Raising awareness: Benefit for young mom with colon cancer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville community is rallying around a local young mother.

Tiffany Ortiz, 34, is a wife, mother of three, and former nurse. She is currently battling stage four colon cancer.

“I had a tumor growing in me,” Ortiz said. “I didn’t have any symptoms.”

Doctors said at this point, the young mother’s only option is pain management.

“I felt drawn to Tiffany because she’s a young mother,” Kentisha Mazeke said. “She has an invigorating spirit. She’s a fighter.”

Mazeke heard about Ortiz’s story through work, and felt compelled to help. Mazeke’s mother died from colon cancer in 2005.

When she heard Ortiz did not have many options for treatment, Mazeke decided to host a benefit — especially since March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

On Saturday, people from across Jacksonville came to the Marriott on the Southside to honor the young mother and raise money for her family with a silent auction.

“I feel blessed — really wasn’t expecting this,” Ortiz said. “I’m a crybaby. I really wasn’t expecting this, until my mom told me about it. It was a nice surprise.”

The hope was that everyone left the event with a little more knowledge about colon cancer. Ortiz encourages people to get screenings regularly and early on.

“They don’t really encourage testing until later on. I think that’s the sad part, because you never know,” Ortiz said.

Still, Ortiz and her family are holding out hope and praying for a miracle. They said they’re #TiffanyStrong.

To find out how you can help Tiffany, click here.

© 2020 Cox Media Group