Hyunjin’s Fight Against Cancer

Hyunjin (Anna) is 31 years old and is fighting a rare form of cancer. 


Just a little over a month ago our family got the news that my one and only sister was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. If you are a mother, father, brother, or sister, I hope you never have to listen to this string of words. How rare it is? Less than 7% of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed with this. The scientific “fancy” term is poorly - differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This means that her cancer is extremely aggressive and can spread to other organs in a short period (in some cases, a single month).


CT scan and an MRI also confirmed the presence of another tumor in the gallbladder. This triggered a cascade of symptoms that eventually led to stomach pain and an ER visit which would forever change our lives. Initially, my family and I cried every day. Deep down we wanted to believe the experts had it wrong. Unsurprisingly, my sister continues to lead from the front (she has always taken care of me and her parents growing up). She was the first to embrace the truth and continues to march with faith. Thanks to her courage we finally caved in and accepted this new life.


What has hurt her family and friends the most is that she was on the verge of passing her NAPLEX examination and pursuing her career as a pharmacist. Her goal was and remains, to give her time to care for patients in her community. Now she entertains the thought of completing a residency in oncology to give hope to others. She is young, bright, positive, and has much more to offer to the field.


Again, she has always taken care of me and her parents growing up, and this is the least that I can do for my beloved sister. Your donations and your prayers will be greatly appreciated. It will help our family out tremendously during my sister’s long journey to beat this cancer! If you are in a rough spot yourself and cannot afford a donation, we will be more than grateful to have my sister in your prayers instead. Thank you for reading this post & please share.