In August, Abigail Jacobsen, 22, of Belleville, learned she had a malignant brain tumor, lost her job, and found out she was pregnant.
That sent her into a state of depression.
But, since then with the help of counselors and her family she is planning for the future.
The first thing she did was to get doctors to delay her brain surgery until after the baby is born. Little Katherine Haven Jacobsen is due to arrive May 2.
Then, they will do another brain scan to see if they can delay the surgery and chemotherapy/radiation six months longer while she nurses her baby to give her the best chance possible.
“My main concern is the health of my baby,” said Jacobsen, explaining another plan she has for Katherine.
During the last five months she has been doing research on the internet and came up with a plan to preserve the newborn’s umbilical cord blood through CryoCell International for potential use against many diseases in her little girl’s future.
She said the cost of the project is $1,500 initially, followed by $125 per year. She figures she can manage the yearly fee, but she needs help with the initial fee.
Jacobsen thought she could reach out to her community to help her.
She is a single mother, with the father not wanting to be a part of the baby’s life. She said in the future, she will seek child support to help care for their baby.
She has qualified for Social Security and WIC help and would like to find a car and a place to live to prepare for Katherine’s arrival.
Presently she lives with her father and stepmother, Mark and Jenni Jacobsen at 44 W. Wabash Street in Belleville, but she’d like to be on her own so she and her baby aren’t a bother to anyone.
She said her father’s mother died of cancer and her father’s grandfather also died of cancer, so with her illness, she is very concerned about Katherine’s future.
Abigail has been dealing with health problems since she was eight. She had seizures as a child and a biopsy at Duke University in North Carolina found a benign brain tumor.
In April 2003, she had brain surgery at the University of Michigan, where a malignant brain tumor was removed. A sliver was left because doctors couldn’t get to it without risking serious damage, she said, adding there was no further treatment at the time.
Last August, because jobs were scarce, she decided to enlist in the Army and the military wanted an update on her health. Abigail said she had an MRI which showed a lesion. Her cancer had returned.
The diagnosis is oligodendroglioma, which is causing severe headaches.
Abigail was born in Lansing and around age five her family moved to North Carolina, coming back to Michigan in 2001. Then, her parents split, she said.
She attended North Middle School, repeating the seventh grade twice. She had seizures which affected her left side and she was left-handed. Her last semester at Belleville High School was actually spent at Romulus Alternative Education, where she got her diploma.
In the future, Abigail would like to teach history in high school, but she can’t do it right now.
First, she needs to give birth to Katherine, have her surgery and chemotherapy/radiation, and recover. Then she can figure out how to simultaneously be a parent, have a job, and go to college.
She said she has had lots of time to think and plan since last August.
The handful of sonogram pictures of her little girl growing in her womb encourage her to focus on a positive future – and to ask for help to preserve the baby’s cord blood that could assure a healthy future for Katherine.