Iowa, LA- Jennifer Frank is a mother to two sons, a zydeco trailblazer, and a musician; the list goes on. Now, she stands as a warrior facing the greatest battle of her life: breast cancer.
"I wasn't necessarily scared or disappointed. I was just like, okay.
I think I was just in shock," said Frank.
Jennifer would receive news that she wasn't prepared for.
"I got a call to tell me that one of the biopsies areas was confirmed cancer," said Frank
Frank is no stranger to bad news after watching her son Zion go head to head with cancer twice, but this time, things would be different. Frank attended her routine doctor's appointment for her yearly mammogram in June. Doctors determined they needed to perform biopsies in July. Only a month after learning her son was cancer-free, Jennifer discovered she was diagnosed with stage 1-B invasive ductal carcinoma, better known as breast cancer.
"Everyone was devastated and in shock, but, you know, in all things, their usual first response is we're going to get through this," said Frank
"People I knew texted me to let me know we are praying for your mom and wish her the best. If you guys ever need something, let us know," said Zion Gennuso.
It was tough hearing that kind of news, you know, and to see what she went through with Zion, but she took this head-on," said Keith Frank, her brother and bandmate.
Jennifer had a long road ahead of her. In and out of the hospital with Zion, she would do it all over again, this time to save her own life.
" And, you know, I didn't try to think too far into the future. Just because it was overwhelming to try to think of that and get through whatever it was that I needed to get there. So I just thought of it as a project and did it like in stages," said Frank
On September 5th, her doctor performed a six-hour surgery.
"They ended up removing eight centimeters, eight and a half centimeters of tissue because there was another smaller tumor that was hiding behind the enormous tumor that hadn't been picked up on the MRIs, the ultrasounds, or any of the mammograms. So because of that, the surgery took longer to ensure that she got clear margins," said Frank.
Recovery took resilience, but it wasn't enough to return to what Jennifer loved doing the most.
"So I had to stop performing for a while just because of surgery and then having to receive treatment in Houston," said Frank
Being off the road was not her regular routine.
"I tried to keep my mind off of the fact that, you know, I'm not able to do music, which is, in a sense, my therapy in some way," said Frank.
The bond with the band and her brothers was an escape from a harsh reality.
"Oh my gosh, you're going to lose all your hair is what many people told me, but, I mean, it's hair. It'll grow back," said Frank.
After radiation treatments in October, Jennifer reached a milestone.
"I rang the bell on the 27th," said Frank.
Her family and faith persevered through the darkest hour.
"Because of my family, and you know, the way that we were raised. They instilled in us to be strong and, you know, always try to remain positive and look for the best in every situation," said Frank.
Now, Jennifer is focused on making sure she and Zion remain healthy and happy. She also wants other women like her not to give up and put up a brave fight.
" Don't give up; look to God, and trust that he has a way and a plan for your life. It may not look like he does, but he is in control. Just pray for his will and his strength to do that. Because God brought me this far, and I feel he's going to, you know, carry me through whatever," said Frank.
Jennifer Frank says she plans to advocate and participate in breast cancer events to raise awareness. She also says that her brother, Keith Frank, and the Soileau Zydeco plan to release an album sometime in 2024.
