A single mother from Clifton whose video about her colon cancer diagnosis went viral has been told by her doctor that she is cancer-free.
Jennifer Waller, 32, went into Christ Hospital in Jersey City for what was expected to be a three-hour surgery on Sept. 10 to remove a tumor, a section of her colon and lymph nodes. But the surgery took eight hours because the tumor was lower and bigger than doctors thought. Along the way they removed 27 lymph nodes that looked swollen or otherwise unhealthy.
"I had already mentally told myself that I needed chemo and radiation," Waller said in a phone interview Monday.
A few days later, the pathology report came back and not one lymph node had a cancer cell in it. Her doctor, Ravikumar Brahmbhatt, told her she is cancer-free. and they've now staged her colon cancer diagnosis at Stage II.
Waller will have a CAT scan on Tuesday to make sure her colon is functioning properly and then a surgery within the next two weeks to reverse her ileostomy.
"Luckily, because I got screened early, it hadn't invaded my lymph nodes yet," she said, "and it saved me from having to have chemo."
Waller spent five days in the hospital following her surgery and then the day after she got home, a bowel obstruction sent her back for four more days.
It was that second stint in the hospital that gave her time to reflect and to think of her next move - starting a non-profit called Jen's Journey.
"I want to do walks and bake and apparel sales to increase awareness for colon cancer and help people who are going through this process," she said.
Single mom with colon cancer makes emotional video
Since she won't need chemo or radiation, she said she thinks there will be money leftover from the GoFundMe page that was set up to help her cover expenses while she is on medical leave from her two nursing jobs - and earning one quarter of her usual pay.
"I feel so relieved and blessed and lucky," Waller said.
Waller has been speaking out about her illness because she is among a trend of people in their 30s who have been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Her original video, posted in August to her Facebook page, was viewed more than 46,000 times and led to an outpouring of support from people all over the world, she said, including Greece and Australia.
"Through this whole process, I've realized that there are so many kind people in this world," Waller said. "You hear so many negative things all the time, but everybody's stories have inspired me, their words of encouragement, the meal trains. So many people have done so many nice things. And if everyone continues to do them, there could be change."
Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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