Warriors for Jenna

In the summer of 2016, Jenna started coughing on a regular basis, with no other signs or symptoms.  Being in the medical field, Jenna figured she would treat herself and just deal with the cough until it stopped.  However, this cough was relentless, and by early fall Jenna decided it was time to get things checked out.  Upon her initial doctor visits, Jenna was diagnosed with GERD and post nasal drip.  Still, no medications were working and the cough continued.  By October, Jenna began to experience shortness of breath.  This continued through early winter and by December, the diagnosis of asthma was added to the list.  Through the start of the New Year, the coughing and shortness of breath continued and became more significant.  In mid-March 2017, Jenna’s voice changed, and at times, she strained to speak.  Throughout those first eight months, it just didn’t seem to make sense to look past the facts that Jenna was a healthy 41 year old who was very active with both Cross Fit and running on a regular basis.  After more doctor visits and testing, a CT scan showed a left bronchial growth.  Jenna was sent to Sloan Kettering, where she was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma on April 19, 2017. 

This date marks day one of the fight to kill this cancer. This is a rare cancer that affects only a small amount of cancer patients. Out of the 566,000 cases of all types of cancer that occur each year in the US, only about 1,224 of them are ACC.  Right now, we are in the research stage of the treatment plan. We are all researching doctors and hospitals from across the country and working together to decide on the best treatment plan. 

What we do know...
* this cancer is extremely rare
* this cancer is not treatable by chemotherapy 
* this cancer involves a very complex surgery
* this surgery involves the removal of Jenna's left lung, left bronchus, and a portion of her trachea
* this surgery is only performed by a few surgeons and may need to take place out-of-state 
* radiation treatment is only a possibility after surgery

What we need from you right now...
* LOTS of PRAYERS!!! #prayerwarriors
* POSITIVE THOUGHTS!!! The power of positivity is so powerful!!!
* Patience and understanding, as we all work as a team of support to figure this out

Any monetary donation will go toward treatment plan research, out-of-network medical costs, and potential travel expenses associated with treatment.  

As always, thank you so much for all of the love and support! 
#prayerwarriors #jennastrong