Kimberly Patterson Murphy was diagnosed with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia on May 13, 1999.
The following updates chronicle her battle with the disease and subsequent bone marrow transplant.
During Kim's year-and-a-half battle, these updates were e-mailed to friends and fellow warriors all over the world. As the fund continues to grow, new updates will be sent out regularly.
For those who have been a part of our journey, thank you for continuing to read and take an active role in Kim's Fund.
all my love,
Brian Murphy
Finding Words – December 12, 2000
This is my first update since Kim's death. I have seen many of you at
the two services we had for Kim, and heard from many others via e-mail
or this site. In personal greetings and letters the phrase that came up
most (more even than the extent to which all of your thoughts are with
Kim's parents and with me (thank you!)) was, "there are no words..."
I agree, of course. I have not yet had any success putting my feelings into appropriate words. No luck yet in expressing what I'm sure many of you are feeling. No chance in expressing the loss I am still trying to come to terms with.
This, then, is our first big challenge as Kim's friends and loved ones: to find words. Words cannot describe explanations, or even offer consolation for this, the greatest of losses. But it is words, and deeds, that will give Kim's life purpose. By spreading word and encouraging deeds, we can honor the incredibly honorable spirit, the incredibly exuberant life, and the incredibly infectious smile that were the hallmarks of Kim's life.
This Fund will, of course, live on.
It will live on as a tribute to Kim and to her fight.
More than ever I ask for your help. Our efforts must continue and increase.
We must carry the heavy torch that Kim has passed to us all. We must encourage
regional fundraisers. We must come up with innovative ways of letting
everyone know that we are working to find a cure for leukemia. We will
continue to fight.
There were services for Kim on November 29th in Florida and December 2nd in Connecticut.
Along with the ministers' poignant
talks, one friend spoke at each service. There have been many requests
for the transcript of these talks.
Below please find the remembrances from each of the two services.
On Kim's request, friend Kenny Lyons performed a song by Richie Havens. At both locations his performance was deeply moving. Thank you, Kenny, for your beautiful performances.
The lyrics are available here.
I will soon be introducing a new section to this site. For Fellow Warriors is being designed specifically for the many people who have visited, and continue to visit, our site daily, and who are directly affected by leukemia or who are facing the scary, yet potentially life saving, prospect of a bone marrow transplant. I am putting together important links, information, and a forum for the exchange of ideas for those who must battle this dark foe.
All my love,
Brian
Kimberly Patterson Murphy passed away at 7:30 am this morning. I was with her when she died. She was not in pain and went peacefully.
Kim was 29 years old, had been in remission for thirteen months, and had been married for two weeks.
She was, and remains, the most wonderful person I have ever known.
There will be two memorial services for Kim: one in Sarasota, Florida and the other in Wallingford, Connecticut. They are being planned for the week after Thanksgiving. When exact dates and times have been confirmed, I will send out another update.
The families and I ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made the Fund.
Thank you for your kindness and your prayers,
Brian Murphy
Our Darkest Hour — November 17, 2000
The week following the wedding provided a fairly uniform schedule. Each morning we would take an ambulance over to the hyperbaric chamber, return for the doctors' rounds and several hours of IV medications, and then prepare for our time away from the hospital in a hotel connected to M.D. Anderson via a skybridge.
Most evenings, Kim would shrewdly negotiate a four or five-hour pass, separated from her IV pole, so that we could cross the skybridge, head to our room, and nap, watch movies, and eat dinner in a non-hospital atmosphere. Our time there was wonderfully normal, which made it absolutely magical.
In the middle of the week, Kim had another MRI. The abscess and swelling had grown worse. Despite all efforts, the infection was progressing.
Over the weekend, Kim's level of discomfort dramatically increased. Her stomach grew distended and she complained of severe back pain. The doctors, worried that the pain was caused by the cerebral swelling, ordered the next MRI for Monday, several days earlier than scheduled. Kim's IV pole was fitted with a pump to administer a small, continuous infusion of morphine.
The MRI was very hard on Kim, her back and stomach continued to cause her pain. At one point the MRI technicians were forced to take a break so that Kim could be temporarily re-hooked to the morphine pump in order to tolerate the rest of the scan.
Back in the hospital room, Kim seemed as sharp-witted as ever and had the team of doctors and nurses in stitches during their examination of her. She called several friends and exhausted herself just by talking to them on the phone. That evening we wheeled over to our hotel room for a few hours, but Kim had a hard time getting comfortable.
The results from the new MRI showed little or no change. Tuesday night was agonizing for Kim; her back and stomach continued to give her tremendous discomfort. We spent the entire night continually changing her position, hoping for some relief. In the morning they increased the morphine dosage and administered anti-anxiety drugs. Kim finally drifted off to sleep.
All day Wednesday Kim stayed in a deep sleep, but remained responsive. When asked, she would squeeze our hands and give us the "thumbs-up" when a desirable position was achieved. I even got a few hugs. It was clear she was no longer in pain.
By Thursday morning Kim was no longer responsive. At some point during the night she had slipped into a coma, brought on by the continued destruction of cerebral tissue by the fungal infection. The doctors do not believe she will regain consciousness. We now sit and wait and watch.
