After Jessica Eversmeyer was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in September, she was amazed with the tremendous support from the Montgomery County community.

More than $8,000 was raised from two athletic events in 2022 – a Powderpuff Football game that was played with 47 female students on Sept. 28 at Montgomery County High School’s Jim Blacklock Field and the MCHS volleyball team’s Pink Out match against Battle on Oct. 17. Also, raffle tickets were sold for a Dooney & Bourke handbag.

“The community has been amazing,” Eversmeyer said. “The school district has been amazing. They pulled forward so many things for us.”

Now, the High Hill resident is looking to get healthy again. She’s approaching her fifth month of fighting cancer.

“My hope is that when I’m done with chemo that my scans show no tumors,” Eversmeyer said. “I can hopefully start living again.”

Originally, Eversmeyer was scheduled to go on a five-day trip to Houston, Texas on November 21 to get treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Medical Center. Unfortunately, the trip got cut short.

“It was pretty discouraging when we were there in the office,” Eversmeyer said. “My husband (Josh) and I were together. We were told that when we booked the trip that I needed to be there for five days. The doctor looked at both of us and said, ‘You can go home.’ It was very upsetting mainly because everything they told me during that 10-15 minute visit could have been told to me over the phone and saved a lot of heartache and money.”

After two days in Texas, Eversmeyer and her husband went back home in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with their children.

“We immediately got on the ball instead of missing Thanksgiving with our kids,” Eversmeyer said. “I’ve never missed a holiday with our kids. We were able to get a flight home Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. So that was wonderful.”

Eversmeyer will continue getting treatment in Missouri.

“What I was told pretty much was I have to go through everything here in Missouri and what is offered here in Missouri due to the care that they’re providing here,” Eversmeyer said. “The only way MD Anderson would step in and possibly do anything for me is if I have exhausted all options here in Missouri and I might be able to do a clinical trial for them. But, I have to be on my deathbed, pretty much.”

The High Hill resident said after getting a CT scan on Dec. 23, she is making some progress.

“When I went to my oncology appointment on Dec. 27, the scans showed that the cancer is shrinking,” Eversmeyer said. “They can still see the tumor in my breast and they can still see the tumors on my liver. But they are showing that they are shrinking. It’s wonderful news. That means the chemo is working.”

Eversmeyer was working as a special education teacher at Montgomery City Elementary School before she was diagnosed with cancer on Sept. 7. She had to resign in November.

“My FMLA was running out,” Eversmeyer said. “When my FMLA ran out, that would have required me to pay for COBRA health insurance. I couldn’t afford that. It costs way too much.”

After noticing a lump on her breast in July, Eversmeyer went to the doctor the following month. She received her cancer diagnosis after her original mammogram was done on Sept. 7.

Eversmeyer has been going through chemotherapy every week since Oct. 4.

“At first, it wasn’t too bad,” Eversmeyer said. “I’m experiencing side effects from it. The further we go along, the more the side effects stack up.”

Eversmeyer was in attendance at the Powderpuff Football game, which raised almost $5,000. She was honored before the championship game between the juniors and seniors and was given a basket full of gifts. She got to see both of her daughters play in the contest.

The next month, Eversmeyer wasn’t able to attend the Pink Out volleyball match as she was working on her third round of chemotherapy. But her family members were in attendance and received a check of $3,206.22.

Eversmeyer said she enjoys being part of a community that loves to help people.

“It’s a true blessing to be living in this town,” she said.