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"Funny Blood"

53 images Created 18 Aug 2009

I had been with Karin for eight weeks when she came down with a sinus infection. Though we both assumed it was nothing, Karin--a medical assistant at the time--had her blood drawn and sent to the lab as a precaution. The results that sat in the fax machine the next morning were ominous:

Elevated WBC with 92 percent blasts consistent with Acute Leukemia.

Three days later, her parents were there on either side of her bed, unmoving, as the diagnosis was confirmed. Her father, sitting alone in the corner, suddenly began to sob uncontrollably.

Karin seemed so alone among the crispy white sheets of her bed. Finally, her mother began encouraging her that we would fight this "thing."

The first night in the hospital, I lay awake beside Karin in a reclining pseudo-leather chair. "Chris, I have to pee. Can you unplug Burt?" "Burt" was the name we had given her rolling IV, which was plugged in at night to charge; she was to remain attached to her rolling IV. I unplugged Burt, then watched her topple everything in her path as she dragged the rolling metal poll (this man of steel) to the bathroom. She came back crying. It had hit her in the ill green glow, in the fluorescent sterility of the hospital bathroom--the realization of disease, of possible death.

We sat in the dark contemplating existence, evolution--relying upon each other for satisfying answers to unanswerable questions. "There is no reason why you are sick," I said finally. "You may dwell on death or you may confront it...I believe we should focus on the productive. Sadness doesn't cure cancer." It hit us both then--the realization that she could live...or die.

