Since late October, Nafeeah Kim has been struggling with feeling healthy, she has had low energy and a persistent cough. Initially, we thought it was just a seasonal virus, but as it lingered and she continued to gradually worsen, we became concerned that it was more than just a bug and Nafeeah started exploring with her doctors to see what else might be going on. Around this time, she also started to have severe pain in her left shoulder, which limited her ability to move around and take care of things at the temple.
Mid November, her doctors did tests and scans and found some lesions that were concerning, particularly one in her lungs, and they ordered a biopsy, but ended up waiting awhile due to getting a cold. They ended up taking the biopsy sample at the beginning of December. Since then, we had been waiting on the results, which were very slow in coming, but over the week of November 11th, Nafeeah was really ailing. Her shoulder pain had become unmanageable and she was losing strength, so on Wednesday 12/13 the family brought her into the emergency room and she then was admitted to the hospital in order to stabilize her and hopefully get to the bottom of her underlying health issues.
The doctors did more scans and tests, and were alarmed to see that the lesions they had previously identified had grown quite a bit, and also that they were seeing more of them on their scans. It was very shocking to hear, but after further tests, they diagnosed Nafeeah on Thursday 12/14 with a fast-moving and aggressive cancer. They are not totally sure at this time where the cancer is originating, but their best guess is the lungs or from the endometrial cancer she had some years ago. They are calling it Stage 4, and there are lesions present in many areas of her body, including her bones, liver, lungs and brain.
The doctors gave Nafeeah the choice of attempting treatment of the cancer or just letting it run its course. They have said that the best outcome they would be hoping for if she pursued treatment was to slow the cancer down, and they didn’t see any way that she could hope to beat the cancer completely, (but stranger things have happened.) On Friday 12/15, Nafeeah made the strong decision that she wanted to attempt treatment and see how her body responds. She understands that there are no certainties about the effects of the treatments, but wants to give it a good fight.
That Friday evening, they gave her the first treatment, which was a chemotherapy infusion. She tolerated the infusion very well, though the effects of it will continue to manifest over the next few weeks. After that, we will have to see how the treatments are going, and will access on a treatment-by-treatment basis. We will keep this site regularly updated with any any news.
Thank you all so much for all of your loving concern and attention, your healing energy, and your generous offers of help.
The actual grave site is to the west of where this address will take you, in the graveyard. It is toward the far end, not to far from the main road. Here is a google pin that may help you find it: https://maps.app.goo.gl/i98XSNAt3Mm3tx4z7
Kim's grave is in the “Green Garden” section of the cemetery. You may use the dirt road to park near the grave site.
Her grave is close to the last tree in the row (there is a bench next to the tree).
Her grave is marked with a flush, temporary marker.
The ground may be muddy and please e mindful of weather, and dress appropriately.
For those that would like to go at a different time, the park is open dawn to dusk, 7 days a week,
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