Hi, I’m Jessica and when I was just eighteen, I heard the words no one ever wants to hear: “You have cancer.”
It was Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. I went through treatment, clinging to hope and faith, and after what felt like a lifetime, I was blessed with remission.
Over twenty years have passed since then, but the memories of those days are still vivid in my mind.
That experience shaped me deeply. I felt a calling—a whisper in my heart—that led me to become a Gladiator in the fight against Lymphoma.
I wanted to help others the way my doctors helped me. But life, with its unpredictable twists, had more in store for me.
Twenty years after my own battle with lymphoma, my husband—my partner in life and love—was diagnosed with the very same cancer.
We fought with everything we had, trying every treatment, every clinical trial, hoping for a miracle.
But despite our efforts, he didn’t survive. He left behind our two beautiful children, who were just three and five at the time.
The loss was devastating. I kept asking myself, “Why? What more could I have done?”
In the midst of that pain, something kept echoing in my mind: “Cure cancer. Cure cancer.” But how? I’m not a researcher, I thought. What could I possibly do?
That’s when we discovered an opportunity. During his treatment, we enrolled my husband in a clinical trial at Cornell Hospital, where his cancer cells were studied extensively.
The researchers were able to use his cells to create mice models, allowing them to test various treatments. And then, something remarkable happened.
The BIG Breakthrough & The First Victory! – How It Works
The researchers found that by targeting certain “friends” of the cancer cells—specifically fibroblast cells that help the tumor survive—they could significantly reduce the tumor’s growth.
This was a breakthrough.
The medication they used wasn’t even designed to target the tumor itself, but rather these supportive cells. And the results were astounding: the tumors stopped growing.
This discovery could change the way we treat not just lymphoma, but potentially other blood cancers as well.
It’s a new way of thinking about treatment—one that could give hope to so many who are battling these diseases.
Now, I feel it’s my mission to help bring this research to the next stage.
To ensure that others don’t have to go through what my family did, I’m working to raise funds to support this groundbreaking research.
​
Every $1 goes a long way in saving another life.
But time is running out. Every day, lives are lost to this relentless disease. We can’t afford to wait—more families like mine are depending on us.
Every donation brings us one step closer to making these treatments available to those who need them most.
I believe that together, we can make a difference. We can honor the memory of those we’ve lost and bring hope to those still fighting. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for considering a donation to this cause that means so much to me!
Will you stand with me as a Gladiator in this battle?
This breakthrough can change the course of treatment for countless lives, but we need your help to make it a reality. Your donation today could be the difference between life and death for someone battling lymphoma.