Support Kristen's Leukemia Recovery

On June 6th, my daughter Kristen received one of the most terrifying diagnosis that you can receive. She originally thought that she had a prolonged viral illness, but she was diagnosed with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This required an urgent transfer to Duke University Hospital. Kristen has completed her first phase of chemotherapy and is now home after 38 days in the hospital. She is scheduled for 4 additional phases of treatment in an outpatient setting with Duke Cancer Center.

Kristen has been a nurse in step-down units for the last 6 years and has always given the highest standard of care to her patients. Kristen was having a lot of knee pain for a month prior to having this diagnosis and continued to work her shifts. As time went on, she did have to call out because of the pain that she was experiencing. She worked two 12-hour shifts prior to going to the hospital less than 7 hours after her shift ended. Kristen was unable to walk when she came home from her last shift and needed help.

As hard as it is to ask for help, she is in a situation of needing help at this time. Kristen is single and is financially responsible for herself and due to the leukemia, she will be unable to work for the foreseeable future and has no other source of income. Kristen is currently on FMLA and she will only have insurance through August, but medical bills are beginning to arrive. It is uncertain of how much her medical bills will total or what the goal should be. There are a lot of people who are going through their own hardships and she does not want to take more than what is needed.

Please share this with your family and friends. Kristen will be extremely grateful for any donation regardless of the amount that is received but can understand if you are unable to do so. Any donations received will go towards her medical, transportation needs, and living expenses. Please, everyone, say a prayer not just for her, but for others that are going through their own medical issues. God bless you all and thank you for reading her story.