Help Karrah and Her Family in Their Fight Against Leukemia

At approximately 9:30 in the morning on Saturday, June 28, I awoke to the shuffle of a nurse coming into the room to take vitals. I tilted the stiff hospital recliner into a sitting position, and threw off the thin hospital blankets to the side; A morning ritual I have gotten a bit too familiar with. I had gotten about 4 hours of sleep for the first time in about 40hrs.

The previous two days had been a fever dream of two ER visits and a 3-hour drive down to Indianapolis with no sleep, my precious wife in the passenger seat holding her head in the worst pain of her life. Although I was severely sleep-deprived, I was wide awake, fueled by nicotine, caffeine, adrenalin, and Adderall. Carefully speeding just fast enough not to get pulled over, the chorus of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” looping through my head.

The previous day’s events came rushing through my head like an intemperate river as I stared absently at the black television hanging awkwardly from the ceiling. A familiar yet unfamiliar knock followed by the entrance of two strangers in white coats, sent a sinking sense of dread deep into my chest.

“Hello, we are with oncology…” was all I needed to hear. All the mysterious symptoms with no simple explanations all made sense now. “…Relapse……CNS……I’m so sorry…..” I dissolved in and out of the conversation. “Fuck me, you have got to be fucking kidding me…here we go again”.

2024 marks six years of Karrah surviving Leukemia. This September will be our 10th wedding anniversary, six years of Leukemia, four relapses, and one bone marrow transplant.

We have spent more of our marriage dealing with cancer than we have without it. Over the years it has taken its toll on both of us seen and unseen and somehow, bruised, broken, and battered we are holding fast to each other once again to face what feels like "The Long Defeat".

Throughout the years so many of you have shown up to support us in ways far beyond anything we could have requested. Through the horrific journey of cancer, we have had the privilege of being the benefactors of benevolence. We have experienced acts of kindness and love that are still hard for me to comprehend all these years later. Without asking, so many of you stepped in to meet our needs, often before we knew what they were.

Although survival is never out of the picture with Karrah, this fourth diagnosis comes with quite a heavy blow: a CNS relapse. A CNS Relapse means that Leukemia has entered the blood/brain barrier and has entered her central nervous system; something that her doctors were trying to prevent for a long time.

A bone marrow relapse is extremely plausible in the future, but for now it is isolated to her CNF (Central Nervous Fluid). She has had an Ommaya port surgically implanted in her head (google it, or if you have a strong stomach look it up on YouTube) and is receiving weekly chemotherapy treatments directly into her head.

Thus far the chemotherapy has been successful which is great news for the short term. However, this is not a long-term solution. Talks of a second bone marrow transplant will soon be on the horizon. Lines of communication have been opened with doctors at both Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and M.D. Anderson.

It is safe to say the best of the best are looking into this, but even with all of this, the situation does not look good. The risks of a second bone marrow transplant are severe, and include the risk of death. You can die from your disease or possibly die from the cure, it’s a shit deal.

Right now time is the most precious asset we have together, whatever amount it may be. I will be stepping back into the role of a full-time caregiver which is a 24/7 job. Full-time work will be out of the question for portions of her treatment. Karrah is on Medicare which does not fiscally benefit caregivers, only Medicaid does, therefore we are asking for your support.

I know all of you understand the struggles of cost of living and the financial burden incurred with me being unable to work at times, so basically, I would like to summarize our need as this: All donations buy me more time to spend with Karrah. Time is our most precious treasure together.

With all our love and gratitude,

Micah Teruya