Kristine Dominguez Haynes

Hello all,

My name is Jordan Haynes, and I am the surviving spouse to Kristine Dominguez Haynes, who passed away on December 12, 2022, from complications with RSV. It was her 30th birthday.

For those of you who do not know our story, Kristine and I met in 2013 while both studying at California State University, Long Beach through our Christian campus ministry. The growing of our love took us both by surprise, as only the best love stories do. Following our graduation in 2017, we would both move to China to spend time our time serving on the mission field and while that time remains amongst our favorites, it would lead to our separation and Kristine's return to the States. But love is not easily forgotten, and in 2019, we would get back together, determined to spend the rest of our lives together.

'Forever' became a finite thing for us in June 2020, when Kristine would be diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She began chemotherapy at City of Hope in July 2020 and finally hit remission in November later that year. I proposed on December 23 and we dove into the excitement of wedding planning with our date set for Summer 2021. A month before our wedding, our fairytale was shaken as we discovered Kristine's Leukemia relapsed. Her oncology team was clear: she would need a bone marrow transplant to save her life. They would allow us the time to get married and honeymoon, and then we were expected to return to City of Hope for her transplant. Thankfully, one of Kristine's younger sisters was a nearly perfect match and volunteered to be her donor. On July 1st, 2021 we said our vows and jumped the broom into our future. Our wedding and honeymoon were magical, a period of pure bliss frozen in time for us. For 4 weeks we lived in Kristine's hospital room. The staff called our room the "Honeymoon Suite". On July 21st, Kristine received her bone marrow transplant, a second chance at life. A week later, we moved into our home and began navigating our new normal, Kristine's health our only priority.

The transplant would leave Kristine immunocompromised, which came with complicated feelings of gratitude and grief as we mourned together the changes to our dreams. But Kristine was a fighter, and she never gave up wanting to live her life to the fullest. She struggled in every way to overcome what cancer had stolen from her. Without a doubt, Kristine would describe 2021-2022 as the hardest and happiest time of her life. Her body was healing so well, and we began making more allowances for traveling, concerts, and more. We rescued an Australian Shepherd puppy who quickly fell in love with Kristine. She was in love with her career as a special education teacher and began volunteering with our teen ministry at our church. She was taking charge of her life and was thankful to God for his favor toward her.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Kristine would contract RSV and in her immunocompromised state, it would cause irreparable damage. This was the first time Kristine had fallen ill since her transplant. For three weeks she would battle the disease, only to succumb to its damage on the night of her 30th birthday. She was surrounded by her family and felt no pain. Kristine was acutely aware of how blessed we were throughout her entire journey. We never had to want financially or wonder if we would have shelter or support. She was treated by the world's top Leukemia doctors in a world-class facility and had a career that allowed her flexibility and upward momentum, despite needing to work remotely. Health insurance was never a burden for us, unlike the reality for so many. She saw all of these blessings as God's grace. In recognition of that, it was Kristine's wish that in her passing, we would make a sizable donation to an organization in support of low-income, women of color battling life-threatening illnesses. She wanted to make a difference in someone's life the way God had made one in hers.

I ask you now to join me and our family in honoring my late wife's wishes; stand with us in making a difference in the lives of others. An organization has yet to be selected that will reflect Kristine's values, and once one is selected, all donors will be notified. Thank you for your generosity in this difficult time.

Best,

Jordan Haynes

Devoted husband to Kristine