I'm on my way back down to Kristine's to help lift her spirits. She met with Dr. Paquette Monday and came home once again feeling defeated. I fear she is losing hope and possibly her will to keep fighting.
Her breathing is progressively becoming more and more laborious and her heart is trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen her body is getting, so Dr. Paquette has decided Kristine must undergo a 6 week blood filtering process. It's a 3 hour procedure that must be done twice a week on two consecutive days at UCLA Medical Center which is at minimum an hour away with no traffic.
The ongoing decline in her health is taking a toll on Kristine's spirits. She's stressed, tired and has not been feeling well the past couple weeks. She has taken a few spills (fallen) both in and out of the house as her body is becoming more and more weak and she isn't as steady on her feet as she used to be.
She's down to 108 pounds but looks as if she barely weighs 90 pounds. Some of her meds have a side effect which causes her skin to thin and this only adds to her look of frailty.
I know with all the help of friends and family, we can lift her spirits and bring back the fight in her.
Many of you have inquired on how you can help. Well, thanks to Dave's brother Sean, he put the wheels in motion for Dave & Kristine to hire a nanny as Kristine is no longer able to care for the kids when Dave is at work. With the medical bills piling up, there is little money left to afford nanny services.
The nanny is actually a very close friend of Dave & Kristine's. She's known them for years and has helped with babysitting the kids since they were born. She is able to work very flexible long hours and even overnight shifts when Dave must work a double.
Sean has helped Dave and Kristine set up a bank account at Bank of America so that anyone who wants to help subsidize these costs may do so, as this bank is easily accessible in almost all areas throughout the country.
If you would like to contribute in this manner, no matter the amount, it would be so very helpful! You may do so at your local B of A branch. Please email me for the account number at bbcsmom@gmail.com as you will need this info to make a deposit.
Kristine is meeting with the pulmonologist at UCLA this afternoon and I will provide an update afterwards.
Remember to sign the guest book and leave Kristine an encouraging message. Help bring back that fighting spirit we all know her to have.
Thank you all for stopping by this website to check on Kristine's status. I hope this message finds you and yours happy and healthy.
~Karen
P.S. Remember to utilize www.caringbridge.org for more updates. See previously dated message below for more info.
DuFrene Family
Such a beautiful family!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Caring Bridge
Moving forward, I will be utilizing Caring Bridge to post updates to Kristine's condition. I feel I will be able to provide more timely updates via my iPhone. Caring Bridge has an app you can download right onto your smartphone, so for those of you who have one, please download this app to stay abreast on updates.
If you don't have a smartphone, you can access Caring Bridge on the internet. Kristine's page can be accessed at www.caringbridge.org/visit/kristinedufrene. It's still work in progress, so stay tuned.
Thank you and keep praying!
If you don't have a smartphone, you can access Caring Bridge on the internet. Kristine's page can be accessed at www.caringbridge.org/visit/kristinedufrene. It's still work in progress, so stay tuned.
Thank you and keep praying!
March 24, 2012
I apologize that I've not taken the time to provide more frequent updates on Kristine. Since October, Kristine has been fighting GVHD (grant vs host disease). It has been quite the battle and it's nowhere near over yet. It has now spread to her lungs and she is experiencing shortness of breath and has had a nagging cough for months now. Dr. Paquette said it's going to be a long, hard battle. He upped her Prednisone as well as added more medications to Kristine's large stock pile of pills she must take daily. Kristine was not happy about the Prednisone, which is a steroid, but will do whatever it takes to beat this disease.
Good news, she is still cancer-free, thank goodness!! Kat's donor cells are just kickin' her @$$ for the time being. She gave Kat a hard time about that the last time she saw her. Keep in mind, it is not Kat's fault that Kristine has GVHD. GVHD is a normal and expected side effect of a stem cell transplant.
On March 6th, Dave and Kristine suffered the loss of Dave's father, Jack. Jack was laid to rest on March 17th and the family was touched by all who came to bid their goodbyes.
I'd like to share a story about Jack with you...
