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OGDEN — A Tooele mother diagnosed with cancer a year after her daughter was born three months premature said it is her faith that keeps her grounded.
When Daren and Jennie Turner learned she was pregnant, it came as quite a surprise. She was told she couldn't bear children. The Turner's adopted their 11-year-old son, Tate, as a baby, and they were very excited to have another child.
Born with two brain bleeds, baby Emma spent three months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her parents were concerned she may have cerebral palsy, but the infant rallied and is doing great almost 18 months and a heart surgery later.
Jennie said Emma is "a little miracle," and the NICU nurses told the family to not give up hope because they see miracles happen there frequently.
Though they didn't originally know why Emma was born early, they later learned it was because of Jennie Turner's cancer.
After experiencing abdominal pain since her pregnancy, she wondered if she was healing badly after her cesarean section. But when she went to see a specialist, she learned she had peritoneal cancer, a cancer in the lining of the abdominal cavity.
Jennie said the Stage 3 cancer is pretty serious, and so far, she has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy. Doctors are hopeful they can remove it because there isn't involvement of the lymph nodes, and she said she hopes the chemo will kill it.
"It's kind of rough, but overall it's going OK," she said.
Following the third round of chemotherapy, Jennie will have surgery. She said she hopes the tumor will shrink so the surgery can be less invasive.
Due to having a baby and being exhausted from the chemotherapy, the Turners decided to move in with Jennie's parents, whom she says have been wonderful.
Tons of people have just reached out and just been so kind and encouraging, and I would say it's almost been overwhelming just the amount of support that people have shown us.
–Jennie Turner, cancer patient
A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jennie said her faith has helped her keep a perspective that family is the most important part of life.
After her sister-in-law learned of her diagnosis, she drove from Colorado to stay with her for a month and a half to care for her and her family.
The community has also been supportive, and Jennie said she has seen a lot of tender mercies throughout this trial. Neighbors have reached out by working to stage their home so it would sell quickly, bringing the family meals and writing letters of encouragement.
"Tons of people have just reached out and just been so kind and encouraging, and I would say it's almost been overwhelming just the amount of support that people have shown us," Jennie said.
The Turners' friend set up a GoFundMe account* in hopes to raise $10,000 for medical bills. As of Sunday afternoon, over $7,000 had been raised.
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*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
