Jenna and Ethan - Discussion

JBF wrote:We probably should give them their own thread to keep track of their status... Jenna and Ethan. Afterall, they have been on more than one show (just not Bachelor).

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20542132,00.html

Morasca: Ethan Zohn's Cancer 'A Lot More Devastating' This Time
By Julie Jordan
Thursday November 03, 2011 11:05 AM EDT


Jenna Morasca and Ethan Zohn

When former Survivor winner Jenna Morasca heard the news that boyfriend Ethan Zohn's Hodgkin's lymphoma had returned, she was surprised by her emotions.

"The first time, as devastating and crazy and horrible as it was, I was like, 'Fine, we're going to beat this,' " Morasca, 30, tells PEOPLE.

"This time was a lot more devastating for me because we'd already been through so much. We really had moved on with our life and we had a lot of stuff we wanted to do that didn't involve cancer – I didn't think we'd have to do this again."

But in front of Zohn, 37, who'd been in remission for 20 months, Morasca put on a brave face.

"For him, I'm strong and I put my armor on," says Morasca. "I told him, 'We're going to put things in our calendar. We're going to make plans forever and cancer is going to have to work around our schedule.' "

As a caregiver, though, it's important to her to keep any fears close to vest.

"In front of the person you love, you're unbeatable, but alone I can sometimes be a giant pile of mush," she says. "I don't let him see me that way. If both of us are like that, who's going to rescue us and get us out of the funk?"

"That's what cancer wants, to be a part of your life at all times. Sometimes the hardest part about fighting cancer is not allowing that to happen."
Full Speed Ahead

Zohn's new chemo treatment, SGN-35, which specifically targets the cancerous cells, has enabled the couple to get on with their life. "It's weird because he doesn't look sick and he doesn't act sick but inside he still is," she says.

"He feels great, he can travel and he's still running the marathon, which I think is crazy! But I think he's running it for everyone who has suffered from cancer. He's not going to let it stop him."

The couple isn't going to stop planning their future together, either, all the way down to their wedding vows.

"When we do get married, that whole 'in sickness and in health' is a joke," says Morasca. "Just take that out, we already did that. You just realize how much you love each other and you want to continue on as planned."

Celebrity News November 7, 2011 AT 11:57AM By Zach Johnson

Ethan Zohn: How Girlfriend Jenna Morasca Is Helping Me Cope With Cancer Credit: Stephen Lovekin/nycm2011/Getty Images

When Ethan Zohn learned that his cancer had returned in mid-September, the 37-year-old Survivor winner looked to love of eight years Jenna Morasca for support.

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"Jenna is a rock star. You need someone, a copilot, who's going to be with you day in and day out, who's going to make you laugh when you're sad, make you feel confident when I'm feeling really self-conscious. She's there," Zohn told Us Weekly at ING New York City Marathon celebrity runners event Sunday.

"She's awesome. She stopped her life and she's going to be taking care of me," said Zohn, who finished the race in 4:20:46. "Every doctor's appointment, all the care, sleepless nights, she's going to be there."

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Despite his current condition, Zohn -- who was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in April 2009 -- remains optimistic about his health.

"I'm angry, I'm frustrated, I'm sad and scared," he admitted. "On the flip side, I really have an incredible opportunity to use this crisis to help others."

"It's important to let people know that in the cancer world, people think you either win -- you beat cancer -- or you lose and you die," he said. "There's no in-between. But in my situation, I fought as hard as I could and the cancer came back -- what are you going to do?"

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The Vassar College graduate said that in spite of his diagnosis, he's "still planning things in the future. This is not slowing me down."

One thing Zohn isn't quite ready for? Marriage.

"There are wedding bells somewhere! I just haven't heard them," he told Us. "But, you know, we've been together for a really long time and we love each other."