Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers,
I never imagined I would be writing this again. With a heavy heart and a mother’s deepest desperation, I am reaching out to you as my beautiful daughter faces another cancer diagnosis — a fight we thought she had already won.
The first time cancer came into our lives, it turned our world upside down. Through every treatment and sleepless night, my daughter faced it with courage no one should ever have to muster. We dared to hope when the scans came back clear. We let ourselves dream of a future free from this nightmare.
But now, we are back in the storm.
The cancer has returned, and this time, the road ahead is even harder. The treatments are more aggressive. The costs are overwhelming. And the emotional toll — on her, on me, on our entire family — is nearly unbearable. No parent should ever have to watch their child endure this once, let alone twice.
I am pleading for your help — not just as a mother, but as someone who knows the power of community, compassion, and hope. We are raising funds to cover the costs of ongoing treatment, travel to specialists, medical equipment, and the many hidden expenses that come with a serious illness.
Every donation, every share, every prayer — it all matters. You can’t imagine how much strength we draw from knowing we are not alone in this.
Please, if you can help, it means everything.
From the depths of a mother’s heart,
JoAnne Blanchard (Née: Olejniczak)
Grateful Mom and Advocate for My Warrior Daughter
A little about my daughter and her ongoing situation:
It is with a heavy heart that at the tender age of 29, Jessica Blanchard (aka Jess, JB, Blanche); a devoted daughter, loyal friend, and aspiring mental health counselor received the heartbreaking news that she was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer that was stage 3 advanced and had also spread to nearby lymph nodes. She bravely and courageously battled it with 35 rounds of radiation (the final 4 or 5 she opted for the highest levels that could legally be given). She also completed 7 cisplatin chemotherapy treatments which induced neuropathy in her left leg. The radiation has caused her scarring/burns and other devastating side effects that she currently struggles to share as it is an extremely sensitive subject matter as you can imagine. She was declared “no evidence of disease” on June 21, 2024. We all, Jessica and her care team included, felt strongly that she beat this for good and we could begin to move forward and put this behind us once and for all.
And then mid-February 2025 arrived. Just 10 months post her final treatment. Jessica had general feelings of unwellness, unusual bleeding, fatigue/exhaustion, severe “migraine” headaches, and a pain all too familiar making it very uncomfortable and painful for her to sit, lay down, walk, stand, etc., making daily tasks a struggle and challenge. An MRI showed a lesion that was of concern as it had asymmetrical features which left doctors fearing a recurrence. June 2025 biopsies confirmed the lesion in question was in fact the vulvar cancer making a comeback; just a few days short of 1 year of being declared “no evidence of disease.” This disease decided once again to inhabit Jessica’s body at such a young age of only 30, and Jessica found out this heartbreaking news on June 16, 2025.
Although Jessica’s world has been flipped upside down once again, she still maintains her beaming smile and unique sense of humor. To know Jessica is to know what the true definition of kindness, selflessness, and love is. You can’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of joy while being in her presence, and you always know you will share a hearty belly laugh with her. Jessica is a total sweetheart. Her strength, courage, and bravery are admirable. Even in her darkest hours, she still shows up for others in any way she can help, which is a testament to her heart of pure gold.
Per Jessica’s second opinion with a Gynecologic Oncologist who specializes in this rare cancer, informed Jessica this has seemingly spread outside the vulva (toward the vaginal/anal opening) and into her pelvic region. Pending an upcoming MRI and CT scan, we will see if this cancer has spread beyond the pelvic area and into other parts of the body/lymph nodes.
Her current treatment plan consists of chemotherapy (carboplatin) and immunotherapy. If this chemo and immunotherapy combo are unsuccessful, her medical oncologists will try a different chemo/immunotherapy combo. If this fails, as long as the cancer has not spread beyond the pelvic region (unable to perform surgery if this has spread beyond the pelvic region), Jessica will have to undergo a very extensive and risky surgery.
The surgery will be a total pelvic exenteration; a major surgery that removes all organs in the pelvis, including the ovaries, bladder, rectum, anus, urethra, and vagina. Jessica would permanently have external tubes for eliminating solid waste and urine. She will experience the loss of fertility at the tender age of 30 (she has always dreamed of having a family of her own and children) as well as a complete vaginal and anal reconstruction and radical vulvectomy. She would be in the hospital for an extended period of time and rehab to learn how to walk again, etc.
This is Jessica’s last chance and shot at beating this evil that has visited her body.
