Welcome to My Personal Page
A big thank you to everyone who has participated with us in the past and who will be joining us again in person or virtually this year to honor Jenny's memory. Jenny's friends have been a constant support for us and we can never thank them enough. There are many ways to participate or donate. Scroll down to Race for Hope to find out how.
It is our hope that by participating in the Race for Hope, there will be fewer chances of such a devastating illness claiming the life of another young person and changing another family forever, so that we won't continue to read stories like the one below and the many others on this site.
Jenny was a native Virginian and grew up in Fairfax County. She kept herself busy as a soccer, track, and lacrosse enthusiast and was a committed volunteer with church youth group service activities. Jen's musical talent with the trumpet found an outlet at school, all-state band, and the Virginia Governor's School for the Performing Arts. Among her sports, humanitarian and academic endeavors, Jen also found time for 300-mile summer bike trips with her dad through the roads of Maine and Canada. In 2000, her achievements were recognized by early admission to the University of Virginia with accompanying scholarships.
Jenny was diagnosed in 2002 when she was entering her third year at the University of Virginia. In 2003, she applied for and won a full scholarship for her fourth year of college. She wanted to give back something to the University, and as a way of showing her appreciation, she organized a fund-raising concert to support brain tumor research at UVA where she was being treated. Her original goal to raise $10,000 was met well before the concert. The final tally was closer to $40,000. Despite four brain surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy, she graduated with a double major and honors, on time, in 2004.
Jenny also wrote a booklet, Looking Back, Walking Forward especially for "teenagers who have a chronic health problem so that they can help themselves, family and friends deal with their health concern. Even though there is only one person physically living with a certain problem, everyone who cares about that person is affected."
A copy of the booklet is on her website, and the direct link is http://memoryofjen.org/poetry-writing/booklet
Please feel free to download it, or if you would like a hard copy, please contact Janet at jpbernhards@verizon.net.
Visit Jenny's website for more information about her.
The website http://www.memoryofjen.org honors Jenny's memory through shared remembrances, pictures, music, poetry, and other entries that celebrate her life. Jen loved creative writing, so you'll see a couple of her poems on the poetry-writing page, as well as two speeches she gave. We are still receiving comments in the Guest Book, and we read and re-read them often.
The article, "Remembering Jennifer Lynn Bernhards: Strong in Spirit, Filled with Love, Happy in Life - A Remembrance of our Classmate" is found at http://memoryofjen.org/remembrances/uva-article/
Race For Hope
We need YOUR support! Join our family, friends, friends of friends, colleagues, even people who didn't know Jen well but were touched by her in some way in the effort to raise money in the fight against brain tumors and brain cancer by participating in the 2023 Race for Hope on May 7.
To register online, click on the blue Join Janet's Team button at the top right.
You can also make a donation (NOTHING is too small) on behalf of the NuMuMu team. You can choose to have your name displayed, or remain anonymous. You can also choose to display the amount of your donation, or to leave it off (uncheck the box). To donate online, click on Donate Now.
The Race for Hope raises funds to support innovative research initiatives and support services for brain tumor patients and their families. It relies on the dedication and enthusiasm of individuals, families, teams, volunteers, sponsors and donors. Thank you for your support in helping us find a cure for brain tumors!
National Brain Tumor Society is fiercely committed to finding a cure for brain tumors. They are aggressively driving strategic research; advocating for public policies that meet the critical needs of the brain tumor community; and providing comprehensive patient, family and caregiver resources. Your support ensures this important work will continue.
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