As many of you may already know, in December 2005 my left eye was twitching non-stop. It was starting to interfere with my focus at work as I work on a computer. I made an appointment with my doctor and was scheduled for an MRI of my brain. Thinking nothing of it I went for the scan and didn’t give it another thought until 2 days later when he called me with the results. They found something in my brain and couldn’t determine what it was. Being cautious they had me go for follow up MRIs every 6 months. In 2008 I got pregnant with my youngest son, Collin. Due to the pregnancy I wasn’t allowed to have MRIs. Once he was born I had to have an MRI and the neurosurgeon was concerned because the spot had grown. Naturally, I was scared! He wanted to schedule surgery right away to get in there and remove as much as he could. On September 1, 2009 I had my first Craniotomy. The surgery that was only supposed to take 4 hours took over 9 hours! They were able to remove 85% of the tumor. They were unable to remove the parts that were down in the sections of my brain that house motor skill function, speech and personality. The pathologist sent the tumor that was removed to the Mayo Clinic for testing. That is when I found out that the “spot” in my brain was a Grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma. My whole world flashed before my eyes. My mind was spinning with so many thoughts and fears, “CANCER…what about my kids? my husband? all of my family and friends? I’m not ready to leave!” I was only 31 years old.

Since that first surgery I have been through a lot. Different oncologists, neurosurgeons and radiologists. I have had 3 other surgeries (biopsy, craniotomy and craniectomy), radiation and chemo infusions. I fight through the tiredness and not feeling well and stay positive about everything. I continue to work full time without missing a beat. I look at my kids every day and thank the good Lord for letting me be their mom. I have a very strong faith that I WILL BEAT THIS!  I am passionate about this cause, so I’m taking action. I need your help in this fight. I am passionate about this cause, so I’m taking action. I need your help in this fight as well. I hope you all take a minute and read my story and support me in raising money for this wonderful cause. I know that there will soon be a cure for brain tumors like mine and I will be able to stand and proudly let everyone hear my testimony!

I appreciate each and every one of you who continue to pray and think of me daily!  

As most of you know Jess unfortunately lost the fight on June 14, 2023. As a family we are going to continue to take part in the Carolina Brain Tumor Walk & Race in the honor of Jessica.