Meet Kimberlee, breast cancer survivor and Go Jen Go grantee, who has found purpose in giving back to the breast cancer community and the foundation that supported her during her own breast cancer journey.
Kimberlee was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and received chemotherapy from June – December that year. During that time her unemployment ended, and she was too sick to find a job. With no income, she lived with her niece and wasn’t sure how she was going to buy groceries, keep her phone on, pay her car insurance, or have gas to get to appointments.
Her nurse navigator reached out to two foundations, one being Go Jen Go. We stepped up right away and granted her four months of support while she finished treatment and began the process for early retirement in January 2024. She endured a partial mastectomy in January and then six weeks of radiation, followed by five infusions of Keytruda – which caused a lot of health problems. After months of sickness, being hospitalized twice, and a near death experience, we are excited to share that Kimberlee is now cancer free.
Kimberlee is at a place where she is ready to give back and help others in any way that she can. This past October she held a Shrimp Boil to raise funds to support Go Jen Go, the foundation that helped her when she wasn’t sure how she was going to make ends meet.
Kimberlee shared, “My family, friends and community stepped up in a big way. When I shared about the event, so many people who have dealt with this terrible disease came forward and offered to help in any way. Bringing food, tables, chairs, everything we needed to make it happen. I’m so grateful for each one of them.”
With Kimberlee’s passion to give back and the support of her community, she was able to raise over $4,000 for our Patient Assistance Program. It is a special moment when we have a past grantee find a way to give back to our foundation and support current breast cancer patients in our local community.
Interested in hosting a fundraiser or learning more about how you can support our foundation? Contact Jen Branham, Development Manager, at jenb@gojengo.org.