Currently undergoing medical treatment, Jenna Maxfield Martin’s resolve is strong

By Jessie Moniz Hardy

Jenna Maxfield Martin’s swollen abdomen was the first sign that something was wrong.

The pants she’d worn only days before were suddenly tight — and she looked three months pregnant.

“I went to the doctor,” she said. “The weight gain was from fluid build-up in my abdomen — a bad sign. After various tests the diagnosis came back — ovarian cancer.”

Until that point Mrs Martin’s biggest concern had been planning her 40th birthday bash, and taking care of her five-year-old twins, Bryson and Savannah.

Then, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her life changed. Since July she’s been in Boston, Massachusetts, receiving treatment for the disease.

“Being away from my children is the hardest part of this,” said Mrs Martin. “Going through chemotherapy is something I have to do, but not seeing the children every day and not cuddling them, brings me to tears. I just have to be strong for my babies.”

Her twins started their first day of school yesterday, and she was sad she could not be there with them.

She has found inspiration and optimism by keeping a blog, Respect the O.

She started blogging to keep her friends, family and clients up to date.

She wrote recently: “The reality is that I am a different Jenna now.

“Not because I have a tube up my nose, but because I am sick with cancer.

“Each day more hair falls out, each day I battle what I can eat, what I should eat because I cannot afford to lose any more weight.

“My last weight was 112lbs. Much too skin and bones. It is all coming at me so fast and so, yes that can make [me] feel like I am taking a battle on.”

Some of her posts have been read by more than 1,500 people around the world.

“For me the blog is more therapy because I am able to put my experiences on paper,” she said. “It is like a journal. Once I put it on paper it doesn’t feel so bad.

“It keeps me able to share what I am going through as well. It puts life in perspective.”

She has started losing her hair, but doesn’t see it as a big deal.

“I would rather lose my hair than my life,” she said.

Some people choose to keep their cancer battles private, Mrs Martin and her husband John have tried to share everything with their children.

“We have been very open with our children,” she said. “They are smart and they know when something is wrong. They have been up to Boston.

“They were up here for the first three weeks of chemo treatments. They were superstars. They even came into the infusion room where I receive my treatments.

“We have been open with them from day one. They knew mommy would lose her hair.”

Her tumour has shrunk by half since she began chemotherapy treatment on August 1.

“That keeps my hopes up,” Mrs Martin said. “This is a new treatment style I am doing. Instead of going full on into having surgery first and taking the tumour out, they are doing the chemo treatment first.

“I am going through three cycles of chemotherapy over a period of nine weeks. I have one treatment a week. When that finishes I will have surgery.

“After I heal from that I will have a bit more chemo. I am really glad with this way, it is a lot easier on the body.”

Although her insurance is covering her treatment, her friends recently started a donor site for her to help cover her expenses.

So far they have raised more than $18,000 dollars for her, which she said will take her and her husband into winter in Boston.

“The goal was to raise $10,000,” said Mrs Martin. “We exceeded that. That money came from friends and family and some people I don’t know.

“That was really a tear-jerking experience. I am really grateful to everyone.”

The Ovarian Cancer Awareness of Bermuda is holding a fundraising cruise in Mrs Martin’s honour as part of Ovarian Awareness Month.

The cruise will be held on September 20 from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are $60. E-mail OCAbda@gmail.com for more details. See ovariancancerawareness.webs.com/home-2 or Mrs Martin’s blog at respecttheo.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-challenges-can-do-to-self-and.html? spref=fb.