Inspirational Feature by J1 Reporter Erin Walter

From triumph to tragedy—the Marian community has seen it all. In the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 3, junior Jen Novotny lost her father to a long, tiring battle with cancer.

Jim Novotny passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family. Jen held her dad’s hand in his final moments.

Although the Marian community feels the sadness that Jen feels, it more so feels the strength that Jen has demonstrated throughout this tough time. She has never been one to get hung up on the negatives. Instead, she always tries her best to see the light of every situation.

The Novotny family first found out about Mr. Novotny’s illness in October of 2000. “We found out he had a tumor in his bicep and had it removed. I was too young to remember any of it,” Jen said.

After the tumor was removed, Mr. Novotny was in good health for 12 more years. In February of 2013, his cancer returned. “On his birthday, we found out the cancer came back and was now a tumor on his chest. When I first heard about it I was calm and didn’t think much about it because I wasn’t informed about how severe the cancer was,” Jen said.

Mr. Novotny most likely had Ewing’s Sarcoma, an extremely rare type of cancer that typically occurs in and around the bones. “We consulted four different doctors around the U.S.; they couldn’t agree upon what kind of cancer it was. We knew from the beginning that it was stage four cancer, and that it was terminal,” Jen said.

Mr. Novotny’s health began to rapidly decline during the last few months of his life. Despite this, Jen was able to remain strong and optimistic. She always put on her best attitude, no matter how tough things were getting with her dad.

She inspires her classmates to make the best of every situation and never take family for granted.

Jen is able to demonstrate such strength to the Marian community because back home, her mom does the same thing for her. “My mom is the greatest inspiration on my life because she continued to stay by my dad’s side and take care of him through his journey, even when it became difficult,” Jen said.

The faith of the Novotny family also played a large role in cultivating their strength and hope for the future. “My family and I have a very strong faith, and we knew that God had a plan for my dad, so that helped us remain strong and optimistic. I found comfort through prayer and spending time with my dad,” Jen said.

The students and faculty of Marian were also a great support system for Jen and her family. “My counselor, Mrs. Gelecki, has been a huge part of helping me get through school, and she has comforted me the most during these past two months,” Jen said.

Many of Novotny’s classmates attended her father’s funeral services. This brought comfort to the Novotny family, letting them know that Jen has a strong group of Marian sisters to look after her.

Jen and her dad shared 16 wonderful years together. Although he was taken from her far too early, Jen is grateful for the memories she and her dad were able to make in their time together. “My favorite memories with my dad were when I would get dressed up and put on makeup. Before I would go out, he told me I’d be the most beautiful girl there, no matter where I was going,” Jen said.

With the continued support of her faith, family, and community, Jen Novotny is able to inspire many people in her life to always have a positive attitude, no matter how tough the circumstances.