Help Kristin's Family During Tough Times

October 2024 Update

The good the bad and the ugly.

For my own peace of mind. I try not to understand everything.

Spent the entire day throwing up. I hate throwing up. Full body aches. Broken sleep. Neuropathy in my hands and feet are so bad I keep falling and dropping stuff. I broke my favorite coffee cup and a vase full of flowers.

Nose bleeds are so bad I was talking to the kids Sunday school teacher last week and it just started pouring down my shirt. Mouth sores and tongue sores are excruciating I can’t swallow for days. My teeth are so sensitive it hurts when I inhale. Night sweats. Ive gotta say the night sweats are my least favorite symptom. I have to change my pajamas, my sheets and Danny a few times throughout the night. I keep a clean folded pile next to the bed ready to go so it’s always a quick change over.

So grateful I have a husband that loves me no matter what because this is all so embarrassing.

I have to get a shot after my chemo treatments now to boost my bone marrow, because my white count is always critical. It’s so painful. The side effects are bone pain. I can feel the burning inside my bones. It gives me chest pains. I lay in bed wondering is it heart burn? Is it fluid? Will I have a heart attack in my sleep tonight?

So I just pray.

I find myself more exhausted and weak after treatments lately, I’m having to hold onto the walls to get around. I need two hands to pick up my cup of tea.

I am covered in blisters on my arms and legs. Not painful but ugly.

My toe nails are all peeling off and ugly . So happy it’s now sweater and boots season.

This chemo brain fog is a real thing. I can’t find words sometimes. I feel like I have Alzheimer’s. I tried ordering my regular ice coffee in the drive through the other day and stuttered so bad, then I went blank and ended up just driving off embarrassed. No coffee.

My eyelashes and eyebrows are completely gone now. My eyes are always dry and bloodshot. So glad I had my brows micro bladed a few years back. I do love waking up daily with eyebrows lol.

Gastritis has been managed.

I’m getting weekly chest X-rays and echos on my lungs and heart to really monitor them. This has really helped my anxiety about all of this. They want to catch if I get pericarditis again the moment it may start to prevent the major heart surgery I’ll have to have in Boston that they keep talking about.

I’m on a high dose of steroids since getting out of the hospital. This has its own side effects but is also keeping all fluid and inflammation down in my heart. It’s all a balancing game.

I am past the half way point and in the home stretch now. Officially doing the count down.

Really trying to slow down and enjoy all the good moments. Breathe in the fresh air. Hug my kids extra. Really stop and spend quality time. Check in with people. Be a better listener. Have patience. And to smack Dannys butt more.

I can’t wait to beat this and make some memories as a healthy energetic mom. And stop waiting for the right time for things.

I’ve been working on crocheting a Christmas tree skirt for our tree. A keepsake we’ll have for ever. The project I made that will represent the end of this long journey.

Praying I beat this and it never comes back.

I just want to thank everyone again who checks in with me. Who cooks us meals. Who helps me fold laundry. Who checks in on my kids. Who has spent some quality time with my kids. I can’t put into words how much I truly appreciate it.

“Normalize waking up in a positive mood.

Relax. Pray. Set a good tone for the day.”

I just want to say to few things about Danny. How lucky I am.

I truly married my best friend. It’s the little things like going to sleep and waking up next to him every morning, watching the kids run to him when he gets home from work, making me laugh like no one else, being my calm when my emotions are high, and lifting me up when I’m feeling low. Mentally, (and physically which is effortless with those gigantic biceps.) Growing with him has been nothing but up and that’s a high I never want to come down from. He is our world, our protector, my biggest supporter, and my best friend.

Couldn’t imagine going through this year or life with anyone else

An update from my sister.

Hi guys. I just wanted to send a big thank you and an update.

I am writing to express my heartfelt thanks for your contribution. Your generosity means the world to us, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. Your kindness has made a significant impact on our life, and we will never forget your thoughtfulness. We are so overwhelmed with gratitude there are not enough words to truly express how much your love, prayers and generosity have impacted our family.

Thank you for the homemade meals, the gift cards, the notes and texts, the babysitters, the love and all the prayers.

Being so sick I can not even explain how much of a relief it’s been to not have to worry and stress as much.

This entire experience has been eye opening and life changing for sure.

Health update

So yes I’ve been sick for a while. But I did not know it was cancer the entire time. I had all the symptoms but kept blowing them off. Like who isn’t tired. Or who doesn’t have a dry cough in the winter. Losing the baby weight was nothing to complain about.

I finally had bloodwork and that showed severe anemia and iron deficiency. Also my lymph nodes in my neck were swollen. That’s what started my journey. My doctor ordered a cat scan and that showed all my nodes swollen. Huge tumor in my chest. Cancer in my lung liver and spleen. I had a second cat scan and pet scan weeks later that showed cancer has now spread to my hip bones and my spine. And my spine is fractured as well from the cancer. So it’s spreading fast.

My diagnosis is stage 4 aggressive bcell lymphoma.

I had an appointment to get a biopsy done and was trying to wait it out but kept getting more sick. Super short of breath and my heart was pounding. I woke with another big tumor on my neck pushing my throat closed and then couldn’t catch my breath so I told danny I think I need to go to the er. I’ve never seen Danny pack a bag so fast in my life. Not even when we were in labor lol.

I got there and triaged right away. The echo showed I was in cardiac tamponade. They pulled liters of fluid off my heart in that first emergent surgery. I had another surgery to cut a cardiac window. I had chest tubes. They tapped my lungs a few times to drain so much fluid. I had surgery to remove nodes. And another to biopsy my chest tumor. I was icu for weeks. That was such a struggle. Being away from my kids. And the pain. It was a lot physically and mentally.

They collapsed my left lung accidentally. They tried two different procedures to try and fix it. They did not work so I’m still down one lung. And the other is filled with fluid again. At this point we’re just hoping the chemo will help and fix it all. I’m discharged now and home because you have to he an outpatient to receive chemo.

I’d much rather be woken up from a kid crying they peed the bed than nurse Ratchet waking me to give me my 3am stool softeners lol.

All my doctors have been great. Routing for me. I’m young and healthy otherwise so they’re optimistic I’ll beat this.

I have another ct in 3 months to see results so far. The plan is I’ll be doing chemo every 2 weeks until December.

Danny has been absolutely amazing. He has been my side the entire time holding down the fort. Playing mom, dad and husband flawlessly. Minus the day he called me saying “um babe we’re out of toilet paper and milk, we’re never out of this stuff and I just realized how much you really do”

I plan on setting up a medical bills payment plan with all of this. They are already rolling in. Also maybe buy myself a sweet new wig or two.

We are sincerely thankful for your kind gestures all the love and generosity.

Hi Everyone,

My sister, Kristin has been sick for months now. She was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. In a weeks time, Kristin has undergone 3 procedures and 2 surgeries. As we continue to wait for test results to come in which will help doctors figure out the best course of chemo treatment. Many people have reached out wanting to help. We want to thank everyone so much who has helped out so far with the kids and with the food. We truly appreciate that. With the family now down to one income and Danny going back and forth between the kids and the icu, my family felt this would be the best way to help them. They can use this money for the kids and also towards her medical bills.

Thank you for considering to help my sister, who is truly my best friend, and her family.

Kara