x
Breaking News
More () »

Tunkhannock Teen’s Fight to Survive

TUNKHANNOCK — Hunter Jones is a 17 year old from Tunkhannock who was diagnosed with colon cancer.   This is just one of two major medical problems sheR...

TUNKHANNOCK -- Hunter Jones is a 17 year old from Tunkhannock who was diagnosed with colon cancer.   This is just one of two major medical problems she's facing now.

While most 17-year-old girls are hanging out with friends or surfing social media, Hunter Jones from Tunkhannock has spent almost every free moment helping others.

"That's definitely what I put most of my time, to Marley's Mission, Jog for Jude; Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I have a little brother," she said.

But those appointments helping charities soon turned into appointments with doctors.

The red flags about Hunter's health surfaced this past September at her high school blood drive.

"They pricked my finger and something was a six and I had no idea what it was."

"I said to her, 'Your hemoglobin was a 6?' She said, 'I don't know. ' I said, 'It's supposed to 12 to 14,'" Maria Jones recalled.

"I had no idea, go to school every day, went to the gym," Hunter added. "I went for stat blood work and a lot of it came back. It obviously wasn't normal."

The blood work showed much more than an iron deficiency. Hunter's family doctor, Dr. Mary Beth Sokach wanted more answers, especially after the teen told her about an ongoing stomach issue.

"I was embarrassed. Why does a 17-year-old girl want to talk about going to the bathroom," said Hunter.

After prodding, poking, and testing came the unimaginable: Hunter, just 17 years old, with little family history, had colon cancer.

Her doctors called it one of the rarest cases, if not the only case, in our area.

"There's very little data, if any, that talks about anyone under the age of 18 with colon cancer," said Dr. Sokach.

And just as Hunter prepared to have the tumor in her colon removed last month, there was another health problem. The Tunkhannock Area senior told her Geisinger anesthesiologist, Dr. Mary Herman, that she had problems walking after the anesthesia for her colonoscopy.

"The anesthesiologist was like, 'That's not normal. That should not be happening. I'm not signing off.'"

Doctors gave Hunter an MRI.

"My mom got the call the next day," Hunter recalled. "I had a brain tumor."

The colon cancer surgery was put on hold.

"So much went through me. If she did the surgery; four, four and half hours, she could've been paralyzed the rest of her life," said Maria.

The brain tumor was taken out first, followed by her colon cancer just last week.

Doctors still don't think the two health problems are connected.

Hunter continues to recover and says her school, family, and doctors are the reason she's still fighting.

Through her battles, she has a message for us all.

"Don't be afraid to tell people," Hunter said. "For a year and a half, I was afraid to tell my mom that my stomach would bother me after I would eat and stuff."

And the most important lesson: "definitely to live life to the fullest because you never know what's going to happen."

Because Hunter will most likely need chemotherapy and radiation following her surgeries for both cancers, her friends are raising money to help her out and holding various events.

If you'd like to support Hunter, you can donate to her Go Fund Me account here.

Donations can also be mailed to her high school:

Hope for Hunter
c/o Eliza Comly
Tunkhannock Area High School
HS Counseling Office
135 Tiger Drive
Tunkhannock, PA 18657

Checks should be made payable to TASD and you can write "Hope for Hunter" in the memo line.  Questions can also be directed to eliza.comly@tasd.net or 570-836-8214.

A benefit event is also planned at Bartolai Winery in Harding on December 6.  For more information, head here:

Before You Leave, Check This Out