Those who know our sister, Kim Terhune, know her as a beautiful, hard-working, animal-loving, garden and bird enthusiast, compassionate and supportive mother and partner, and endearing sister. At age 37, Kim was diagnosed with Fallopian tube cancer, followed by a complete hysterectomy. Yes, she is tough and brave and remained steadfastly stoic throughout it all, always focusing on what she can do for others, especially her special-needs son, rather than what she needed for herself.

Recently, after suffering from ongoing nausea, vomiting, and fatigue for a few weeks, Kim went to the ER at Southern Ocean Medical Center, where they began testing and finally had a diagnosis after five days on Thursday, August 11, 2022: Fallopian Tube Cancer - Stage 4. She also has a 10 cm. mass on her liver, a cystic lesion in her left pelvic region, a lesion on her one lung lobe, and on her pancreas.

This diagnosis is devastating. Being the fighter she is, Kim is ready for the fight! She is currently on three medications to help her nausea so that she can eat and regain some weight and strength. Kim will begin chemotherapy as soon as she can get it scheduled, requiring a six-hour infusion once every three weeks for a minimum of 16 weeks, going two weeks beyond no lesions seen on a CT scan. She will have labs done every ten days. The goal of chemotherapy will be to keep this disease in remission for as long as possible. She will need two more treatments if her initial chemotherapy shows a clinical response. Depending on genetic testing results, those treatments will be followed by yet another type of treatment.

While undergoing treatment, Kim plans to work from home as much as possible, based on how she feels. Her partner, Vinny, also works full-time and has minimal paid time off. Fortunately, his employer has been very supportive. However, there may be unforeseen times when he will need to take off work to be with Kim. We don’t know the path that lies ahead or the expenses that will come up due to her illness. However, we want to ensure she does not have to worry about any of that and she focuses on kicking this cancer’s butt!

We know so many of you will want to help, may not know what to do, or may not live nearby and want to show support somehow. Please support Kim and her family in any way you can.

Thank you for being a part of our sister Kim’s life and for considering helping support her during the upcoming days, months and possibly years.

Much love,

Jill, Karen, Linda & Tracey