Despite everything, she chose this.
Jenna Masenheimer, current Prima NextGen intern
A NOTE FROM MITCH
Meet Jenna.
In between chemo treatments and other major medical hurdles, she’s chosen to intern at Prima. With her conditions, she’s been told that her bones over time will become more and more fragile.
With this sense of looming and increasingly challenging hardship, she chose to spend part of her life journey with us at the theatre. Understanding her conditions, I asked the obvious question…”Why?” She had interviewed with Prima staff member Sara, and I hadn’t met Jenna till she was on her second day at the theatre. I was curious.
With her permission, here’s Jenna’s story…
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“I started showing signs that something was wrong with my bones and gastrointestinal system around 7th grade. It was assumed to be related to the stress of playing piano as much as I did. As I went through high school, my gastro condition progressed to the point where I was sick multiple times each day. At this point, all the bones in my body started to worsen. When I started college, I went to see a rheumatologist for the first time who suggested some very bold treatment options that my parents weren’t comfortable with.
When we got a second opinion, we found it was worse than we initially thought. My primary conditions are a very advanced case of Sjogren’s Syndrome (a disorder decreasing water conduction in the body). I also have a form of dysautonomia known as Orthostatic Hypotension with Vasovagal Syncope. My autonomic nervous system doesn’t understand changes in physical position and will cause me to fall, pass out, become weak, get sick, etc. Stage 4 Endometriosis has spread to cover my organs, and a rare unknown condition causes the spontaneous formation of life-threatening allergies.
There are countless other subsidiary diseases and conditions that have stemmed from these, but the core lies here. In general, I have a stringent medication regimen that I need to follow, including chemotherapy agents weekly. I have wrist, knee, and ankle braces to help with frequent joint dislocation, and I wear compression stockings to promote blood flow and avoid passing out. I stand or walk with a cane on days when I feel weak or know I will be on my feet a lot. There have been multiple scares throughout the past few years, and I have been dealing with these situations while attending school full-time, working multiple jobs, and living alone. Because of my chemotherapy-based treatment, I am immunosuppressed and required to be extremely safe around others who may be sick, even from non-COVID conditions. Any virus could be an extreme threat to my body.
I started interning with Prima while COVID was in its biggest flare yet. Going to the Prima office was the first consistent way I was getting out of my room in two years. I am a disabled and immunosuppressed individual, so the pandemic has meant all of my work and schooling has been from home up until this point. My health team determined that the benefits of working with Prima were worth breaking my long-standing quarantine. Thus far, I’ve been working on a mixture of projects including licensing, data analysis, and stage management.
My personal pet project was an accessibility audit of the space showing the strengths and weaknesses of the theatre as a venue for ill or disabled artists and patrons. I’ve been able to diversify my learning to include all kinds of topics I either have expertise in that I could help the organization with, or that I was woefully unaware of that the Prima team could teach me about. After two years of not participating in any live theater or musical performances, Prima reinvigorated my love for performing arts in a way that makes me hopeful for my future in the industry.
Working with Prima reminds me of why I have strived to keep myself safe throughout the pandemic, so I can return to doing what fulfills me.”
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Thanks for making this kind of impact with your generosity. It’s a reality — together we’re invigorating lives through fresh theatrical experiences.
-Mitch
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