Restoring Hope After Shattering Loss

by Jana Seaman

Jana Seaman was born and raised in Kentucky and fell in love with her first husband, Jon, riding on the back of his motorcycle through the rolling hills of the bluegrass.

He was a decorated war hero and member of the 5th Special Forces Group in the United States Army. Jon completed two tours of duty in Iraq, had the most captivating stories, and had a heart of pure gold.

It was an easy fall, to say the least. They married at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles and their daughter was the light of their life. Jon and Jana, in the midst of a busy career life, were people who helped with the needs of the community, held toy drives at Christmas, and were advocates for Veterans. They loved their family, their community and giving back in any way they could.

Jana was expecting their second child when Jon was rushed to the emergency room due to uncontrollable neck pain and an unexplainable fever. At 38 weeks pregnant, Jana’s world was shattered with Jon’s unexpected diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Jon started chemotherapy almost immediately and didn’t back down to the battle of cancer. He kept fighting through the long hospital stays, their daughter’s birth, and barely being able to stand on his own until he finally achieved remission.

Shortly after, Jon was blessed to receive a bone marrow transplant –matched from the national donor registry and they were finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sadly, several weeks after the transplant, pre-cancerous blasts started to show back up in Jon’s bloodwork. Their family spent the summer of 2016 trying to juggle medical and family.

In October of 2016, Jana called Jon’s final ambulance and he left their house that day not realizing he would be too sick to ever return. He was experiencing labored breathing and Jana feared he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. He was rushed onto a ventilator and spent the next two months fighting even harder than he had before.

However, in the end, Jon’s body just wasn’t strong enough and he didn’t deserve any more pain. After their fifteen-month battle with leukemia, Jana had to make the impossible decision to remove life support.

Jon’s death left Jana to raise their two daughters, ages 5 and 1, on her own as a widow at the age of 32. Jana’s world was completely flipped upside down. Those last days at Jon’s bedside, standing and fighting along his side, left her in an indescribable pain and state of brokenness. However, Jana is a strong believer that in the midst of absolute brokenness, beauty is to be had.

She allowed her pain to drive her to create her wonderful life by design. Jana is a true inspiration – especially to those experiencing loss as she has put purpose to her pain. She now walks alongside other grieving women and men as they navigate the difficult road of life and loss.

Learn more about Jana’s story at www.janaseaman.com.