HALEY HOUSTON
“After getting engaged, I felt extreme fatigue and the sensation that my uterus was stretching. Every doctor dismissed my symptoms until I told my OB, ‘I’m not leaving until you do an ultrasound.’ The mass she found led to the revelation, two months before my wedding, that I was in the ‘end stages’ of cancer. I’ve since fought through chemo, extensive surgery, two recurrences, and am now in a second round of chemo… so it’s important to get the message out that it does happen to younger women. My best friend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer months before I was, and countless women my age contacted me after I shared my story on Instagram because they’re going through the same symptoms. I tell them, ‘You know your body best, so push for what you need.’ You’ve just got to reach for what you want. My husband and I had wanted a family, so while it’s heart-wrenching not to be able to create a tiny little human that’s a piece of both of us, a good friend offered to surrogate for us, and our baby boy is due in January. We are big advocates of using the time we have to live life now, to the fullest.”
These words of Hayley”s were her story up to 2019. It is with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to Hayley, in the summer of 2023. She leaves behind a loving husband and lovely 5 year old son. Hayley spent her last months, after it was clear that her latest battle with cancer would be her last, making the most of the time she had left with her family and creating and leaving great memories for her young family. She and her husband also wanted to document this final journey, to help others who may some day need to know what to expect. You can see these memories that Hayley and Taylor shared with the world, here. May the Odlozil family find strength and peace in these memories. Judy’s Mission extends our sincerest gratitude for all that Hayley and her family have done to help increase awareness and hopefully move us closer to our mission to improve early detection and survival of ovarian cancer.
While Megan talked about her own personal experience with the disease and her memoir chronicling it, 99 Problems but a Baby Ain’t One – A Memoir about Cancer, Adoption, and My Love for Jay Z.
