The Gift of Time
Jenny Larner Brown: Story of Strength
Pick one activity: start a new degree, hike 33 mountain miles of the Appalachian Trail in three days, or road trip to Orlando for the weekend. Jenny Brown chose all three (and more!) over the summer. Her eyes sparkle when she talks about her adventures. This 48-year-old wife and mother exploits each day, grateful for the gift of time.
Jenny is a five-year triple negative breast cancer survivor. She’s been in complete remission since participating in the two-drug trial targeting TNBC’s most active genes. Her oncologist, Kathy Miller, MD, led the trial, and Jenny is alive today because of this Vera Bradley Foundation-funded research conducted by the Monogrammed Medicine team. “I feel good and am trying to make the most of this gift of time!”
“The moment I realized I could start thinking about a long-term future, there was a shift in my mindset. I became so energized. Just two years ago I was planning my funeral, writing letters to my kids and parents, and sharing ‘final’ experiences with my husband.”
“I’m enrolled in social work classes and would love to become a medical social worker to help other women with breast cancer navigate the cancer world. It can be overwhelming.” As for the Appalachian Trail, she and her husband, Danny, continue to knock off sections as they can; it’s a goal they’ve been pursuing for the last six years. “This last hike seemed a little harder, but I can’t blame it on cancer. It could be because I’m 48 or had Covid-19 in November ... or simply because the terrain was mountain after mountain, and I live in a flat state!”
Then there’s the road trip to Orlando and many more miles logged to get her younger daughter to volleyball competitions. “I get all this time in the car with my kid. The other parents are groaning, but I’m so happy to be spending so much time with her. Every single milestone I get to be a part of with my girls feels like a miracle.”
Jenny is alive today because of Vera Bradley Foundation-funded research. Help contribute to the progress being made at the Vera Bradley Foundation Center for Breast Cancer Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine by donating to the foundation today!
There’s also the pleasure in the everyday normalcy that’s returned. “Kids are still kids, and their most common question for me is ‘what’s for dinner?’ I only play the cancer card when we’re picking vacation spots! I have a bucket list, and they let me have my way now.”
“There’s just an excitement to living. I mean, I had never seen the Grand Canyon. I told my family, ‘we have to go – tomorrow,’ and I hoped they would be able to make the trip with me. What a gift that getaway was for us. We hit five national parks and called it the Canyon Tour. What a magnificent place to think about the beauty of time; it took millions of years for layer upon layer of the Grand Canyon to emerge. Life has been there for more than 10,000 years!”
“There are still so many places I want to see, so much more to experience and learn. Cancer was a reminder to get on with it.”