Jennifer's fight: for the love of her boys

"Statistics do not fit everyone and I'm going to do everything I can to prove the doctors wrong. I want to come back and tell them, 'Sorry, but the statistics did not fit in with my life'."

They are the determined words of mother-of-four Jennifer Fitzgibbins, who is refusing to let the return of aggressive cancer stop her enjoying life with her young family.

The 29-year-old mum and her husband Scott had their world turned upside down less than two weeks ago, when they learned the breast cancer which Jennifer thought she had beaten two years ago had spread to her bones, brain and lymph nodes. 

Doctors have given Jennifer between three and six months to live. Her sons are aged 7, 5, 2 and just 8 months.

The news, which was delivered at a routine check-up, came as a shock to Jennifer, who did not have any symptoms to suggest the cancer had returned.

"It's still all very surreal as I don't feel unwell, yet I'm being told I have months to live," Jennifer says.

The then 24-year-old was first diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in September 2010, when she was a mum of two. She underwent immediate surgery and began chemotherapy in December that year, before having more surgery and treatment.

She last finished chemotherapy in June 2012 and, until now, had been cancer free since.

In the past two years Jennifer has not only had two more beautiful baby boys, but she has also studied for a business degree, participated in the cancer research fundraiser Relay for Life and has thrown herself into every aspect of family and community life in Darwin.

Jennifer is Canadian-born and arrived in Darwin on a one-year visa in 2005. She then met and fell in love with Scott, who is a member of the Australian Defence Forces.

Faced with an uncertain future, she and Scott are taking sons Ethan, Connor, Logan and Riley for their first trip to her hometown of Alberta, Canada, where they will have the support of Jennifer's extended family.

"If the worst does happen, I would love for the boys to have memories of spending time with me in the snow at Christmas," Jennifer said. 

Jennifer is taking all her medical records and her family is in the process of organising a multi-disciplinary medical team which will begin treatment immediately after their arrival in Canada.

The February 2014 'Due In Group' (DIG) on the Essential Baby forum has launched a fundraising site to help the Fitzgibbins's spend time with their Canadian family without having to worry about finances.

The group of 54 mums from around Australia, who all had babies around the time Jennifer gave birth to eight-month-old Riley, are also helping organise the sale of the family's unwanted baby items to help raise money.

In addition, they organised for Jennifer to have a much deserved pampering day at a Darwin beauty salon before the family's departure for Canada this weekend. 

Jennifer said the support she had received from the group, as well as from the Australian Defence Force family, had been "overwhelming".

"I am not often someone who is lost for words," she says. "But the outpouring of love we have received is just incredible and very touching. It feels good to know the boys have that support, because that's what I worry about - my sons and my husband."

Good friend and fellow member of the February 2014 DIG Jacqueline Krek describes Jennifer as an "inspiration".

"Jen's just incredible. Not only does she look after the four boys while her husband travels for work, but she is totally involved in every aspect of the boys' lives," Jacqueline says. "She has also been studying and achieving high distinctions. And even with everything that she is dealing with she still manages to stay so positive and upbeat."

Jacqueline said the DIG members were determined to help in whatever way they could when they learned of Jennifer's diagnosis and prognosis in recent weeks. 

"We've all come to know and support each other since joining the group when pregnant," Jacqueline says. "The mums are all around the country, but we all have babies the same age as Riley. The thought of not being here to see them grow up is heartbreaking."

Like to help? You can contribute to the fundraising page set up by the Darwin Defence Community.

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