Jolene Eddy’s world was turned upside down when her husband and father of their three young children, Spencer, was diagnosed with a rare disease. cancer.
“When we found out Spencer had a brain tumorwe were terrified,” she recalls. He had suffered from ‘dizzy spells’ for years, but doctors dismissed the 39-year-old’s symptoms as a simple case of vertigo.
But the reality was much worse. He was later diagnosed with medulloblastomaa cancerous brain tumor that usually occurs in children and is extremely rare in adults.
What Jolene, 38, didn’t see coming was her cancer diagnosis, just months after her husband had his.
Their ordeal began in April 2024 when Spencer started ‘walking like he was drunk’ after getting off a plane, so the couple went to an ear, nose and throat doctor in a neighboring town, who did an MRI and found a tumor the size of a lime.
“We had requested MRIs (in the past), but we were just told the chances of it being a brain tumor were so astronomically low, it just wouldn’t make sense,” says stay-at-home mom Jolene, of Williston, North Dakota.
Spencer was then referred to the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, in October 2025, so Jolene took him 11 hours to the hospital, where he was told he had medulloblastoma.
“They said the cancer was blocking the fluid flowing from the vein to the spinal cord,” explains Jolene. “They didn’t know how he was still walking and talking, and how he hadn’t had a stroke.”
Spencer had to wait eight days at the clinic, as the brain surgeon was on a family holiday, before undergoing a 10-hour operation to remove the tumour.
Before the operation, the couple were told there were significant risks, but thankfully the procedure went well and doctors removed 85% of the tumor.
“After the operation, we didn’t know if he would be able to walk or talk again, or if he was brain dead,” adds Jolene.
“After surgery, Spencer underwent speech and physical therapy to teach him how to walk and talk again, while he underwent 30 rounds of radiation to treat the remaining 15% of the tumor.
But it was while Spencer was recovering that the mother of three noticed something disturbing about hers. health.
“When we were in the hospital, I noticed a small pea-sized lump under my armpit, but I put it to the back of my mind because of everything that was going on with Spencer,” says Jolene.
After two weeks of impatient rehabilitation, the couple moved to a Airbnb nearby and their three children came to stay with them. Jolene homeschooled the kids while Spencer went to his radiation appointments, and in January 2025, the family was finally able to return home to North Dakota.
That’s when Jolene went to the doctors, who told her the lump was just a cyst. “I asked for it to be removed anyway and when it came back from testing, I realized it was breast cancer“, she remembers.
“I was absolutely overwhelmed. We were so devastated and scared about what would happen to our children. If one parent dies, you have another to lean on, but if both die, you have nobody.’
After her diagnosis, Jolene was put on hormone blockers and underwent a double mastectomy in April 2025, while Spencer was still undergoing chemotherapy.
She chose not to get breast implants, as she didn’t want to undergo more than one operation while also caring for Spencer, but after the operation she kept fainting and getting sick, so her worried sister rushed her back to the hospital.
Jolene ended up having a blood transfusion as her body was starting to shut down after the surgery.
“I had to have two units of blood, thankfully after that I felt normal again,” she says.
Spencer completed his chemotherapy in June 2025, and an MRI after his treatment showed no signs of cancer. But that doesn’t mean recovery has been easy for the couple.
“We go to doctor’s appointments together, it’s easier for the oncologist to see us both at the same time,” explains Jolene.
“Spencer still can’t walk well, or drive, I feel like I can’t have bad days because I’m taking care of my husband. I still have to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner and take care of everyone.’
It has also affected their children. “Our children are coping well, but their perspective on everything has changed,” she adds. “In their homework they always write how they hope we get better and stay healthy.
Spencer now gets MRIs every three months to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back, and Jolene is also currently cancer-free.
Despite their diagnoses, the couple remain positive about the future and are determined to continue the fight.
“We are living most people’s nightmare, but we feel optimistic about the future,” says Jolene.
“We have a long life and we will fight for it, we will not give up.”
Have a story to share?
Contact by sending email MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: My ex still stalks me from the other side of the world
MORE: I had a dormant STI from oral sex for 30 years – then it became life threatening
MORE: He thought my vagina smelled – his penis was much worse
