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Every year the Go Jen Go Foundation supports hundreds of women, men and their families who are impacted by the financial burden of a breast cancer diagnosis. The financial support we provide to our grantees helps them meet basic living expenses like housing, utilities, transportation, groceries and other necessities, so they can focus on treatment and recovery. These are some of their stories.
When I was diagnosed metastatic breast cancer, it was already in three areas including my lymph nodes. When my doctors decided on a treatment plan with immunotherapy, my family and I were so happy that I wouldn’t have to go through chemo. I never thought about the cost but soon found out that the main medicine, kisqail, runs about $16,000 per month! While my daughter found some resources to help with the payments, and insurance covered a lot of it, we were still facing financial challenges.
The financial assistance I received from Go Jen Go helped tremendously so that I could focus on staying healthy and not being stressed out. To me, Go Jen Go means resilience, tenacity and a mamba mentality! Never give up!
While in treatment I worried about a lot of things (aside from just staying alive). I worried about missing work, about paying my regular bills along with my cancer bills, and about maintaining as normal a life as possible for my kids – and for me. One day I swallowed my pride and sent a message to Go Jen Go, not expecting anything in return. In my mail, there was an envelope from Go Jen Go and in it was a check written to me! I can’t even describe what this meant to me. There were tears. And there was relief. Life felt like it was lightened, which was huge as things had gotten VERY heavy. I was beyond grateful and sighed a huge sigh of relief.
If I could describe Go Jen Go in three words I would say “lifters of life.” That is just what they did when I needed it the most. And all I had to do was ask.
I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Stage 4 Right Breast Cancer in January 2016 and given one year to live if we didn’t take action and hopefully catch up to the cancer.
In early 2016, I had six months of chemotherapy. Later that fall, I opted for a full mastectomy of both breasts, and reconstructive surgery, followed by four months of radiation that wrapped up in February 2017. After that, I was in remission for 15 months. Unfortunately, the cancer returned in my lymph nodes and I was diagnosed metastatic in June 2018. Since then, I’ve been receiving chemotherapy every two weeks and thriving on a daily basis.
Go Jen Go supported me with a financial grant that helped me with utilities and groceries. If I were to describe them in three words they would be: compassion, love and tenacity!
