Team JAWS's Fundraising Page

In April 2023, our friend/sister/niece/cousin/daughter, Jess, was diagnosed with Stage 3A triple-negative breast cancer when her daughter was just 8 months old. As soon as she was diagnosed, she started calling Dana Farber because she knew that's where she wanted to be treated. We all collectively pooled our resources, cashed in favors, and reached out to our connections to get her in as soon as possible, and it worked! When Jess called to make an appointment, she found that she was already on the schedule with her breast surgeon, Dr. Kantor, and oncologist, Dr. Varella, both of whom she adores and often praises.

Jess didn't have an easy road to recovery. She underwent 16 rounds of chemo, 12 of which contained a drug that she was deathly allergic to. She spent multiple nights in the hospital due to neutropenic fevers and missed the Jimmy Fund Walk last year due to being hospitalized. Still, she raised over $4000 for the Jimmy Fund even though she could not walk in person. 

Jess had a double mastectomy in November 2023 and her pathology report came back clean, with no evidence of disease. She didn't have long to celebrate, as she had 25 rounds of radiation and 9 rounds of immunotherapy to round out her treatment, which ended in May 2024. Jess chose to dive into being a cancer patient rather than trying to continue as if everything was normal. In doing so, she was able to experience the full spectrum of what Dana Farber has to offer, from their Young Adult Program (YAP) to their free Social Work services to their incredible staff, many of whom Jess credits as helping her get through treatment. 

This October, we walk for and with Jess to celebrate all that she has accomplished, and all the life she has left to live, all thanks to her incredible team at Dana Farber.