Last summer, while helping care for Kristine and the kids, Chloe and I went to visit Jack at his house. The kids were running around the yard. Jack had a couple of child-sized adirondack chairs that he had purchased for Kahlen and Logan. Kahlen's was pink with the Disney Princesses and Logan's was blue with Disney Cars characters. Needless to say, with three kids and only two kiddie chairs, you can imagine the struggle between Chloe and Kahlen for that pink princess chair!
Jack excused himself and disappeared for about 20 minutes. When he reappeared, he had a pretty pink princess chair in hand for my little Chloe. He had driven over to the store and bought Chloe her own chair! I was so touched by this sweet and generous act by Jack. I had always found him to be quite intimidating, but realized at that moment, he was a teddy bear on the inside.
Thank you Jack, for always being so kind to me and my family when we crashed your house during our visits. You will be terribly missed.
As Jack watches over his loved ones, please continue to pray for Dave and Kristine. They have had a difficult time dealing with Jack's death. It's always more difficult a few weeks after everything has settled, so keep checking in on them from time to time. Also, please continue to pray for Kristine to beat this GVHD and to live a normal, healthy life once again.
Good news, she is still cancer-free, thank goodness!! Kat's donor cells are just kickin' her @$$ for the time being. She gave Kat a hard time about that the last time she saw her. Keep in mind, it is not Kat's fault that Kristine has GVHD. GVHD is a normal and expected side effect of a stem cell transplant.
On March 6th, Dave and Kristine suffered the loss of Dave's father, Jack. Jack was laid to rest on March 17th and the family was touched by all who came to bid their goodbyes.
I'd like to share a story about Jack with you...
Last summer, while helping care for Kristine and the kids, Chloe and I went to visit Jack at his house. The kids were running around the yard. Jack had a couple of child-sized adirondack chairs that he had purchased for Kahlen and Logan. Kahlen's was pink with the Disney Princesses and Logan's was blue with Disney Cars characters. Needless to say, with three kids and only two kiddie chairs, you can imagine the struggle between Chloe and Kahlen for that pink princess chair!
Jack excused himself and disappeared for about 20 minutes. When he reappeared, he had a pretty pink princess chair in hand for my little Chloe. He had driven over to the store and bought Chloe her own chair! I was so touched by this sweet and generous act by Jack. I had always found him to be quite intimidating, but realized at that moment, he was a teddy bear on the inside.
Thank you Jack, for always being so kind to me and my family when we crashed your house during our visits. You will be terribly missed.
As Jack watches over his loved ones, please continue to pray for Dave and Kristine. They have had a difficult time dealing with Jack's death. It's always more difficult a few weeks after everything has settled, so keep checking in on them from time to time. Also, please continue to pray for Kristine to beat this GVHD and to live a normal, healthy life once again.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
November 22, 2011 - And the winner is...
The winner of the quilt raffle was Lisa Moore. Lisa is a friend of a friend of mine. She doesn't even know Kristine but heard of her illness through my friend, Katora. Katora told Lisa of the quilt raffle and Lisa decided to purchase some tickets along with Katora and Katora's mother.
When Lisa heard she won the raffle, she decided not to keep the quilt herself but to gift it to Kristine. I think this is so generous of Lisa. The quilt has so much significance to Kristine and her family as a reminder that there are so many wonderful people out in the world who care about her journey, family and well being. It is so comforting to know that this quilt will bring her and her family comfort in the years to come.
I want to send out a huge thank you to Angie Ramich for making this beautiful quilt with loads of loving care. Angie, you are one of a kind, my friend!!
I also want to thank all the donors who helped raise over $1200 during this event. Your generosity has been a blessing and will help Dave and Kristine to continue to pay the mounting medical bills.
As for Kristine, she is still not doing much better. She is still in a tremendous amount of pain and has much difficulty eating and drinking. Her spirits are still good, though hard to tell at times, but I know Kristine is strong and believes she will win this battle.
Please continue to pray for Kristine to heal. We need all your prayers!!
Thank you!!
When Lisa heard she won the raffle, she decided not to keep the quilt herself but to gift it to Kristine. I think this is so generous of Lisa. The quilt has so much significance to Kristine and her family as a reminder that there are so many wonderful people out in the world who care about her journey, family and well being. It is so comforting to know that this quilt will bring her and her family comfort in the years to come.
