Welcome to the Move For Jenn Foundation official website!
A Message From Jenn:
Welcome! WOW! What a crazy roller coaster this year has been. But let me start off by formally welcoming you to the Move For Jenn Foundation official website! This vision is coming to reality and to say we are SO motivated and SO excited to help as many people as we can, might be the understatement of the year.
If you have made it this far to finding our site, you are either someone who knows me personally, someone who has followed my journey, possibly a cancer warrior, cancer survivor or someone who wants to find a great way to get involved and give back in your local community!
To give you the skinny on my story and how this organization was started, my low-grade myxoid sarcoma came back for a second and final time in January 2018 after a 3-year remission. My only option to ensure my best chance at a cancer-free life was to amputate my right foot. While this was a hard choice to swallow, it was an easy choice to make. The months leading up to my scheduled surgery were brutal. I was anxiety ridden and majorly depressed. The week before my surgery, a simple Facebook Live Video asking my friends and family to get out and #movebecauseyoucan in your favorite form of exercise, in honor of me and all those who can’t, turned into a movement. This movement turned into a vision. This vision is now coming to reality as a vehicle to raise funds for sarcoma research and also to offer grants to sarcoma amputees to help offset the cost for activewear prosthetics. Currently, there isn’t a cure for sarcoma, and while it is rare, it is becoming more common each year, with very little treatment options. I am the perfect example of this. I searched high and low, traveling to the best cancer centers in the country, only to be told amputation was my only option. In becoming an amputee, I am also learning the heavy expense that comes along with wanting to continue an active lifestyle. As a parent, it rips me apart to think of other parents out there who are denied the opportunity to get out and exercise and to be able to run and play with their children. And also, children who are amputee survivors whose parents have exhausted all additional savings to cure their child of cancer, not leaving a large budget for multiple prosthetics. Every child should be able to have the opportunity to play sports, be active, run, swim, etc. As a nonprofit organization, we hope to offset that cost for as many as we can, offering the gift of health, hope and the opportunity to be active to all who wish to MOVE… and that is where the Move for Jenn Foundation was born.
The last few months have seriously been a whirlwind. Physically, emotionally, and more. A combination of preparing for the scariest event of my life, to pushing through the recovery process (which I am currently still in), to using my story to offer hope to as many as I possibly can. Have you ever felt like you had to go through something scary and hard to have the stars align and then you find your purpose? That’s kind of how my year has been. I am still going through recovery. I still have a HUGE uphill battle… but I am pushing through with as much positivity as I can. Sure, I still have my moments and my days… but all of that is normal.
So now that you know what we are about, we are SO excited to make a BIG impact in a BIG way to our local community, and for individuals throughout the country. We are currently in the process of planning some really fun, really exciting and entertaining events to help raise money for an amazing cause! Whether you are looking to be a monetary sponsor, donate your time, or even just attend or participate in any of our upcoming events, every little bit counts. Every effort counts. We can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get started!
All the best, Jenn