Jennifer Duda

Chicago, IL

 

Hero

Charity: Imerman Angels


She is my daughter. My husband battled melanoma cancer this past year and it was devasting for us all....he died December 7th. Jennifer is the one who contacted people at the Cancer Society and found information to help us make the right decisions. She went to doctor appointments with me and sat through numerous surgeries. When I moved closer to the hospital where I lived for months she stayed with me when she could. I moved first into a hospital owned apartment (2 months), later a Motel 6 ( 1 month) and later had to simply live out of my car and in his room at the hospital. She was my strength and the one who kept me from falling totally apart.

Throughout most of this she still had to go to work or work from the hospital or home. She never complained, held me as I cried or cried with me. She helped keep her dad's spirits up and encouraged him to fight to live. During all of this time, she put aside getting engaged, planning a wedding and her own future. In many ways she took over as caretaker for both her dad and me.

Jennifer is my hero because in spite of her hurting she was the one who was able to stay strong and hold the rest of us up. She never complained, never asked for anything (other than her dad's recovery) and sacrificed so much. Because of her spending the last three weeks of her dad's life with me to support me she didn't pick up her mail and didn't get a note from her insurance company pertaining to which medical group she could use. She lost her doctor who had treated her cervical cancer and thus has put herself medically in a bad situation.

Jennifer, has always put the welfare of others before herself and that is why she is my hero, my nomination for Woman of the Year.

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