Jessica’s personal background: Jessica is a graduate of St. Peter School (Danbury, CT/2008/formerly “St. Peter-Sacred Heart School”), New Milford High School (New Milford, CT/2012), and Post University (Waterbury, CT/2016). Jessica also briefly attended Siena College (Loudonville, NY), and Eastern CT State University (Willimantic, CT). She is a lifelong parishioner of St. Peter Church (Danbury, CT). Jessica earned her B.A. in psychology, graduating Summa Cum Laude, which by definition means “an honorary title used by educational institutions to signify a degree that was earned with the highest distinction.” Jessica has always been very dedicated to her studies and passionate about helping others, especially in the fields of mental health counseling, forensic psychology, and substance abuse. While in college, Jessica was selected by her peers to be the secretary, public relations officer, and vice president of her psychology club, in which she held those titles with much pride and honor. Although her current plans are temporarily on hold once again because life had a different path in this moment for her, Jessica plans to continue her education and earn her master’s degree to become a licensed professional counselor once she beats cancer for a second time. Jessica has also been raising money over the last several years for the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of her cherished and beloved late grandmother Zofia, who battled Alzheimer’s with such grace. She hopes to channel Zofia’s fighting spirit through her cancer journey. Jessica also enjoys dancing, watching her favorite TV programs “The Golden Girls,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Family Matters,” TLC, or a Lifetime movie network thriller with me (and spending quality time even if it’s just snacks and conversation). Jessica always expresses her gratitude to me, but I would do anything for my daughter; she is my life and world, and it shatters my heart to see her be in so much pain and have to endure such an awful disease. Jessica also enjoys “epic” phone calls with her best friend and godmother, writing Halloween and Christmas cards to all of her loved ones, and making holiday goodie bags for her doctors, mailman, and businesses/restaurants she frequents. Unfortunately, Jessica is still unable to provide her father (who was very dependent on her) the full-time care he needs as his general health is in decline. She was preparing his meals, making sure he took his medication, making his bed, doing his laundry, and tending to his daily needs to the best of her ability before the pain became too unbearable, which is a testament to her selflessness and how much she cares for others and does her best to be there for those who need someone to lean on.
As mentioned earlier, in December of 2023, Jessica underwent 2 biopsies, CT scans, and an MRI during Christmas of 2023, and sadly cancerous cells were present as a result of these exams. Jessica received the phone call a person can never be prepared for on January 2, 2024, confirming she had stage 3 advanced cancer that also was present in nearby lymph nodes; just 5 months after turning 29. Jessica underwent 35 rounds of radiation 5 days a week and 7 cisplatin chemotherapy treatments simultaneously from February-April of 2024, in which I brought her to every appointment and stayed with her. I would bring my work materials with me on Wednesdays and Fridays and work from the car as she underwent her chemo regimen on Wed (6+ hours) and Fri she would receive radiation + IV drip treatments of magnesium, fluid, etc.
Since then, she has had numerous follow-ups, scans, endless doctor appointments, biopsies, etc., all to just be told she is having a recurrence not even 1 year after being declared no evidence of disease.
Vulvar cancer is a rare cancer. It accounts for less than 1% of all female cancers and about 6% of cancers of the female reproductive organs. The median age of this cancer is 69-70, with primary causes being age (69-70 most commonly seen in this age group), HPV (Jessica has tested negative), and smoking (Jessica has never smoked or been around anyone who smokes). That being said, her oncology team has told her to seek out a second opinion as this cancer is very rarely seen, especially in a woman so young. Her oncology team is unsure what caused this in the first place and is even more surprised and shocked how quickly it came back and that it even came back at all. Jessica has to travel 1 hour and 35 minutes to NYC to be seen and treated as these oncologists were the closest doctors who specialize and have more knowledge with this rare type of cancer and are able to provide the proper treatment for her. They may also be able to give Jessica a better idea as to what is causing the cancer and ways she can prevent it in the future. This is Jessica’s best chance at beating this for good this time.
Chemotherapy and surgery will cause many negative/adverse and rough/harsh side effects to the body, including extreme nausea, fatigue, pain, vomitting etc., as well as potential for even more serious side-effects such as hearing loss and neuropathy. She will be unable to work due to the treatment, side-effects, and healing process.
With the tremendous amount of pain Jessica has been suffering over the last several months (which is unfortunately progressively becoming worse for her) before finding out about her recurrence, she has not been able to work, and her return to employment is unknown at this time. The cancer pain also exhausts her, and daily tasks have become a challenge/struggle for Jessica. Due to these circumstances, the cost of expenses and necessities of life such as food, paying for lawn care services, and gas to get to her medically necessary doctor appointments, money is becoming tight as a result.
Jessica was leaning on me (her mother JoAnne) for support (especially financially) during this time; however, I became very ill and landed myself in the hospital on December 21, 2024, having emergency surgery the next day to remove severely infected tissue in both my legs and feet due to severe edema (part of the bone was sticking out of the ankle of my foot). I have been recovering in a rehabilitation facility and am in the process of re-learning to walk, but I have also unfortunately developed some other unforeseen illnesses/complications during my time at the rehab facility and am still unable to return home to be with Jessica during her recurrence and am unable to return to work as well.
Jessica has come to the realization that she can no longer go on this journey alone and that it is okay to ask for help. Any help, whether it be a monetary donation, gift card to assist with food/groceries/transportation to cancer/medical appointments and treatments, etc., a meal, or anything you are willing to offer would be a tremendous blessing for Jessica. We want Jessica to be able to focus on getting healthy and beating cancer AGAIN without the added stress of planning meals or affording her basic needs. Any and all help is deeply appreciated by Jessica. Please kindly spread the word so we can help Jessica during this very difficult time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Jessica is truly thankful for and so touched by the endless love and support shown to her.
If you prefer an alternative way to contribute a monetary donation, Jessica has a PayPal and Venmo account @JessBlanche22
#BlancheBattlesCancerRound2
