“The day-to-day moments, I try to soak them in as much as I can because I know they'll go by so fast,” says Jenny Foltz, a young mother and advanced rectal cancer survivor. "You just never know what tomorrow will bring."
Jenny was just 30 years old when she got the scary news that she had stage 3 rectal cancer. To make things worse, she had just found out she was 8 weeks pregnant with her first baby.
A Life-Changing Diagnosis
She faced a tough situation. Her cancer treatment could possibly affect the baby.
But Jenny didn’t give up. Her doctors worked with her to find a treatment plan, including surgery and chemotherapy, that treated the cancer while trying to keep her baby safe.
Beating Rectal Cancer
Jenny's treatment was a success. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Carter. "It's been such a reward to be Carter's mom and to watch him grow healthy," says Jenny.
But unfortunately, her cancer wasn’t done. Three months later, she found out the cancer had spread. “A lymph node had developed in my lower abdomen area, and so further treatments were needed,” she says.
Jenny had another surgery, 28 days of radiation, and more chemotherapy after.
Life After Cancer
Today, Jenny is cancer-free and enjoying life with her family. Her son Carter just turned 7. Jenny and her family treasure every moment they have together.
Since then, she still comes to UVA Health for regular check-ups. “We do labs every six months and then once a year, I do CT scans,” she says. She also has yearly colonoscopies.
Cancer Experts for You
UVA Health is Virginia's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
What Is Rectal Cancer?
Rectal cancer happens in the rectum (the last part of the large intestine, before the anus). Many times, rectal cancer doesn’t cause symptoms right away. But when symptoms happen, they can include:
- Blood in your stool
- Changes in bathroom habits
- Feeling tired all the time
- Unexplained weight loss
If you notice these signs, it’s important to get checked by a doctor. Catching rectal cancer early makes it easier to treat. That’s why screenings like colonoscopies are so important.
A Message of Hope
Jenny wants others facing cancer to know they can get through it, one day at a time. She also says having support from family, friends, and others who understand can make all the difference.
See Jenny talk about her cancer and recovery journey in this update she shared with us.
Hi, my name is Jenny Foltz. I was diagnosed with cancer back in 2017 while pregnant with my son Carter. It was a huge shock.
I really was thankful for my doctors who I felt like I could trust and talk through things. But it was really easy to get ahead of myself and to think about the worst thing that could happen, to just take it one day at a time, try to find the good things.
It's been such a reward to be Carterâs mom and to have a son and to watch him grow healthy. He just had his seventh birthday, February 5th, and just to see him develop and to learn, giving me so much joy. It's a lot of fun to be a mom, and so I'm just very grateful to be here.
I still see Dr. Le, my oncologist, every six months. We do labs every six months, and then once a year with him, I do CT scans. And then with Dr. Hedrick, my surgeon, I see her once a year to do scopes or colonoscopies every three years.
Walking through cancer really does change your perspective in life. It just allows me to be so grateful and thankful for what I have with my family, my friends, my health, and just to be thankful and grateful for the things that we've been given.
