Kimberly

Kim was diagnosed with AML Leukemia on July 22, 2009, just after she finished high school. She'd been feeling well, just showing a few bruises when she went to Primary Childrens Medical Center for a heart surgery to fix a relatively minor condition she's had since she was born. A blood test before the surgery showed that her blood had been completely taken over by the cancer. They admitted her that day and began treatment right away. She went through five long rounds of chemotherapy, doing relatively well, with the exception of one infection that led to a very scary stay in the Pediatric ICU. She spent almost all of that time in the hospital, with just a few breaks to go home. By the end of March 2010 she was allowed to go home for good- officially in remission! She was so excited to finally go to USU Fall semester, and got strait A's in all of her classes! Psychology, Humanities, Family Finance and ANATOMY. Not a week after finals, at a regular check up at PCMC, her blood tests showed that her cancer was back. And thus began round two- Kim's goal was to make it to a bone marrow transplant. We had found a donor, so all that was left was to get her in remission once more. After three rounds of chemotherapy, her body was no longer strong enough to keep fighting, no matter that her spirit was. She will always be with us. 7:48 pm, March 31, 2011

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Marrow Transplant




One other thing that happened today was the first step in figuring out what we'll do if Kim ends up needing a marrow transplant.

As I've mentioned before, it's still uncertain whether or not she will need one. If at the end of her first month, she has less than 5% of her original 99% leukemia-blood content, then she won't need a transfusion at all (rare.) If she has less than 15%, they'll give her a transplant only from a sibling, me or Michael, if we are a type match (25% chance for each of us- this is the most likely scenario.) If she still has over 15%, then they will go to the national donor registry and search out a match for her there. It is also rare that she'll be that bad.

Today, I was officially admitted to the hospital as an outpatient, and I had some blood samples taken to be tested. We'll know in about a week and a half if I am a match or not.

Also today, I contacted Michael's mission president, and he is going to have the mission doctor get Mike into a clinic for his own blood samples to be taken and sent back to the rep here at Primary Children's (whose information I gave them) for the same testing. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer after my results that we get his.

For those of you who have expressed a desire to be tested as a potential marrow donor for Kim- thank you! Because of the extreme unlikelyhood of just any person being a match for her, what the Primary Children's transplant unit has suggested is registering for the national marrow registry. You never know- maybe you'll end up being a match for Kim after all. If not, they would still contact you in the event of finding out you are a match for another person in a situation similar to Kim's. No matter what, I think you should check out their website:


(As a side note- they have said the same thing about blood and platelet donations. In the ward she is staying in, ImmunoCompromised Services, they only use blood and platelets from their bank. Part for convenience, part for safety. I know it is kind of a bummer- but just think, if you donate to your local red cross or any other group, it all comes around in the end. Pay it forward :) And thank you for thinking of her... your love means so much to us.)
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1 comment:

  1. Todd and CarolJuly 29, 2009 at 6:40 AM

    I really believe in deep breathing exercises. Do them faithfully. It is what helped bring me out of my anesthesia grogginess after I had my gallbladder out and I see patients come off oxygen all the time because they have concentrated on their deep breathing exercises. Carol

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