JENNA’S JOURNEY: FROM SHOCK & SURPRISE TO HOPE & REMISSION
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READ HOW BREYANZI CHANGED JENNA’S STORY
CAR T-cell therapy put her on a path to remission.
“Since I was diagnosed initially, it was almost 20 months of challenges. My family was there all the time, supporting me.”
—Jenna, a real Breyanzi patient
Jenna was in her early 30s, living a healthy, active life, when she noticed swollen lymph nodes on her collarbone. After visiting her local primary care physician, she was referred to an ENT specialist who ordered a CT scan. The scan revealed a mass on her chest measuring 11-12 cm x 6 cm, along with lymph nodes distributed throughout her chest. The news left her "in total shock.” What began as a routine check up would now send Jenna on an unexpected journey.
Following her diagnosis in September 2020, Jenna was initially treated at Hackensack Meridian Health. A second biopsy revealed she had primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), and from there she was transferred to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Over the next year, Jenna underwent four different treatment regimens: chemotherapy, chemotherapy combined with chest radiation, immunotherapy, and additional chemotherapy. Despite these treatments, her tumor continued to grow. Jenna consulted with her care team and decided to move forward with CAR T-cell therapy.
Jenna received her CAR T-cell infusion at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She remained in outpatient care for approximately 45 days, staying in an apartment near the hospital. She required a 10-day hospitalization for monitoring. One of the side effects she experienced was chest pain in the area where her disease had been located.
Regarding her experience with outpatient CAR T, she said, “I would walk over from the apartment to the hospital. It’s like maybe two blocks. They would take my vitals, make sure everything was fine, and then I pretty much just go back home and stay busy or relax or whatever I was feeling. But it was a pretty relaxed experience. I mean, as relaxed as it could be given the circumstances.”
Jenna’s next scan showed she had achieved a complete response and was in remission. As she put it simply: “The best Christmas ever.”
This was Jenna’s unique experience. Everyone’s experience is different.
Today, Jenna is thriving and living a life of hope and gratitude. She is raising a 10-year-old daughter, and together they are doing wonderfully.
Drawing on her personal experience with cancer, Jenna has chosen to pursue nursing and hopes to one day work in the oncology center where she was treated. Jenna has become an advocate for sharing patient stories and living intentionally.
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