Kristina’s Story

Site created on June 8, 2019

This website was created to help support Kristina Koga-Kim and her family of 4 as she fights her diagnosis of 2 cancers. Kristina is the mother of a 2 1/2 year old daughter Zoey and a 3 1/2 month newborn son Caleb. 

On Thursday May 30th Kristina wasn’t feeling well at home. She was having extreme nerve pain in the shoulder, chest pressure while lying down and pain around the back. It felt like her ribs may have been broken.

When she arrived at the hospital they ran an x-ray and found a pleural effusion - fluid in the sac surrounding her lungs. She was immediately rushed to the E.R. where they conducted thorecentesis, a procedure where a needle is stuck into her back in order to drain the pool of fluid. 1.5 liters of fluid was drained! 

The hospital conducted a CT scan as a follow-up measure only to discover 8 more liters of fluid and a collapsed left lung. In addition, a mass was discovered on her chest. If benign, they would go back and cut it out - seemed easy enough. 

After multiple scans and tests she was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma - a very rare and aggressive cancer that could grow by 100% each day. Cancer hospitals might see this type of cancer once every 10 years, if that. 

As if the story couldn't get any worse, they also confirmed through the biopsy that she had a second type of cancer: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia which is typically found in the bloodstream, bone marrow and brain. 

The world-class doctors and staff at the Kenneth Norris Jr. Comprehensive Cancer Center at USC have been working around the clock in order to help Kristina fight for her life.

She misses her children deeply and wishes she could see all of her beloved friends and family members. However, the doctors say it’s going to be a long treatment process! She will not be going home for at least a month and the chemo plan is an 8 month program.

We are hoping this page will help raise money for the family so they don’t have to worry about finances, child care, meals, etc... and can just help Kristina fight and heal!

Newest Update

October 10, 2020

Journal entry by Patrick Kim —

Hi All,

It’s been a minute since my last update. Despite all the crazy headline news that we’ve grown accustomed to in 2020, there’s still good news out there. Here’s one more positive news to share. 

Kristina had her PET/CT scan results come in from last month and everything looked great. She continues to improve. The size of the cancer in her chest shrank further and the cellular activity level decreased as well. Her white blood cell count (immune system) was very low, but she has been safely quarantining at home and we will continue to practice precaution. 

Thanks to the support that we received from family and friends, our little ones are healthy and maturing quickly. Zoey is full of jokes (laughing every day) and Caleb continues to... well, eat. That’s what he does - eat nonstop. 

I sincerely hope you all have been taking good care of yourselves. We are doing our best and wouldn’t be where we are today without you and our community.

With much love,
Patrick


P.S. Look at all that beautiful hair on Kristina’s head. Don’t mind the lack of mine. 
Read More of the journal titled "October 10, 2020"
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Kristina Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Kristina's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Leave a comment of support for Kristina

Did you know? A quick comment, no matter the situation (positive or negative), can boost morale by 28.2%.

Comments Hide comments

Load more comments
Read More Journal Entries

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

Personal Fundraiser
Support Links
Helpful Requests
Go to Ways to Help
SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top