Jessica

Jessica, who recently turned 40, is married to the love of her life, Elliott. Together they have three daughters: Kaylee, 20; Rylee, 15; and Zoey, 3. She also has a Boston terrier named Frankie. Jessica loves to swim, cross stitch, and make clothing for her cement geese! She works for a metal fabricator.

In June 2022, Jessica found a lump in her breast and went to her gynecologist. She was sent for a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy, and then received her diagnosis of Stage 2B breast cancer. She was diagnosed eight months after she had her youngest daughter. Her cancer is hormone-driven, and if it wasn’t for her daughter Zoey who knows when it would have been found!

Jessica had a series of surgeries, with the final result being a double mastectomy with latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction with implants. She also went through 16 rounds of chemo and 30 radiation treatments and didn’t miss a beat!

At the time, she hoped that her reconstruction would result in breasts similar to what she was used to. She advises other women facing a diagnosis that the process of breast reconstruction surgery “isn’t as bad as you would think! Whatever you choose to do is best for you, and you can always revisit it if needed.”

Jessica chose to walk the Pink Runway because “we all have a story to tell, and I feel I am ready.” She loves her surgeon, Dr. Daniel Yoho, and says that “He is amazing! He’s always open, honest, and there if I ever need him.”

Jessica shares that “unfortunate things happen, and my life is much too beautiful to dwell on such things. People always fear the worst about cancer. It’s just something I went through, and it’s just a chapter in my story. It’s scary at first, and then you get a plan, go through the steps, and it just becomes a part of you and something you went through. I am glad for all the knowledge I have now, because I can share my story and help others!”