Kenzie’s IVF, Stem Cell & Chemo Journey

Hi friends and family,

As many of you already know my sister, Kenzie, has fought a long, hard battle with severe Crohn’s disease. Since she was diagnosed at 12 years old her specialists at Cedars Sinai have classified her case as extremely aggressive and unresponsive to treatment. These last 16 years her specialists have tried everything they can for her condition and because of the failed treatments she now qualifies for a brand new stem cell trial which will involve heavy doses of chemo.

The goal with this trial is that after removing Kenzie’s own stem cells, starting chemo and bringing her immune system to 0 then putting stem cells back she will essentially have a “reboot”. With this we hope she will respond better to her medications to treat the disease and maybe even get to a place where she isn’t doing daily IV therapy through her picc line (something she’s been doing almost 8 years now because her absorption through her gut is so bad due to inflammation and lost bowel from surgeries). The chemo won’t get rid of her disease and inflammation but we are told (and are hopeful) it will help turn things around enough to try to get on top of it all.

Kenzie will be admitted for 5+ weeks at Cedars Sinai when they do this trial. This is something they only offer for 18-28 year olds and because Kenzie turns 29 in October getting things ready has become very urgent with a handful of expensive procedures/treatments that need to be done before she starts. One of these procedures is IVF (in vitro fertilization). This is done to freeze embryos because the chemo will diminish Kenzie’s future egg quality and quantity. So in simpler terms Kenzie and Jeff are trying to freeze all their future kids STAT but the process is pricey! They expect her egg retrieval surgery to be early September and the IVF process alone will be upwards of 25k and is not an insurable benefit.

Any of you who know Kenzie know she’s a girl who works hard and hates asking for help. Having this fundraiser I know will take a huge burden off Jeff and Kenzie’s shoulders as they have had such a difficult (and pricey) first year of marriage. (You may have even heard the story of how Kenzie missed their first wedding date because she ended up in the ICU with sepsis that morning).

If anyone knows of any part time, remote jobs that are hiring, McKenzie’s husband, Jeff is currently looking for a new job. With the upcoming treatments it is important that they both social distance and not contract covid, and remote work seems to be the only way to accommodate this unique situation.

We remain so grateful for the outpouring of love and support. It has made all the difference, truly. If you can’t support financially we completely understand and would appreciate any shares, prayers, and good vibes as we all push to get through this difficult time. Thank you all!

If you want to read more about Kenzie's story or follow along this journey you can find her on instagram @kenziedawg