'Full-Of-Life' Jen Had Big Bruises. Now N.J. Woman Fights For Her Own Life.

If you look at her Facebook page, Jennifer Jimenez, whom everybody described as "full of life," was the kind of person who told other people about GoFundMe pages.

Now there's one for her.

This past October, Jen, 25, noticed that she had unexplained massive bruises all over her body, her sister, Stephanie, said.

After numerous blood tests, unsuccessful treatments, two painful bone marrow biopsies, eight platelet and three red blood cell transfusions, the Fair Lawn woman was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia.

"Aplastic Anemia means that Jen’s bone marrow is failing," her sister said on Jen's GoFundMe page. "In her case, the cause is unknown, leaving her body with minimal blood cells and putting her at high risk for infections and internal bleeding."

Now, as Jen undergoes treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, an online fundraiser has been launched to help a borough woman as she fights for her life.

Jennifer Jimenez's rare condition occurs when one's body does not produce enough new red blood cells. It leaves people feeling fatigued and with a greater risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.

Jimenez is undergoing treatment twice a week. She is tentatively scheduled for a bone marrow transplant Jan. 31.

Stephanie wrote a letter that was posted on the Go Fund Me page about her sister and the battle she is enduring. Doctors have not found the cause.

"The transplant is her only chance of getting better," Stephanie said. "Jen will have to receive chemotherapy and radiation therapy along with an abundance of medications. In addition, Jen will be hospitalized and away from home fighting this battle for about 4 months."

Jimenez will have to have her eggs frozen to ensure she is able to have a family, something insurance only "minimally" covers, her sister said.

Jen showed her gratitude in a Facebook post:

More than $18,800 was donated as of Wednesday afternoon. The goal is to raise $80,000.

"Your kind donations would mean the world to Jen and our family," Stephanie Jimenez said. "It will help us cover the costs of Jen's medical bills and any expenses related to this heartbreaking and unexpected situation, so that her only focus is on getting better and going back to that incredibly full of life Jen we all know and love."

Send local news tips, photos, and press releases to daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.

Photo: Jennifer Jimenez, 25 — Courtesy of Go Fund Me