Meet Jeanne E.
You may have heard of the Muffin Man, but Kin has the one and only Muffin Lady! Jeanne E. has brought her amazingly delicious muffins to Kin for several weeks and I will happily tell you they are amazing! If fact, as I sit here and write this, I am enjoying a chocolate chip muffin with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.
I have put the muffin down so I can introduce you to this sweet, joyful, and highly positive person, Jeanne. We first met at a Kin Yoga class and even though we are all masked, I could still “see” and feel her smile!
It was a blast to chat with her as her excitement for life came shining through as she sat in her car after just completing a class at Kin. We Facetimed together as she was sitting in the parking lot, so excited to share her journey with me. It was our first time truly seeing each other’s faces! It was just as I expected to see, a huge smile greeted me!
Family- Jeanne has primarily been a stay-at-home parent in her family life by being a loving mom to her two, now adult, daughters. One of her precious daughters even offered to step away from college for a bit to be there and help Mom during her treatments. While Jeanne said she loved the gesture she wanted life to be as normal as possible. Her wonderful husband, Mark, has been on this journey with her supporting and caring for her. During her treatments Jeanne would pack up her treatments bag with what she needed. Her family would tease her saying it was like she was going to day camp and reminded her to be sure she had her juice box, her lunch, which made Jeanne smile! She is a Bucks County native living in Jamison. Jeanne had worked at the YMCA for some time and after her treatments she found that volunteering to help other people along their journeys and serving their needs was a way to enhance her life and help in her own healing.
Volunteering to help others while in her journey- Jeanne was born with a condition called Chiari Malfunction and began having neurological and motor difficulties around the age of fifty. This was well past the time most patients with this condition would have had the procedure to correct it- like 25 years late! So, in 2019 she had brain and neck surgery to take care of her condition. It was followed by six weeks of doing virtually nothing giving time for her brain and neck to heal. It was extremely difficult for this busy lady to sit and do nothing, so she had a lot of time to think. During her healing from brain surgery Jeanne felt she needed to do more for herself and others. Her healing time helped her to realize that there is a balance between circumstances she can control and the circumstances that are out of her control. Jeanne knew that there were situations she could control and that is what she focused on. She and a friend heard about the Warminster Food Pantry; not knowing exactly what there was to do, but she wanted to help others. Next thing she knew Jeanne and her friend found themselves quiet busy helping others through working with bags of food and orders at the Food Pantry. Fast forward to a year later and Jeanne was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was during the height of COVID that she felt a lump in her breast and made the right decision to get it checked out. Through her tests she found herself in the office of Dr. Donna Angotti in Doylestown. Though she was still “freaking out” about the news, Dr. Angotti brought her to a calmness and a comfort level Jeanne thought she would never get to on her own. Jeanne shared with me that she absolutely loves Dr. Angotti. Jeanne reflected, “She is so warm, considerate, welcoming, reassuring. She put me at ease and was indeed a godsend to me. As someone who is predisposed to anxiety, I knew this doctor was there for me! She is amazing!” Jeanne was astounded at the swiftness of her health team starting with her first appointment on June 19, testing, more doctor visits, then to treatment on July 2. In the middle of treatments Jeanne found out she was having heart issues due to the chemo and her treatments were put on hold. Like a champ, after four months she was able to be hooked back up with her chemotherapy. It has been quite a ride for this fighter. She said she felt great at the end of her treatment and received the wonderful news that she did not need any other form of treatment or medication. Jeanne is thrilled and blessed that she has a good prognosis and had a highly treatable kind of breast cancer. This was a joyful moment!
Jeanne has always been a lover of the earth- she loves gardening and playing in the dirt! Again, it was during her treatments and healing from breast cancer that she felt the pull to help others. It was also out of the need to control what she could in her life and let the “other stuff” just flow on. It was by focusing on herself in a positive way and surrounding herself with good that Jeanne found herself volunteering at Bowman’s Hill nursery. She cares for the gardens so all can enjoy the beauty and the serenity of gardens, and calmness of the surroundings. It is so very relaxing and soothing for her to help in this way. Worth mentioning Jeanne comes to Kin every Monday morning and takes care of all the plants that have been donated by the good folks at Greenleaf Nursery in Furlong
Reflection - My face actually hurt after talking with Jeanne from smiling so much. She is such a joyful, outgoing, fun-loving lady who would make anybody feel happy after just a short time spent with her. She told me she found joy in everything and wanted everyone to know, not only are you allowed to to laugh during cancer, but it also helps to make jokes and have fun! Jeanne shared that she saw her cancer as a gift. Not a lot of people can say that with a smile! This “gift” opened her eyes to see the world in a new way. To see the goodness in people, in communities, in life. She sees this generosity and goodness in the Kin environment that has been so welcoming to her. There have been blessings in Jeanne’s life all through her journey. At the beginning of her treatment for cancer Jeanne’s husband lost his job, but he too, saw it as all joy because he was able to be with her, help and support her throughout her journey. Jeanne shared, “We, as cancer patients, are so thankful for our caregivers. We need to keep in mind that they are going through this cancer journey as well. The stress of watching a loved one go through cancer is so very hard on the caregiver because they want to help you so much to feel better and don’t want to see you struggle.”
Jeanne is looking forward to continuing her classes and treatments at Kin. She is very eager to try new things like; book club, counseling, acupuncture, and getting to know others on their cancer journeys. She says Keith and Kristina have a magical touch to make this environment so warm and welcoming as well as motivating to any cancer patient that walks in the door.
Jeanne says her world has gotten smaller and her friendships bigger and much stronger. She feels lighter because she values more of the important things in her life now. Jeanne got “rid of the baggage” that was holding her down and she focuses on the lovely and valuable things in her life. I loved Jeanne’s final reflection on her journey. “Life is kind of like a fence. We all have an end gate. It depends on what we do with that time in between coming in and going out.” I can tell you that Jeanne is making the most of her gate opening! And I am very happy to introduce you to the Muffin Lady!
