Modesto Councilwoman Kenoyer says lung cancer may have returned but expects to beat it
Modesto Councilwoman Jenny Kenoyer said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that her cancer may have returned and she will start a new round of chemotherapy.
Kenoyer, 84, said a recent PET scan revealed her cancer may be back. She had announced in September 2018 that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer after doctors discovered a small mass. She underwent treatment and announced in August 2019 that she was cancer free.
“I know I have everyone’s prayers,” Kenoyer said at Tuesday’s meeting. “That’s what helped me the first time, and I will fly through this without any problems. ... And I just really appreciate all your concerns and prayers.”
Kenoyer said she does not expect to miss meetings or any of her other duties.
“Councilwoman Kenoyer, you are in our prayers,” Mayor Ted Brandvold said at the meeting, adding that he expected her to beat cancer a second time.
Kenoyer said in a Thursday interview that she may have lung cancer but it is “not as rambunctious as it was the first time. But we are going to attack it before it gets bad.”
Kenoyer — who is a retired registered nurse — had smoked for 24 years before quitting a few decades ago. She said her doctor told her she has a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma that can afflict women and people who don’t smoke.
The American Lung Association states on its website that this “type of lung cancer occurs mainly in current or former smokers, but it is also the most common type of lung cancer seen in non-smokers. It is more common in women than in men, and it is more likely to occur in younger people than other types of lung cancer.”
Kenoyer will term out of office in November 2022 after completing her second term.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
