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

Monday, December 21, 2009

They are putting a feeding tube in Kim tonight. She had just been getting her nutrition intravenously before- now she will have a line feeding directly into her small intestine to nourish her. They bypass her stomach so they don't have to worry about her vomiting any more, though she hasn't done that since they put her on the paralyzing drugs.
While they have her on the respirator to get her lungs back into function, they will keep her sedated (unconscious.) They are also giving her pain medication and the drugs combine to create an amnesia-like effect, so she shouldn't be aware of or be able to remember any of this later.
Right now she has two nurses assigned to her day and night, and regular checks by the doctors. They are taking very good care of her- moving her around so her body doesn’t get stiff. They are very carefully monitoring all of her vitals and chemicals- matching how she is doing with what they will give her. It's a constant process.
Today all went well, aside from a temporary drop in her blood pressure, which they were able to get back up. The bronchoscope, probing of her lungs, went well. They are working to get them clear.
There is not much more we can do than wait and see what happens next. At this point, we know we will be spending Christmas at the hospital- probably in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.) At this point we're just hoping she'll be well enough to be conscious for it.
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2 comments:

  1. mommynolanDecember 22, 2009 at 5:32 AM

    Thanks for the update. Stay strong!
    As always our thoughts and prayers are with you,
    The Nolans

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  2. Todd and CarolDecember 22, 2009 at 10:38 AM

    Hi again Nelsons...we want you all to know that as a ward we continue to "wait" with you for Kim's recovery. Our thoughts, love, prayers and wishes are constantly being sent down there to Primarys. I remember during the beginning of my mission, when I was so lonely and frustrated because I couldn't speak or understand the language, that I thought often of those prayers at home being said for me and I would feel peace. Even though your hearts are sick with worry, we hope you feel the peace that everything will be ok. One of my favorite quotes is by Elder Neal A. Maxwell which says: "We know that God loves us, and knowing that, for the moment, is enough." Love, Carol

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