Khira's Children's College Fund
Donation protected
Hello World! My name is Frank, and I am married to a wonderful woman named Khira. We have a blended family with our three children Chloe, Max, and Addy. We have been through ups and downs over the last 5 ½ years together, but we have both felt incredibly blessed to have found each other. Khira works two jobs during the week to help support our amazing family. One of them is a non-profit that helps children in hospitals all across the United States at Easter time.
In the early morning hours of April 9th, 2014, Khira woke me up from a deep sleep with fast, shallow breathing. She was trying not to wake me, but I could tell something was wrong. Her pain was located in her abdomen, and I immediately assumed she was suffering from appendicitis and needed immediate medical attention. I loaded the kids up in our car, and we raced to the local emergency room. We spent the entire night and next morning bouncing from nurse to technician to doctor, all of them trying to figure out what was going on. One of the nurses giving Khira an ultrasound actually wept throughout the entire test. She deeply apologized to us, and told us that she couldn’t tell us why she was so emotional. We knew it wasn’t good. In the end, we got good news and bad news. The good news was that Khira appendix was fine; the bad news was she had a large mass in her abdomen. At that point, however, the doctors didn't care about the mass and were focused on her kidney, which was much too large.
Khira heading to the ambulance 2014.
Khira was transferred to Florida Hospital - Orlando via ambulance, because it was the only hospital in the area that could handle her situation. Over the next few days, she went through two different procedures attempting to save her right kidney. In the end, we learned that her right had essentially died nearly three months prior, and that it now risked corrupting her remaining functioning kidney. There was no choice; she needed to get the mass and her dead kidney removed. On April 16th, at 1PM, Khira went through surgery, during which her doctors removed the mass (an 11.5 cm monster), her appendix, right kidney, both ovaries, part of her colon and small intestine, and 13 lymph nodes. The surgery lasted only a couple of hours, but recovery did not go smoothly. Having never been seriously ill prior, the docotrs quickly discovered that she is allergic to many different medicines, including a scary allergy to morphine, and the doctors had limited choices to control pain. Khira was in intense pain for several days post surgery and was left with a 14-inch incision held together with 57 staples. Her battle for life was just beginning.
Having fun in the hospital on Easter Day 2014. For the first time ever, the Easter Bunny came and visited her instead of her visiting patients in the hospital.
Khira swearing in for her last will and testimate pre surgery 2014.
Khira post surgery, first time out of bed 2014.
Khira being discharged post surgery 2014.
On Friday morning, April 18th, Khira’s primary surgeon, Dr. Kendrick came into her room to deliver the news. The results had come back from pathology, and her mass was indeed cancer, one that is very rarely seen. Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma affects roughly 600 people or less annually, and her case would require a regimen of intense chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the cancer is very aggressive. She was told that the chemo could cause all of her hair to fall out and was also warned that people with long hair like hers often experienced breakage followed by the sound of her hair coming, sounding like snapping twigs. Pretty scary stuff. Khira was released from the hospital on April 23rd and then back in the emergency room on Friday the 28th because of a complication from her surgery. The recovery process was long and arduous, and yet she always focused on the positives and the laughter.
Moving forward with our plans together, Khira and I married on May 17, 2014, in the backyard of our home with our friends and family members in attendance. We chose this location because Khira was still very weak from surgery, and she could barely stand for more than a few minutes. It was a beautiful wedding, especially having been planned in less than a month. The next day, Khira, being the person that thinks of other before herself, donated three 22-inch long braids of her beautiful blonde hair to Locks of Love. She was told that her hair would not be accepted once treatment began.
The wedding party family May 17, 2014.
Khira having her hair cut off for Locks of Love, 2014.
Khira began chemotherapy on May 23rd, 2014, and her last session was on November 14th, 2014. If you have ever been through or seen someone go through chemotherapy, I don’t have to tell you how horrible it is. If you haven’t, I hope that you never have to see it or go through it. It is Hell for both the person receiving it, and for those watching their loved one go through it. There is nothing you really can do to help out, you feel helpless.
Last chemo session November 14, 2014.
After Khira’s chemotherapy was done, she began to get routine CT scans to see if any tumors had returned. She was scheduled to get a new CT scan done every three months. By April of 2015, she was feeling much better, and all of her scans had been coming back perfect. She consulted with her Doctor once again, and they agreed that her port, the device that was used to administer her chemotherapy, could be removed. Another huge hurdle had been crossed! On June 8th, 2015, she once again headed off to get her scan completed, this time an MRI. The results came back several days later, and all was still perfect. Since our family had been through a lot over the last year and a half (including my own sinus surgery in December and Chloe's corrective bone surgery in May), we decided to take a two week vacation and drive up the East Coast, showing the children the history of our great Country. I'm sure you can imagine how tight money has been with so much medical drain. I got creative and collected all of my accrued hotel and rental car points from my job, and managed the entire trip for virtually no cost. It was great!
