. I still had hope I was done, but after a week back home, I was told I will need 6 rounds of chemotherapy to make sure any last EC cells are found and destroyed.

I was devastated. Still am, to be honest, but I know the only way to the other side of this terrible experience is to go through it. I’ll be fighting every side effect of the chemo with everything I can - Claritin for bone pain, Helios mouthwash to try and prevent mouth sores (thank you to whomever sent that to me!), cold gloves and slippers to prevent peripheral neuropathy and nail damage, a cold cap to combat migraines (it won’t likely prevent hair loss, so I’ll be pre-buzzing to it avoid the sudden trauma of it falling out in clumps), and of course weeks and weeks of rest.

I will be in these treatments through September, and will need all the help I can get to make it through. I might be a shell of my former self when I come out the other end this fall, but at least I will have a chance at another life. Hey, I’ll even be bald just like a baby!

However much I have the energy to do so, I’ll be writing songs and sharing my story in hopes that maybe I can save one or perhaps many from having to go through what I’ve been through. I wish I could say that I am “stage one and done”, but alas that is not my story… but it could be someone else’s story, and I hope I can be an inspiration to all of you humans with a uterus and ovaries out there not to ignore your downstairs bits. We’re taught to check our breasts for lumps, but not taught what to look for in the reproductive system. If you have any changes in the length/duration, consistency, or heaviness of your periods, don’t ignore it. Have it checked immediately. Especially if you have any pelvic pain that is new, or have changes to your bowel movements or urinary habits, such as constipation, or having to pee with urgency, or even feeling full faster than normal when eating. Push to get an ultrasound and/or multiple scans, it’s vital.

We need to stop being embarrassed and talk about reproductive health because it is so tied in with everything else that goes on “down there”. I wouldn’t wish what I have been through and will be going through this summer on my worst enemy, but I am endlessly grateful to my incredible partner, Jeff, for being here with me and supporting me through this crappy roll of the dice, my comedy bestie Josie for setting-up this fundraiser and being a shoulder to cry on, and to anyone and everyone who contributes a gift and reaches out.

I’ll continue to create, hopefully, for many many years, but for now, you can stream my music on all platforms, buy my kids’ book Grace from Outer Space on Amazon, and follow me on IG, YT, and the clock app.

With extreme gratitude for my life,

Jenna Bryson