I want to send out a huge thank you to Angie Ramich for making this beautiful quilt with loads of loving care. Angie, you are one of a kind, my friend!!
I also want to thank all the donors who helped raise over $1200 during this event. Your generosity has been a blessing and will help Dave and Kristine to continue to pay the mounting medical bills.
As for Kristine, she is still not doing much better. She is still in a tremendous amount of pain and has much difficulty eating and drinking. Her spirits are still good, though hard to tell at times, but I know Kristine is strong and believes she will win this battle.
Please continue to pray for Kristine to heal. We need all your prayers!!
Thank you!!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
November 19, 2011: Update on Kristine's condition and the quilt raffle
Hello Friends and Family,
I know it's been a long time and I apologize for the lack of updates on Kristine's status. Kristine was doing so well through her first 100 days of recovery from the transplant, which we thought was great news... but as it turns out Dr. Paquette wanted Kristine to at least develop a mild case of grant vs host disease (GVHD). The doctor explained that transplant patients who do not develop any cases of GVHD have a higher chance of the cancer relapsing.
About 2 months ago, Kristine started show signs of developing GVHD. It started with a tingling and numbing sensation in her mouth. Soon after, hundreds of tiny sores developed in the mouth and throat. These sores have been very painful. It is difficult for Kristine to eat, drink or even swallow her own saliva. Today, she is still suffering from these sores. She is on two medications for this symptom.
On October 20, Kristine developed another form of GVHD, this time in her eyes. Her eyes bloodshot and extremely dry. They are so dry that they feel like sandpaper against her eyelids. It is also very painful. She has difficulty even opening her eyes some days. She uses drops in her eyes on a regular basis and is being put on Restasis for this symptom.
In addition to the above, Kristine has been suffering from severe body aches, an inflamed liver, dehydration, acid reflux, vomiting, a lack of sleep due to the constant pain she's in and has lost quite a bit of weight. She is now below the weight she was before she became pregnant with Kahlen (under 120 lbs). She is withering away before Dave's eyes and he is completely torn apart, feeling helpless, watching his wife suffer. He naturally wants to help heal her, but the doctor says the GVHD must run its course.
Dr. Paquette has Kristine on several other medications, I believe a total of 8 or 9, for the different issues she's suffering from. Two weeks ago, Kristine lay crying in fetal position due to severe abdominal cramping and was admitted into the UCLA Emergency Room. As it turned out, one of the pain meds Kristine was taking causes constipation. This was unbeknownst to her and with the painful sores in her mouth, eating and drinking were at a bare minimum. Many efforts have been taken to get Kristine's bowels moving, but it has been an extremely slow process and she has been in a tremendous amount of pain since this began on October 31st.
Most recently, Kristine began having lower back pain. In her words, excruciating lower back pain. As it turns out, she also has a urinary tract infection and is being medicated for this issue. She has been on the meds for the UTI since Tuesday with no relief as of yet.
Kristine lives in a world of pain... and there is nothing any of us can do except give her emotional support. She's a bit frustrated with the entire situation as you can imagine. She's always prided herself in being a strong, athletic, active person with a high tolerance for pain; yet her doctor and nurse make her feel as if she's a hypochondriac... so you can imagine her frustration.
Caring for Kahlen and Logan on the days Dave must work and there is no daycare available (which happens occasionally) proves extremely difficult given Kristine's condition. I'd like to thank Deb, Dee, Marly and Elena for lending a hand when needed to help care for the kids. The four of you have been a true blessing and we cannot thank you enough.
Today is Kahlen's 4th birthday. Unfortunately she doesn't get to celebrate it due to a case of the stomach flu. Logan has it too. Dave has his hands full caring for all three of them. My sisters and I wish we could be there to help him. My husband and I will be there to help next month as we spend the Christmas and New Year holiday with Kristine and her family. Next month feels like it just isn't soon enough knowing how much Kristine is suffering and Dave is having to deal with.
Please feel free to lend a helping hand to Dave and give Kristine the emotional support she needs to pull through this. We need our prayer warriors once again to pray for a full recovery for Kristine from this GVHD and for Dave to have the strength to continue to care for his family in the amazing way he has since this nightmare began on February 28th.
Kristine will be back at UCLA on Monday to meet with Dr. Paquette. I'll be sure to post an update on her condition.