We loaded up our car and headed out for Beauford, South Carolina to watch Independence Day fireworks and to show the kids Parris Island, where United States Marines are made. From there we traveled to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Cape Cod, and finally turned back towards home. We all had a blast together and enjoyed being able to finally cut loose and relax as a family. During the drive up and back, however, Khira was still having some discomfort and pain in her abdomen. It had started just after her June MRI, but we really didn’t think much of it. We had assumed it was a reaction to the contrast that they use during the test. Soon July became August, and the week of birthdays was upon us. Khira, Addisyn, and Khira's mom all share the same birthweek. We were so happy to be celebrating at home together, unlike the one she had the year before. You see, she had to receive chemo on her 40th birthday. Actually, a lot of holidays in 2014 were spent receiving chemo, including Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July and Halloween. Yes, we watched fireworks from the hospital room last year. Well actually, I did while Khira rested in her bed.
Halloween chemotherapy October 31, 2014.
By August 6th, 2015, Khira was suddenly in a ton of pain. By the afternoon she was curled up in the fetal position on the couch. She got up, looked at me, and told me that she needed to go to the Emergency Room. Her Mom took her, while I waited nervously at home with the children. It took a little while, but in the end she found out that she was going to be admitted. She was in acute renal failure. Her other kidney, the only one left, was suddenly dying. We knew that she had just had that perfect MRI in June, so what was causing this? As a precaution, the emergency room preformed a CT scan to see what could be going on. What we weren’t told right away, was that she had three swollen lymph nodes, one of which was pressing against her ureter and preventing the kidney from properly draining. She was rushed to an emergency procedure and given a nephrostomy bag to release the pressure on her kidney, which has so far been working. Her next procedure was a biopsy of the swollen lymph nodes. We've never prayed so hard for the results to come back showing just a massive infection.
On August 13th, 2015, just two days ago, Khira and all of us learned some devastating news. Her cancer has returned, and this time with a vengeance. There is no cure for this cancer, but it is treatable. It may eventually win, but there are promising clinical trials, and this time her doctor is really focused on the fight. And that's what Khira is planning to do...FIGHT. Her chemotherapy this time will be very different. Her doctor has already sent her original pathology to Arizona for molecular profiling, to see what chemotherapy will be the most effective. While we wait for that, he is starting her immediately on other chemotherapy. We don’t have any time to lose.
Cancer fighting Round 2 - 2015.
Thank you all so much for reading the history and ensuing battle that Khira has and continues fighting. While we may be in a better place financially than others, her first round of treatment rang up a $10,000+ bill, which she paid for diligently and in full, but brought our family close to the breaking point. This time around, we really need your help, and that is hard to ask for. I'm sure many of you understand. We fear that this round will throw us over the edge.
If you can't contribute, your prayers and positive thoughts are truly enough and more than appreciated. If you can, we are so very and incredibly grateful. May God Bless you and your family. Thank you.
The family December 2014.
We are looking forward to taking this same picture in December 2015...
Khira "Cancer Fighter".
In the early morning hours of April 9th, 2014, Khira woke me up from a deep sleep with fast, shallow breathing. She was trying not to wake me, but I could tell something was wrong. Her pain was located in her abdomen, and I immediately assumed she was suffering from appendicitis and needed immediate medical attention. I loaded the kids up in our car, and we raced to the local emergency room. We spent the entire night and next morning bouncing from nurse to technician to doctor, all of them trying to figure out what was going on. One of the nurses giving Khira an ultrasound actually wept throughout the entire test. She deeply apologized to us, and told us that she couldn’t tell us why she was so emotional. We knew it wasn’t good. In the end, we got good news and bad news. The good news was that Khira appendix was fine; the bad news was she had a large mass in her abdomen. At that point, however, the doctors didn't care about the mass and were focused on her kidney, which was much too large.
Khira heading to the ambulance 2014.Khira was transferred to Florida Hospital - Orlando via ambulance, because it was the only hospital in the area that could handle her situation. Over the next few days, she went through two different procedures attempting to save her right kidney. In the end, we learned that her right had essentially died nearly three months prior, and that it now risked corrupting her remaining functioning kidney. There was no choice; she needed to get the mass and her dead kidney removed. On April 16th, at 1PM, Khira went through surgery, during which her doctors removed the mass (an 11.5 cm monster), her appendix, right kidney, both ovaries, part of her colon and small intestine, and 13 lymph nodes. The surgery lasted only a couple of hours, but recovery did not go smoothly. Having never been seriously ill prior, the docotrs quickly discovered that she is allergic to many different medicines, including a scary allergy to morphine, and the doctors had limited choices to control pain. Khira was in intense pain for several days post surgery and was left with a 14-inch incision held together with 57 staples. Her battle for life was just beginning.
Having fun in the hospital on Easter Day 2014. For the first time ever, the Easter Bunny came and visited her instead of her visiting patients in the hospital.Khira swearing in for her last will and testimate pre surgery 2014.Khira post surgery, first time out of bed 2014.Khira being discharged post surgery 2014.On Friday morning, April 18th, Khira’s primary surgeon, Dr. Kendrick came into her room to deliver the news. The results had come back from pathology, and her mass was indeed cancer, one that is very rarely seen. Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma affects roughly 600 people or less annually, and her case would require a regimen of intense chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the cancer is very aggressive. She was told that the chemo could cause all of her hair to fall out and was also warned that people with long hair like hers often experienced breakage followed by the sound of her hair coming, sounding like snapping twigs. Pretty scary stuff. Khira was released from the hospital on April 23rd and then back in the emergency room on Friday the 28th because of a complication from her surgery. The recovery process was long and arduous, and yet she always focused on the positives and the laughter.
