Jenn's Story
Jenn was getting a pedicure in 2013 when she was pregnant with her first child. During that pedicure, the nail tech discovered a pea-sized nodule on top of her right foot. She had a physician check it, only to be told it was a ganglion cyst. In 2014, while pregnant with her second child, that pea-sized nodule grew to a golf ball sized mass.
Post-delivery of her second child, Jenn was scanned and biopsied, only to show the mass was benign. However, surgery to remove the mass was still recommended due to the size and location of the mass. On December 3, 2014 the mass was removed. Pathology went on to prove that this benign cyst was actually not benign, but a low-grade myxoid sarcoma.
Due to the location of the sarcoma, a second surgery to ensure clean margins was not an option, so she chose to be watched. She went on to have scans of her right foot and lungs as recommended for the next 3 years. She remained clear until January 2, 2018 when scans revealed the cancer had returned as a thin layer on top of her entire right foot. After seeking multiple opinions, amputation was the only option to give her the best chance at a cancer-free life.
On March 7, 2018 Jenn did a Facebook live video requesting friends and family to move for her, and those who physically can’t, on her surgery date - March 12, 2018. This request became a movement. So, on March 12, Jenn became cancer free, and the social media world flooded with #moveforjenn and #movebecauseyoucan posts globally, sharing all forms of exercise in honor of her and others who were unable.
Soon after, Jenn set a goal to run a 5k, which she completed just six months after her amputation. However, through her journey, she realized that activewear prosthetics were not only upwards of $50,000, but also more often than not deemed "unnecessary" by insurance companies, leaving amputees to pay out of pocket to return to the activities they loved prior to amputation.
Jenn’s mission of helping other sarcoma amputees was born when she realized the financial burden of being a young, and active amputee. The Move For Jenn Foundation believes that everyone should have the right to be active in the way(s) that they choose.
The mission of the Move For Jenn Foundation is to offer grants in the form of activewear prosthetics to those who have suffered the loss of a limb to sarcoma or other affiliated diseases. The foundation also aims to find a cure for sarcoma and better treatment options for sarcoma patients.
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