UNSTOPPABLE FIGHTING MACHINE

My story starts long before my truck. In 2002 I was hospitalized for 6 weeks with both bacterial and viral meningitis, as well as Lyme disease. I live in southern Lousiana, where Lyme disease is extremly rare. Doctors warned me to expect to be in a wheelchaoe by the time i turned 40. But I'll be 43 the year...and Ive proved them wrong!!!

Since then I’ve faced and continue to face numerous “unexplained” medical problems. Through it all, my boyfriend, Todd stuck with me. We married in 2006, and the car scene is actually what brought us together. So it’s only fitting that it remains such a huge and meaningful part of our lives. 

My 1966 Chevy C10 was picked up in a trade in 2013. She ran but definitely needed an  overhaul. My husband Todd and a couple of our friends did all of the work on the truck in our home garage. We named her TrickC because she had an SBC (Small Block Chevy) and picked and chose when she’d run well, always playing tricks on us.  We gutted her, bagged her and did a 4 wheel disc brake conversion all in our garage. She is all home built, no big name parts or kits. In 2017 it was time for an LS and we took the opportunity to redo her. Body work and paint were by Terry Robertson and Voodoo Mike in Louisiana and the interior was done by now retired LB Upholstery. The dash was molded to hold an iPad mini as the instrument panel, Bluetooth to the OBD2 port so everything works and uses GPS for speed. A friend did the bed floor in pecky cypress, included the paint in the wood, and finished with automotive clear. If you’ve ever seen my truck, you’ve seen the name in my bed floor. Unfortunately, one of our very close friends passed away while all the work was being done, so this is a way to remember him. He never got to see the truck finished, but he helped us out so much. We were just about to install everything when life took a turn. 

September 2018, at 36 years old, I found a lump in my breast. I had zero family history. Within 10 days, we got an official diagnosis: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma- Breast Cancer. TrickC was put on hold. Everything moved fast. I had a total mastectomy with immediate DIEP reconstruction- a 12 hour surgery where they found and removed two additional cancerous spots we hadn’t known about. 

Five weeks later, I had a port placed and began chemotherapy: four rounds of Adriamycin and Cytoxan, also known as the “Red Devil,” followed by 12 rounds of Taxol. Every 3 weeks for the next year, I received an infusion that would lower my risk of reoccurrence down to 5%. 

Chemo hit me hard, physically and mentally. I wasn’t able to work during treatment. My brain no longer worked the way it used to. Eventually,  I lost my job as a supervisor in hospital insurance billing and became disabled. 

In May 2019, Down South Rollers, a local car club, stepped in and put on an incredible benefit car show for me and my family. We have two kids, and bills- including cobra insurance premiums- don’t stop for cancer. Without that benefit, I’m not sure what our family would’ve done. 

Since then , I’ve had an four additional surgeries for my breast reconstruction. I have finally reached a point where I feel better about my breasts and my new body. The only step I haven’t completed is having my nipples tattooed. Since my lump was so close, they were removed in my first surgery. Unfortunately, this is very hard to have this covered by insurance, as it’s usually considered cosmetic. 

Todd and our friends started tinkering on TrickC again, installing the interior and bed floor that had been sitting in a closet since before cancer. In May 2022, she was finally finished. 

The latest update was done in May 2025, at Battle in Bama. Gooch added Jen’s Fight Club to the glove box—a tribute that means so much to me. That was my hashtag throughout my cancer journey, and seeing it there reminds me how far I’ve come.

To some, she’s just a truck. But to me, TrickC shows that life does go on- even if it looks different than it was before. Todd and I try to bring her to as many car shows as possible. These days I don’t sweat the small stuff and try to live each day to the fullest.

When I was approached about this flannel, it gave me all the feels. The car scene really is like no other, it’s a community that shows up when you need it the most.

At the start of my journey, I always wondered “Why me?”. Overtime, I truly believed I was given this to fight because maybe I’m able to get through it a tad better than someone else. This flannel feels like I’ve been given the opportunity to share my journey with others. If just one person, a fighter, survivor or even a spouse or partner going through it, finds my story positive or inspiring, then it all has meaning.

🤍 Jen