Moving forward with our plans together, Khira and I married on May 17, 2014, in the backyard of our home with our friends and family members in attendance. We chose this location because Khira was still very weak from surgery, and she could barely stand for more than a few minutes. It was a beautiful wedding, especially having been planned in less than a month. The next day, Khira, being the person that thinks of other before herself, donated three 22-inch long braids of her beautiful blonde hair to Locks of Love. She was told that her hair would not be accepted once treatment began.
The wedding party family May 17, 2014.Khira having her hair cut off for Locks of Love, 2014.Khira began chemotherapy on May 23rd, 2014, and her last session was on November 14th, 2014. If you have ever been through or seen someone go through chemotherapy, I don’t have to tell you how horrible it is. If you haven’t, I hope that you never have to see it or go through it. It is Hell for both the person receiving it, and for those watching their loved one go through it. There is nothing you really can do to help out, you feel helpless.
Last chemo session November 14, 2014.After Khira’s chemotherapy was done, she began to get routine CT scans to see if any tumors had returned. She was scheduled to get a new CT scan done every three months. By April of 2015, she was feeling much better, and all of her scans had been coming back perfect. She consulted with her Doctor once again, and they agreed that her port, the device that was used to administer her chemotherapy, could be removed. Another huge hurdle had been crossed! On June 8th, 2015, she once again headed off to get her scan completed, this time an MRI. The results came back several days later, and all was still perfect. Since our family had been through a lot over the last year and a half (including my own sinus surgery in December and Chloe's corrective bone surgery in May), we decided to take a two week vacation and drive up the East Coast, showing the children the history of our great Country. I'm sure you can imagine how tight money has been with so much medical drain. I got creative and collected all of my accrued hotel and rental car points from my job, and managed the entire trip for virtually no cost. It was great!
We loaded up our car and headed out for Beauford, South Carolina to watch Independence Day fireworks and to show the kids Parris Island, where United States Marines are made. From there we traveled to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Cape Cod, and finally turned back towards home. We all had a blast together and enjoyed being able to finally cut loose and relax as a family. During the drive up and back, however, Khira was still having some discomfort and pain in her abdomen. It had started just after her June MRI, but we really didn’t think much of it. We had assumed it was a reaction to the contrast that they use during the test. Soon July became August, and the week of birthdays was upon us. Khira, Addisyn, and Khira's mom all share the same birthweek. We were so happy to be celebrating at home together, unlike the one she had the year before. You see, she had to receive chemo on her 40th birthday. Actually, a lot of holidays in 2014 were spent receiving chemo, including Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July and Halloween. Yes, we watched fireworks from the hospital room last year. Well actually, I did while Khira rested in her bed.
Halloween chemotherapy October 31, 2014.By August 6th, 2015, Khira was suddenly in a ton of pain. By the afternoon she was curled up in the fetal position on the couch. She got up, looked at me, and told me that she needed to go to the Emergency Room. Her Mom took her, while I waited nervously at home with the children. It took a little while, but in the end she found out that she was going to be admitted. She was in acute renal failure. Her other kidney, the only one left, was suddenly dying. We knew that she had just had that perfect MRI in June, so what was causing this? As a precaution, the emergency room preformed a CT scan to see what could be going on. What we weren’t told right away, was that she had three swollen lymph nodes, one of which was pressing against her ureter and preventing the kidney from properly draining. She was rushed to an emergency procedure and given a nephrostomy bag to release the pressure on her kidney, which has so far been working. Her next procedure was a biopsy of the swollen lymph nodes. We've never prayed so hard for the results to come back showing just a massive infection.
On August 13th, 2015, just two days ago, Khira and all of us learned some devastating news. Her cancer has returned, and this time with a vengeance. There is no cure for this cancer, but it is treatable. It may eventually win, but there are promising clinical trials, and this time her doctor is really focused on the fight. And that's what Khira is planning to do...FIGHT. Her chemotherapy this time will be very different. Her doctor has already sent her original pathology to Arizona for molecular profiling, to see what chemotherapy will be the most effective. While we wait for that, he is starting her immediately on other chemotherapy. We don’t have any time to lose.
Cancer fighting Round 2 - 2015.Thank you all so much for reading the history and ensuing battle that Khira has and continues fighting. While we may be in a better place financially than others, her first round of treatment rang up a $10,000+ bill, which she paid for diligently and in full, but brought our family close to the breaking point. This time around, we really need your help, and that is hard to ask for. I'm sure many of you understand. We fear that this round will throw us over the edge.
If you can't contribute, your prayers and positive thoughts are truly enough and more than appreciated. If you can, we are so very and incredibly grateful. May God Bless you and your family. Thank you.
The family December 2014.We are looking forward to taking this same picture in December 2015...Khira "Cancer Fighter".Organizer
Frank Hahnel
Organizer
Casselberry, FL
