INDY Proudly Presents:
jilleen yogerst
With no family history of cancer, the news Jilleen was given on Tuesday, December 28, 2020, was unexpected and devastating. The diagnoses was Invasive Ductal Carcinoma breast cancer, with HER2 results coming back positive. At 36 years old, most women aren’t thinking about self-exams just yet. Thankfully, she was and a lump was found.
Jilleen has always been a busy, hard-working woman, a wife, and a mother to two young (hockey playing) boys. This diagnosis put a stop to their lives as they knew it. Practices, games, scheduled family trips, tournaments, all put on the back burner. And to make matters worse, COVID.
She began a rigorous chemo scheduled as soon as they could get her in. 12 weekly rounds of Taxol. During that time she used something called The Paxman Cool Scalping system. This froze her head at grueling cold temps to preserve her hair. The decision to use this system was a tough one as no insurances cover the cost. Thankfully it was a success and she kept about 90% of her hair. Throughout this process, she remained positive and upbeat. Just a minor inconvenience in the long scheme of things – what an amazing outlook. A double mastectomy followed the chemo, assuming the results after treatment were favorable. With only one surgery to go, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Through this time, although her outlook was optimistic, there have been struggles. Pain and discomfort, illness, emotional stress, changes in appearance, scarring, etc. The devastation in the beginning, even with some good news along the way doesn’t stop there. The family kept two incomes, but with surgeries scheduled that came to a halt. They have had to make sacrifices for their family, but having a family where the Mother can still tuck in her sons at night is worth any of those sacrifices.
Had Jilleen not have been proactive, the prognosis would likely had been much worse. Jilleen is one fierce woman with an admirable level of unwavering loyalty towards the ones she loves. Her grace and attitude are truly inspirational. She hopes to use her diagnosis to build awareness within the population of younger women about the importance of self-breast-exams.
Jilleen has always been a busy, hard-working woman, a wife, and a mother to two young (hockey playing) boys. This diagnosis put a stop to their lives as they knew it. Practices, games, scheduled family trips, tournaments, all put on the back burner. And to make matters worse, COVID.
She began a rigorous chemo scheduled as soon as they could get her in. 12 weekly rounds of Taxol. During that time she used something called The Paxman Cool Scalping system. This froze her head at grueling cold temps to preserve her hair. The decision to use this system was a tough one as no insurances cover the cost. Thankfully it was a success and she kept about 90% of her hair. Throughout this process, she remained positive and upbeat. Just a minor inconvenience in the long scheme of things – what an amazing outlook. A double mastectomy followed the chemo, assuming the results after treatment were favorable. With only one surgery to go, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Through this time, although her outlook was optimistic, there have been struggles. Pain and discomfort, illness, emotional stress, changes in appearance, scarring, etc. The devastation in the beginning, even with some good news along the way doesn’t stop there. The family kept two incomes, but with surgeries scheduled that came to a halt. They have had to make sacrifices for their family, but having a family where the Mother can still tuck in her sons at night is worth any of those sacrifices.
Had Jilleen not have been proactive, the prognosis would likely had been much worse. Jilleen is one fierce woman with an admirable level of unwavering loyalty towards the ones she loves. Her grace and attitude are truly inspirational. She hopes to use her diagnosis to build awareness within the population of younger women about the importance of self-breast-exams.
During the month of July a portion of the proceeds from shopping all INDY gear and apparel will go directly to Jilleen and her family. Shop now and be sure to mention Jilleen in the comments section at checkout.
You may also donate and 100% will go to them.
You may also donate and 100% will go to them.