We wait for a miracle and watch her for any sign of discomfort. Kim will continue to receive anti-fungal drugs and blood products. She continues to fight.
Please continue to send positive thoughts and prayers to Kim.
All our love,
Brian and Kimberly Murphy
Great Love Through Great Adversity — November 8, 2000
We have continued to be hit with difficult news. A MRI performed on Oct. 30th showed swelling and an abscess in the left side of Kim's brain. These results were consistent with the doctors' clinical assessment; the facial paralysis on Kim's right side had progressed to include partial paralysis of her right arm and leg. The fungal infection has spread and is more dangerous than ever.
Kim made it clear to her team of doctors that she would give them 150% of her energy and beat this thing. The dosages of her existing medications have been increased, experimental anti-fungal agents are being administered, and Kim is receiving several treatments designed to boost her body's ability to fight infection.
Kim is also receiving daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This involves a three-minute ambulance ride to nearby Herman Hospital's hyperbaric chamber. Once there, Kim puts on a custom fit clear plastic hood and enters the chamber for approximately 90-minutes. The pressure in the chamber is increased to the equivalent of a 45-foot dive. Our hope is that this therapy will help the anti-fungal agents get deeper into the tissues that are infected.
On Oct. 31st, after Kim's second dive in the hyperbaric chamber we decided that, in the midst of this latest challenge, we would focus on life and joy. We would take strength from an event that would celebrate our love... a little earlier than planned.
On Saturday, November 4, Kim and I were married at the chapel here in the hospital. We had a very nice, small ceremony with our families and a few friends, as well as doctors, nurses, and some of the other MD Anderson staff that has had such a profound impact on our lives.
We returned to Kim's hospital room following the short reception to find that her name plate had been changed to "Kimberly Murphy", and a small sign on the door read, "Do not disturb: Honeymoon in session!"
With the honeymoon over, for now, our attention has returned to fighting the fungal infection in Kim's brain and sinuses. We are now waiting for the results of the latest MRI. Somehow, it is just a little bit easier to handle adversity as husband and wife.
As always, we thank to all for your continued love and support.
All our love,
Brian and Kimberly Murphy
click here for the first wedding pictures
Kim's Hardest Battle Yet — October 28, 2000 (One Year Post-Transplant)
Following her sinus surgery on Oct. 12, the doctors had continued to treat Kim's sinus infection with antibiotics. A week after the surgery, blood levels that indicate normal liver function had begun to rise enough for the doctors to order a liver biopsy.
An hour after Kim returned from the biopsy, she began to get pale and clammy and quickly became unresponsive. Within minutes the entire code team was in Kim's room administering medicine, blood, and fluids.
The most common complication to liver biopsies is bleeding. Kim's liver had bled out until she lost consciousness. Her blood pressure had crashed and emergency medicine was essential to save her life.
Once the team had stabilized Kim enough to be moved, she was taken down to the Intensive Care Unit. She was closely monitored in the ICU for three days. The big concern at that point was that the bleeding in her liver had been contained. Any indication that she was still losing blood could have meant immediate surgery.
With the bleeding contained, Kim was returned to the BMT floor where the doctors returned to their concern about the sinus infection. More time had now passed and none of the cultures from the sinus surgery had grown anything. Because they couldn't pinpoint the type of infection, doctors had to use a broad spectrum of antibiotics and anti-fungal agents in hopes of controlling the infection.
On the 22nd, Kim's left eye began to swell, along with the areas of the face that were originally affected by the infection. Monday morning, the problem had worsened and Kim had consultations with Ophthalmology and Head and Neck. Kim also underwent a Bone Scan and CT Scan.
The CT scan had shown further infection and immediate surgery was ordered. The surgeon's were to remove more infected tissue from the sinuses and, if necessary, perform an orbitotomy in attempt to drain whatever matter was causing the eye to swell. Additional samples were taken with the hope that cultures would be more definitive, allowing for a more focused diagnosis and treatment.
Kim underwent the sinus surgery that next day. Afterward, the surgeon gave us encouraging news. The orbitotomy was deemed unnecessary and most of the matter he removed was dried blood left over from the previous surgery. Kim had been given instructions after the first surgery to irrigate her nasal passages several times daily. The emergency following her liver biopsy made that impossible and the effects of the neglect were obvious. Our hope was that the infection was waning and that diligent irrigation and continued medication would bring it under control.
The two days following the surgery we were encouraged by the reduction of the swelling behind Kim's eye. Other symptoms, however, began to emerge, including partial paralysis the right side of her face.
The day before the one-year anniversary of Kim's Bone Marrow Transplant, we learned that the cultures had grown a fungus and the doctors had diagnosed her infection: mucormycosis. This confirms the doctors' fears, and it is clear we are dealing with a very, very serious infection. We have before us the hardest battle yet.
Kim is receiving both the best care and the best medicines available. To assist in her body's ability to fight, Kim is receiving donated white blood cells along with anti-fungal agents. Her father was the first to donate, and we were pleased to find out that her mother and I are also compatible. We are now donating in rotation.
Additional CT scans at regular intervals will monitor the infection and determine whether it is reducing in size or growing. In the mean time we will continue to fight, to live, to love, and to plan for our wedding and our wonderful future.
As always, we thank to all for your continued love and support.
All our love, Brian and Kim