One might recognize Jennifer Marshall as the actress who played Max's (Sadie Sink) mom on Stranger Things in seasons 2 and 4. The show broke multiple records and was hailed by The Guardian as Netflix's biggest English-language debut ever. However, Marshall never followed the traditional path to working in the entertainment industry. She's not only been a United States Navy veteran but has also lived her life as a private investigator.Jennifer Marshall was interviewed in 2019 by KSiteTV when she was selected to host CW's investigative documentary series, Mysteries Decoded. She opened up about her past and the reasons she became a Private Investigator."I am an honorably discharged U.S. Navy veteran. I deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I got out, and I moved to Los Angeles to be a police officer, and unfortunately, that path did not work out for me, but I still wanted to get into the investigation realm, I wanted to be a detective of some sort. So I went to P.I. school, earned my Masters in criminal justice, and I got my P.I. license," she shared.Marshall has made headlines recently, after she disclosed that being a part of Stranger Things season 5 would have helped her battle cancer.Jennifer Marshall opens up about cancer, union insurance, and Stranger Things:Jennifer Marshall, in an Instagram post, shared that returning as Susan Hargrove in Stranger Things season 5 would have been a life-altering opportunity. She expressed that the role would have helped her financially battle cancer. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post“I had cancer, I get it. But I was in remission during the shooting of season five. Shooting would have helped me obtain my health insurance through the union. Maybe they had too many characters, idk but obv Susan Hargrove is THE WORST MOTHER EVER LMAO,” shared Marshall.As per a report by US Weekly, back in 2022, Marshall made her cancer news public with a Facebook post. She shared being diagnosed with stage 3 cancer at the age of 39 after stage 1 cancer in her foot had spread to her lymph nodes.Fans rushed to share their empathy in the Instagram post's comments. They expressed that it would have been amazing to see Marshall on screen."I did not know that you had cancer! I'm so glad you beat it!! You were 100% missed we've all been asking about you and I think it's a very valid question. I would've loved to see a nice scene with Max's mum meeting the Sinclaris with Max and Lucas introducing you both before the graduation," shared Melissa Hurado."I agree!!! She wasn’t there at the hospital, for graduation and for the finale???" added Silvia Baldassini View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn fact, Marshal had expressed similar concerns to those of fans in her comment section. She shared an Instagram post featuring a photo of her on-screen daughter, Max, lying in a hospital bed at the beginning of season 5.“But where was Max’s mom??” wrote Marshall on top of the picture,“Okay folks! It’s over … but where was she? What kind of mother isn’t there for her child while she’s in the hospital?” continued the caption."Stranger Things 5" UK Special Screening - Special Access - Source: GettyIn an interview with Vulture, Sadie Sink also shared her perspective on Susan’s disappearance on the show.“It’s kind of common for the parents on the show: You just don’t know where they are except for Karen Wheeler [played by Cara Buono]. My theory is that Max’s mom must have disappeared or died at some point in the rift at the end of season four, because it goes through the trailer park,” she explained.Jennifer Marshall reflects on balancing acting and private investigation:In an interview shared by the New York Post on Aug. 15, 2019, Jennifer Marshall opened up about her entertainment background being different from that of other traditional actresses.“I’ve never limited myself, why not experience as much as you can? There are so many fascinating things in this world,” shared Marshall.“I grew up in a one-stoplight town in Colorado, I had nine veterans in my family and I’m a fifth-generation veteran. So it was pretty much a guarantee that one of the kids was going to go into the military. My parents thought it would be one of my brothers, but it ended up being me,” she added.Jennifer Marshall juggled her acting and hosting jobs with private detective work at Deep Source Investigations. Throughout the years, she helped in searches related to missing people, helping adopted people track down their birth parents and so on.By the end of the interview, Marshall shared that she had always been interested in acting since her college days. She shared a different perspective on combining her two careers, saying that acting complements her private-eye work, and vice versa.“I’m really great at reading people. That’s a great skill for an actor to have, people say these careers are dissimilar but I would disagree,” explained Marshall.For more updates on your favorite movies and TV shows, keep following Soap Central.