
Meet Mary Jane Hollerich
My name is Mary Jane Hollerich, and I am married to my incredible husband, Nick. We have three pretty amazing kids. Mackenzie 10, Timothy 8, and Annaliese 4. I have been busy teaching Kindergarten and First Grade for the past 18 years. Where does the time go?! In March of 2023, I saw my doctor about stomach and back pain. I was sure it was my gallbladder. I got an ultrasound, and 45 minutes later, my life was turned upside down. I was told that I had cancer. I was in disbelief, started crying, and immediately called my parents to come to my house. We rushed to the hospital to begin testing. After many, many tests, scans, and MRIs, I was officially diagnosed with Metastatic Pancreatic Andecarcinoma (Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.) I was full of cancer from my collarbone down to my pelvis.
The cancer spread to my lymph nodes, and my scans also revealed a pulmonary embolism in my left lung. I was 39 years old and would consider myself a healthy person. I loved to run and work out. How could this be true? We discovered that I carry the BRCA 1 genetic mutation. My options were minimal, but with the support of my family, dear friends, and a fantastic school community, I was ready to be strong and fight for my life! I completed eight rounds of very tough chemotherapy. I lost my beautiful long blonde locks and about 30 pounds. It was too much. My Doctor switched me to an oral chemotherapy drug in November of 2023. This has been preventing cancer from metastasizing and shrinking ¨Tammy the Tumor.” I wholeheartedly believe that I will beat this with my trust in God. He is bigger than cancer!
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