An Interview with Jenna King
- October, 2025
SHE Stories
A Daughter’s Strength — Jenna’s Story
Jenna King was 31 when she lost her mum, Kathryn Bakes, to mixed mullerian cancer — a rare and aggressive form affecting the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. Kathryn was 55 when she was diagnosed, and 56 when she passed away.
Now living in Spreyton with her two sons, Bentley (9) and Tander (11), Jenna is sharing her story to honour her mum’s memory and to help raise awareness of gynaecological cancers.
SHE Stories: Jenna, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. Can you start by telling us a little about yourself and your family?
Jenna: I live in Spreyton with my two boys, Bentley who’s 9 and Tander who’s 11. I was 31 when I lost my mum, Kathryn. She was only 55 when she was diagnosed, and she passed away at 56. My boys adored their Nanny. Tander especially has carried her with him in a really special way — he even has a teal basketball jersey in her honour.
SHE Stories: How did your mum’s illness first begin?
Jenna: Mum was on holiday in Queensland in September 2019 when she started experiencing really bad shoulder pain. She thought it was just from carrying her handbag — she even bought a new one — but the pain didn’t go away. When she came back home, she saw her GP who told her it was muscular. But two weeks later the pain was so bad she ended up in hospital. Shockingly, they dismissed her pain and suggested she was an alcoholic, which was very upsetting for all of us.
SHE Stories: When did you finally get some answers?
Jenna: About six weeks later, she got in to see her own GP. By then, the pain was still there and she had also developed a lot of weight gain around her belly. She was sent for a CT scan from the waist up, and that’s when they found a mass in her pelvic region. She was then referred to Burnie Hospital to see an oncologist.
She was eventually diagnosed with a very rare mixed Müllerian cancer — carcinomas of the uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes. She was never given a formal stage, but the PET scan showed how advanced it was.
SHE Stories: That must have been such a difficult time. How was the family coping with the information?
Jenna: It was really hard. My husband’s aunt actually worked as an oncology nurse and when she saw the PET Scan results, her face told us everything before the doctors did. Yet, despite how serious it was, we were given very little clarity or communication from the doctors about Mum’s prognosis.
Her first round of chemotherapy started on the 28th of October 2019 — ironically, my 10th wedding anniversary. She only managed to get through two rounds before she developed blood clots and other complications. She ended up spending Christmas — her last Christmas — in the Launceston General Hospital.
SHE Stories: What happened after that Christmas?
Jenna: On her birthday, December 30th, the doctors told her the chemo wasn’t working. They sent her home and told her to focus on making memories with her family. That was really hard to hear. Mum was such a proud woman — she had beautiful curly hair and so much spirit. She remained hopeful, mostly because she wanted to live on for her grandsons.
By Easter 2020, she had deteriorated again. COVID had also hit Tasmania by then. She was admitted to Burnie Hospital and the doctors told us she only had three weeks left.
SHE Stories: But she lived longer than that, didn’t she?
Jenna: Yes, she defied those odds. My brother Tristan and his partner were expecting their first baby, due in September 2020, and Mum was determined to make it to that milestone. We also decided, because she had been robbed of her last Christmas in hospital, that we’d throw her a Christmas in July. Mum comes from a big family — one of six — so everyone rallied around her.
She made it to the 8th of July party. She was sleeping through a lot of it, but she was there, and we celebrated for her. That was a huge blessing.
SHE Stories: And she passed away not long after that?
Jenna: Yes. On the 13th of July, just two days before she died, she told us she was done. I remember saying it was like a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Those final two days were peaceful. She spent them with her mum and her sister, and then she slipped away at home on the Wednesday evening, surrounded by family. From diagnosis to her passing, it was just nine months.
SHE Stories: How has your family coped since losing her?
Jenna: My dad was her carer throughout her illness, and six months after she died he retired. Now he’s very involved with his grandsons, which has been healing for all of us.
There’s no family history of ovarian cancer — Mum’s two sisters and her mum are still alive. I’ve had all the marker testing that’s available, and I’m clear. But I still live with the “what if?” in the back of my mind.
As for my boys, they still talk about their Nan every day. Tander writes letters to her in a diary, telling her about his basketball wins. That’s how he keeps her close.
SHE Stories: Finally, Jenna, why was it important to you to share this story?
Jenna: Because I lost my best friend when I was 31. If telling Mum’s story can raise awareness so that other families might get a little more time with their loved ones, then it’s worth it. Anything to help, really.