Modesto councilwoman feeling good after first round of cancer treatment

Modesto City Councilwoman Jenny Kenoyer, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer, said her first round of chemo treatment went well and she expects to continue carrying out the duties of her elected office.

Kenoyer, 83, made an announcement about her cancer diagnosis at the end of the Sept. 11 council meeting. At the end of the Sept. 25 council meeting, Kenoyer announced her chemo treatment would be starting soon.

“I”m going to be fine,” she said at last week’s meeting. She said about the chemo treatment, “It’s just keeping it under control. And I’m going to keep it under control for 20 years.”

Kenoyer was elected to her second and final four-year term in November 2017. On Monday, she said she was feeling good after the first round of treatment on Friday. Her next round of treatment is in three weeks.

“The chemo has not really affected me that much,” Kenoyer said. “It hasn’t made me sick.”

She said doctors have told her that the cancer has spread to the bone, a small portion in her rib cage. But the cancer has not spread to anywhere else in her body, she said.

Kenoyer, who is a retired registered nurse, has said she had smoked for 24 years but quit 45 years ago. As an elected official, she has said she has a duty to inform the public of anything that would affect her ability to serve, but she has vowed to fight the cancer.

She said Monday she won’t let her treatment or the cancer stop her from making public appearances or attending city council meetings. And Kenoyer was expected to attend this week’s meeting on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.

This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 1:56 PM.