As for the quilt raffle, it has been going great! I cannot believe the outpour of generous donations from friends, family and even perfect strangers. It's heartwarming. The raffle was supposed to take place this evening at 7pm, but we had to delay it to 4pm tomorrow. So I will let you all know who the lucky winner is tomorrow. Thank you to all!!!
I know it's been a long time and I apologize for the lack of updates on Kristine's status. Kristine was doing so well through her first 100 days of recovery from the transplant, which we thought was great news... but as it turns out Dr. Paquette wanted Kristine to at least develop a mild case of grant vs host disease (GVHD). The doctor explained that transplant patients who do not develop any cases of GVHD have a higher chance of the cancer relapsing.
About 2 months ago, Kristine started show signs of developing GVHD. It started with a tingling and numbing sensation in her mouth. Soon after, hundreds of tiny sores developed in the mouth and throat. These sores have been very painful. It is difficult for Kristine to eat, drink or even swallow her own saliva. Today, she is still suffering from these sores. She is on two medications for this symptom.
On October 20, Kristine developed another form of GVHD, this time in her eyes. Her eyes bloodshot and extremely dry. They are so dry that they feel like sandpaper against her eyelids. It is also very painful. She has difficulty even opening her eyes some days. She uses drops in her eyes on a regular basis and is being put on Restasis for this symptom.
In addition to the above, Kristine has been suffering from severe body aches, an inflamed liver, dehydration, acid reflux, vomiting, a lack of sleep due to the constant pain she's in and has lost quite a bit of weight. She is now below the weight she was before she became pregnant with Kahlen (under 120 lbs). She is withering away before Dave's eyes and he is completely torn apart, feeling helpless, watching his wife suffer. He naturally wants to help heal her, but the doctor says the GVHD must run its course.
Dr. Paquette has Kristine on several other medications, I believe a total of 8 or 9, for the different issues she's suffering from. Two weeks ago, Kristine lay crying in fetal position due to severe abdominal cramping and was admitted into the UCLA Emergency Room. As it turned out, one of the pain meds Kristine was taking causes constipation. This was unbeknownst to her and with the painful sores in her mouth, eating and drinking were at a bare minimum. Many efforts have been taken to get Kristine's bowels moving, but it has been an extremely slow process and she has been in a tremendous amount of pain since this began on October 31st.
Most recently, Kristine began having lower back pain. In her words, excruciating lower back pain. As it turns out, she also has a urinary tract infection and is being medicated for this issue. She has been on the meds for the UTI since Tuesday with no relief as of yet.
Kristine lives in a world of pain... and there is nothing any of us can do except give her emotional support. She's a bit frustrated with the entire situation as you can imagine. She's always prided herself in being a strong, athletic, active person with a high tolerance for pain; yet her doctor and nurse make her feel as if she's a hypochondriac... so you can imagine her frustration.
Caring for Kahlen and Logan on the days Dave must work and there is no daycare available (which happens occasionally) proves extremely difficult given Kristine's condition. I'd like to thank Deb, Dee, Marly and Elena for lending a hand when needed to help care for the kids. The four of you have been a true blessing and we cannot thank you enough.
Today is Kahlen's 4th birthday. Unfortunately she doesn't get to celebrate it due to a case of the stomach flu. Logan has it too. Dave has his hands full caring for all three of them. My sisters and I wish we could be there to help him. My husband and I will be there to help next month as we spend the Christmas and New Year holiday with Kristine and her family. Next month feels like it just isn't soon enough knowing how much Kristine is suffering and Dave is having to deal with.
Please feel free to lend a helping hand to Dave and give Kristine the emotional support she needs to pull through this. We need our prayer warriors once again to pray for a full recovery for Kristine from this GVHD and for Dave to have the strength to continue to care for his family in the amazing way he has since this nightmare began on February 28th.
Kristine will be back at UCLA on Monday to meet with Dr. Paquette. I'll be sure to post an update on her condition.
As for the quilt raffle, it has been going great! I cannot believe the outpour of generous donations from friends, family and even perfect strangers. It's heartwarming. The raffle was supposed to take place this evening at 7pm, but we had to delay it to 4pm tomorrow. So I will let you all know who the lucky winner is tomorrow. Thank you to all!!!
