Caryn’s Story

Site created on March 4, 2022

Help support caryn by clicking this link:

https://my.bethematch.org/swabforcaryn (https://my.bethematch.org/swabforcaryn or text SWABFORCARYN to 61474 to join the database to see if you are a match for Caryn,  more details on how to register below. Thank you for reading! 

Caryn, ‘ren’, made the courageous decision to change her life and move to California to start a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at USC. She wanted so much to help people that are struggling in this crazy world and time. She also recently married her long term partner, Tony.  On March 8th, they’ll have been married for 1 year. Together with their 2 cats Chicken, KP ‘loaf’ and dog Moose they have created a wonderful life for themselves. Unfortunately, this past month she was diagnosed with B-Cell MLL-Rearranged Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with an unfavorable t(4;11) chromosome mutation. It is a very rare form of Leukemia especially for her age.

Even at a young 32 years old, the cure rate is only 10% with chemotherapy alone. This form of cancer is very aggressive. Within a week of being diagnosed at the ER, she was hospitalized and immediately put on her first round chemotherapy to kill overproducing white blood cells. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy also kills healthy blood cells indiscriminately. She has been receiving blood transfusions to replenish her red blood cells. As of March 2, she has received a total of 6 chemotherapy treatments.


 At this time, in order for her body to produce any healthy white blood cells, she will need a blood stem cell transplant. With a transplant, her chances of recovery significantly increase to 70%.  Her doctors at City of Hope are currently searching the global donation database registry called, Be the Match, but so far Caryn has not found a match as minority registered donors are significantly lower. We need your help to save lives. 

Please click on the link https://my.bethematch.org/swabforcaryn or text SWABFORCARYN to 61474 to join the database to see if you are a match for Caryn or any patient. Kits will be mailed to you at no cost. It takes less than 10 minutes and a simple cheek swab to see if you are a match. Donors must be between 18-40 years old, in general good health and be willing to donate to any patient. 

Age guidelines are not meant to discriminate. They are meant to protect the safety of the donor and provide the best possible outcome for the patient. The lower age limit is based on the legal age of consent. A guardian or parent is not able to sign a release or give consent because unrelated bone marrow donation is a voluntary procedure. 

The upper age limit is based on both donor and patient considerations. There is a small increase in the risk of complications from donations in older donors. There is also a slightly increased risk of blood disorders in older people. In addition, studies have shown that patients who receive donated cells from younger donors have a better chance for long-term survival. 

We are working very closely with the hospital and if you have any questions, please leave a comment below or you can contact our coordinator, Joyce Valdez at jovaldez@coh.org (mailto:jovaldez@coh.org). Thank you.

Please check out this video for more information about the blood stem cell transplant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp5iu2RuKWk

Newest Update

March 16, 2022

Journal entry by Christina Hsu —

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday's event at Wen Wen BK was as huge success! Registered 204 swab kits! (Which we were told was a new record for them in any 1 event.  We probably would have registered more if we didn't run out of kits 3/4ths of the way, or run out of time.)  

We had people lined out the door!  For those of you who attended/volunteered at the event - Thank you SO MUCH for coming and for your patience - I know that there were times we were a bit overwhelmed and some of you were left waiting 😟.   Your kindness and sincerity did not go unnoticed.  It was the first time I met many of you and the amount of love you shared in loving/supporting Caryn made me want to bawl non-stop (again, sorry for the awkwardness 😅).  Not sure if you guys all saw but Caryn too watched the event live - she even joined in for a few.  When she heard the news she had a megawatt smile plastered on her face (with tears welling in her eyes).  I know we repeatedly share how grateful we are but no amount of thanks will ever be able to truly communicate how appreciative we are of all of you. 

----

New update alert!

Despite yesterday's success we don't have time to stop.  We have an amazing opportunity to work with @EvelynYang and piggyback on a rally she has been working on with @nubcnyc.  Details have yet to be finalized for where we will set up our table/booth.

These are the things we do know - 

what: 2nd SWABFORCARYN NY Donor Event (in collaboration with the STOP THE CHINATOWN MEGAJAIL MARCH)
when: Sunday, March 2022 | Time: TBD (the rally starts @1PM - ideally we'd like to set the booth up at the end of the rally where the speeches take place ETA ~2PM)
where: COLUMBUS PARK | More specific details to come.  Will update you as soon as we can.

We are in need of volunteers! If you are available to help out please DM us @swabforcaryn (Instagram) - Last year NUBCNYC's event had approximately 10,000 attendees!  




 
Read More of the journal titled "March 16, 2022"
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Caryn Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Caryn'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 Caryn

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