Maura Jenkins says that she has always been diligent about breast self-exams. As it turns out, that conscientiousness recently helped her in a big way.
Jenkins, a Mechanicsburg resident, said she detected a lump in her breast in early October. That moment kickstarted a roller coaster ride of several weeks that involved her receiving a breast cancer diagnosis and quickly pushing forward for surgery to remove the cancer and reconstruct her breast. Although it turned out to be a whirlwind of roughly six weeks, Jenkins emerged from the ordeal with what she said is a very positive path forward. Her cancer was caught very early, meaning she avoided the chemotherapy and radiation treatments that others battling cancer endure.
“I escaped all of that through the grace of God,” Jenkins said during a phone interview earlier this month. “I am blessed. I am almost a month now since the surgery. It’s healing from this moment on. I was fortunate I was in really good shape with my health and mentally [going in].”
Despite the positive outcome, Jenkins found herself unable to work for several weeks as she tackled doctor’s appointments, MRIs, toxicology tests and eventually her surgery. As the owner of her own mobile notary business, she was in need of short-term assistance with some of her expenses. Fortunately, she found help through Vickie’s Angel Foundation.
As it does for so many others in central Pennsylvania, the foundation quickly processed Jenkins’ application for assistance. The 59-year-old mother of three said she received the help she needed as she put on her “breast cancer blinders.”
“The blessed part is how quickly they processed everything. They did not ask me to jump through a lot of hoops,” Jenkins said. “Within days, the Board met on a Tuesday. They paid my rent for December. I was floored.”
Jenkins said she didn’t give herself much time off following her surgery. She headed back to work less than two weeks later. That means driving all over the area to serve as the notary in many situations, including real estate closings.
However, Jenkins says that she has made time to think about how lucky and grateful is, despite her busy schedule. She also continues to feel gratitude for the folks at Vickie’s Angel Foundation.
“They’re so organized and I think their purpose is they know how stressful it is having a [cancer] diagnosis,” Jenkins said. “That’s their little corner of the cancer world of alleviating the stress of not keeping up with certain bills.”
About Us: Vickie's Angel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission of helping families fighting cancer who cannot pay their bills because of going through cancer treatment. The foundation’s goal is to take away the financial worry from the family, providing a temporary bridge that allows them to focus entirely on beating this disease. Since 2003, Vickie’s Angel Foundation has raised over $3.8 million and helped more than 2,000 families. Importantly, 100% of all online donations, and monies received at our walk; along with 100% of net proceeds from sponsored events, go directly to those in need.