Friday, September 2, 2011
An update, a possible commercial and two fundraisers
UPDATE ON KRISTINE
Kristine is nearing the end of her first 100 days of recovery since receiving her transplant. Today is Day 93. So far, she hasn't had any major issues... that's a good thing, right??? That's what we thought. Well, at Kristine's last appointment at UCLA, she and Dave were left feeling a little deflated after Dr. Paquette said he would like Kristine to have developed a mild case or two of GVHD (grant vs host disease). He said her chances of having a relapse (the cancer coming back) are greater having not experienced any issues with GVHD. We don't understand why but we hope and pray Kristine will defy the odds and stay cancer free. Being that Dave did not understand why this is so, he contacted one of the nurses at UCLA who debriefed them prior to Kristine being released from the hospital. She said patients who do develop GVHD within the first 100 days of recovery have also been known to have relapses as well. So we are going to keep our thoughts positive and hold onto the hope that she will continue to do well, stay healthy and remain cancer free.
POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL
Orange Coast Memorial asked Dave and Kristine if they would participate in a photo shoot to potentially be included in a commercial for the hospital. They had Kristine hold a sign that said, "Diagnosed with Leukemia at 34," with a sad face. Then she had to turn the sign over and it said, "Cancer free at 35," with a happy face while Dave was kissing her on the cheek. All the guys from Dave's fire station showed up at the hospital to show their support for Kristine who was very nervous over the whole situation. If Dave and Kristine are chosen amongst the numerous patients they photographed, they will be invited to appear at a benefit for the hospital in Newport Beach. As shy as Kristine is, she is nervous about being the "chosen one." See the photo to the right that Dave took while Kristine was being photograghed.
FUNDRAISERS
We currently have two ongoing fundraisers to help with the mounting medical bills from Orange Coast Memorial and UCLA Medical Center. The first is a Quilt Raffle mentioned in a previous post. We are currently selling tickets at $10 for one and $20 for three. If you purchase your tickets by November 1st, you'll receive one extra ticket for free!! 100% of th proceeds raised will go directly to Kristine. Call or email Karen Fondersmith at 707-688-7706 or bbcsmom@gmail.com to order your tickets.
Our second fundraiser is being put on by a friend who is a Pampered Chef Consultant. She felt compelled to help Kristine and her family in some way, so she decided to put together a BINGO NIGHT Pampered Chef Fundraiser. Those of you who live in Solano County or a nearby county are welcome to join in the fun on Friday, September 9th at 6:30pm at Liberty Christian Center, 2641 N. Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533. This is a fun filled event with pizza, drinks, raffle prizes, games and Jodie's famous Quartermania, so don't miss out, RSVP today to Karen at bbcsmom@gmail.com. Those of you who live out of the area are welcome to make a purchase and the sale will go towards Kristine's benefit. Just go to www.pamperedchef.com/jodiescookin and be sure to enter my name, Karen Fondersmith, as the host and you will see Kristine's name appear along with mine. If you don't see both our names appear, you are not making a purchase towards this fundraiser. So be sure to follow the above instructions when making a purchase. 100% of the proceeds raised at this event will go directly to Kristine.
Please spread the word regarding these fundraisers. The more people we have participate in these events, the more we are able to help out Dave and Kristine.
Thank you all and please continue to pray for Kristine that she will remain healthy and cancer free!!
Kristine is nearing the end of her first 100 days of recovery since receiving her transplant. Today is Day 93. So far, she hasn't had any major issues... that's a good thing, right??? That's what we thought. Well, at Kristine's last appointment at UCLA, she and Dave were left feeling a little deflated after Dr. Paquette said he would like Kristine to have developed a mild case or two of GVHD (grant vs host disease). He said her chances of having a relapse (the cancer coming back) are greater having not experienced any issues with GVHD. We don't understand why but we hope and pray Kristine will defy the odds and stay cancer free. Being that Dave did not understand why this is so, he contacted one of the nurses at UCLA who debriefed them prior to Kristine being released from the hospital. She said patients who do develop GVHD within the first 100 days of recovery have also been known to have relapses as well. So we are going to keep our thoughts positive and hold onto the hope that she will continue to do well, stay healthy and remain cancer free.
POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL
Orange Coast Memorial asked Dave and Kristine if they would participate in a photo shoot to potentially be included in a commercial for the hospital. They had Kristine hold a sign that said, "Diagnosed with Leukemia at 34," with a sad face. Then she had to turn the sign over and it said, "Cancer free at 35," with a happy face while Dave was kissing her on the cheek. All the guys from Dave's fire station showed up at the hospital to show their support for Kristine who was very nervous over the whole situation. If Dave and Kristine are chosen amongst the numerous patients they photographed, they will be invited to appear at a benefit for the hospital in Newport Beach. As shy as Kristine is, she is nervous about being the "chosen one." See the photo to the right that Dave took while Kristine was being photograghed.
FUNDRAISERS
We currently have two ongoing fundraisers to help with the mounting medical bills from Orange Coast Memorial and UCLA Medical Center. The first is a Quilt Raffle mentioned in a previous post. We are currently selling tickets at $10 for one and $20 for three. If you purchase your tickets by November 1st, you'll receive one extra ticket for free!! 100% of th proceeds raised will go directly to Kristine. Call or email Karen Fondersmith at 707-688-7706 or bbcsmom@gmail.com to order your tickets.
Our second fundraiser is being put on by a friend who is a Pampered Chef Consultant. She felt compelled to help Kristine and her family in some way, so she decided to put together a BINGO NIGHT Pampered Chef Fundraiser. Those of you who live in Solano County or a nearby county are welcome to join in the fun on Friday, September 9th at 6:30pm at Liberty Christian Center, 2641 N. Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533. This is a fun filled event with pizza, drinks, raffle prizes, games and Jodie's famous Quartermania, so don't miss out, RSVP today to Karen at bbcsmom@gmail.com. Those of you who live out of the area are welcome to make a purchase and the sale will go towards Kristine's benefit. Just go to www.pamperedchef.com/jodiescookin and be sure to enter my name, Karen Fondersmith, as the host and you will see Kristine's name appear along with mine. If you don't see both our names appear, you are not making a purchase towards this fundraiser. So be sure to follow the above instructions when making a purchase. 100% of the proceeds raised at this event will go directly to Kristine.
Please spread the word regarding these fundraisers. The more people we have participate in these events, the more we are able to help out Dave and Kristine.
Thank you all and please continue to pray for Kristine that she will remain healthy and cancer free!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
HOORAY!!! The quilt is ready to raffle off!!!
With the medical bills rolling in, I'm kicking off a new fundraiser! Thanks to a wonderful friend of mine, Angie Ramich, who made and donated this beautiful quilt (see pictures on the left), I will be raffling it off in an effort to raise thousands of dollars to help alleviate the burden on Dave and Kristine.
This beautiful quilt is valued at over $300!! The tickets will be sold for $10 each. The drawing will be held on Saturday, November 19th. Please join me in helping to sell as many of these tickets as possible.
Please contact me, Karen Fondersmith (Kristine's sister), at (707) 688-7706 for tickets or you can send cash, checks or money orders payable to Kristine DuFrene to the following address:
Karen Fondersmith
2129 Sunhaven Court
Fairfield, CA 94533
Ticket stubs will be emailed (preferred) or mailed to each recipient, depending on each individual's choice.
Thank you for your continued support, thoughts and prayers for Kristine. May she continue to do well in her recovery and stay on the road from complete remission to being cured.
Thank you!!!
~Karen
This beautiful quilt is valued at over $300!! The tickets will be sold for $10 each. The drawing will be held on Saturday, November 19th. Please join me in helping to sell as many of these tickets as possible.
Please contact me, Karen Fondersmith (Kristine's sister), at (707) 688-7706 for tickets or you can send cash, checks or money orders payable to Kristine DuFrene to the following address:
Karen Fondersmith
2129 Sunhaven Court
Fairfield, CA 94533
Ticket stubs will be emailed (preferred) or mailed to each recipient, depending on each individual's choice.
Thank you for your continued support, thoughts and prayers for Kristine. May she continue to do well in her recovery and stay on the road from complete remission to being cured.
Thank you!!!
~Karen
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