Just before she was allowed to go home, when her immune system had sufficiently recuperated, we were allowed to roam the hospital. After a 10-minute walk through the deserted halls, Karin was left breathless and tired, but extremely excited--like a kid sneaking around a place she knew she shouldn't be.
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  • Karin Weidenhammer was 24 years old when she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. <br />
<br />
She had come down with a sinus infection that persisted. Though we both assumed it was nothing, Karin--a medical assistant at the time--had her blood drawn and sent to the lab as a precaution. The results that sat in the fax machine the next morning were ominous:<br />
<br />
Elevated WBC with 92 percent blasts consistent with Acute Leukemia.<br />
<br />
Three days later, her parents were there on either side of her bed, unmoving, as the diagnosis was confirmed.
    FunnyBlood_Stare_BW.tif
  • After her diagnosis and initial course of chemotherapy, Karin stayed in the hospital for a month. There was a lot of time to kill.
    FunnyBlood_UpsideDown_BW.tif
  • After her diagnosis and initial course of chemotherapy, Karin stayed in the hospital for a month. There was a lot of time to kill.<br />
<br />
"Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Shooting_BW.tif
  • "After 4 weeks of confinement within the sterile environs of my room, I was allowed to venture through the hospital, as long as I wore a gown and mask and refrained from contact with other humans. It was a dream come true. Rubix cubes and gin rummy could only entertain us for minutes at a time. A ten-minute walk through the deserted halls of Jefferson hospital left me breathless and tired, scared but extremely excited. I felt like a kid sneaking around a place they know they shouldn't be." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_BigWindow_BW.tif
  • Instead of the then-standard bone marrow transplant, Karin received an experimental stem-cell transplant--and a new life. She is hugged by her mother moments after the stem cells were delivered, having just been reborn.
    FunnyBlood_Mom-hug_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy1_BW.tif
  • "I remember feeling very strange and very out of place when I visited the cafeteria. The doctors had convinced me that other humans were dirty, that the world was a very dirty place, and that I was taking a chance by even being within what to others was an average, ordinary place. But I went because I needed to slowly separate myself from the safety of my bubble, my room." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Cafeteria_BW.tif
  • In this instance, the photographer was also the boyfriend. And when he had to return to his job during the weekdays, it was always a sad moment.
    FunnyBlood_Doorway_BW.tif
  • "Unbelievable as it might seem, rabbits were used to help doctors destroy my old immune system. Certain cells of my immune system were placed in a rabbit that recognized these cells as foreign and labeled them as such. These labeled cells were then placed back into my body to completely destroy what was left of my immune system. The reactions were so severe that I began to shake uncontrollably. The 'bunnies,' as they became known, were literally hopping inside me." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_OnCouch_BW.tif
  • "There were times when the nausea and pain were unbearable. The alternative was the sedation and grogginess associated with pain medication. At least I had my friends there with me." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_StuffedAnimals_BW.tif
  • Entry to, and exit from, the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Thomas Jefferson Hospital involved an airlock, whose doors would open automatically only after the air had been replaced.
    FunnyBlood_Doors_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for contemplation.
    FunnyBlood_BaldHead_BW.tif
  • After 29 days of chemotherapy treatment in the hospital, Karin went home to recover. Her exit was not permanent; she would return for a scheduled stem-cell transplant.
    FunnyBlood_OneWay_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy-cringe_BW.tif
  • "Worse than being bald, worse than having my head shaved, was having the wig styled to look like my old hair. It didn't work. And, I soon realized it only served to hide the label I now carried as a person with leukemia. This was not something I wanted to do. I found the bandanas much more comfortable and myself much less self-conscious when wearing them." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Mirror_BW.tif
  • "Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Wig_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_BiopsySad_BW.tif
  • Karin with her parents, instinctively smiling for the camera.
    FunnyBlood_Mom-and-Dad_BW.tif
  • It could be said that the long and lonely recovery process led Karin to regress--to be silly, childish, playful. Here, she tries to catch a Goldfish cracker in her mouth. She missed.<br />
<br />
"Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Catch_BW.tif
  • It could be said that the long and lonely recovery process led Karin to regress--to be silly, childish, playful. Here, she plays with her toy motorcycle.<br />
<br />
"Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Motorcycle_BW.tif
  • "It seemed my course was progressing smoothly. My bone marrow was now 100% male, containing 100% of my brother's stem cells. And then one morning I woke up heaving, dizzy, unable to walk, unable to comprehend what had happened. To the hospital I went. MRIs, spinal taps, and chest X-rays followed. I was diagnosed with meningitis, Epstein-Barr virus, and chronic sinusitis. The dirty city had bitten me." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_MRI_BW.tif
  • Not every moment of cancer treatment is exciting. Sometimes chemotherapy means a boring, outpatient visit.
    FunnyBlood_BoredChemo_BW.tif
  • Always a fan of hooded sweatshirts, Karin became ever fonder of their protective qualities after losing her hair. She holds her high school graduation photo.<br />
<br />
"Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_smile_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for rest--and teddy bears.
    FunnyBlood_TeddyBear_BW.tif
  • A gifted pianist, Karin turned to music during her long recovery. Because of the weakened state of her immune system, she was not allowed to venture into public, and few people other than her family and doctors were allowed to visit with her.
    FunnyBlood_Piano1_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for contemplation.
    FunnyBlood_Ball_BW.tif
  • "At an agonizingly slow pace I have been progressing towards a new, relatively normal life. One of the most excruciating parts of this process had been my inability to be in water, on water, or even near water. Finally, after having waited all summer for my immune system to recuperate, I returned to the shore where I had spent many a childhood vacation. Once I saw the water, I could not turn back. I had to let it touch my toes--if my toes, why not my legs. I settled for a risky dip up to my knees. As a child, I would have settled for nothing less than 8 hours under water. Indeed, a return to a relatively normal life." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_SeaCelebration2_BW.tif
  • "At an agonizingly slow pace I have been progressing towards a new, relatively normal life. One of the most excruciating parts of this process had been my inability to be in water, on water, or even near water. Finally, after having waited all summer for my immune system to recuperate, I returned to the shore where I had spent many a childhood vacation. Once I saw the water, I could not turn back. I had to let it touch my toes--if my toes, why not my legs. I settled for a risky dip up to my knees. As a child, I would have settled for nothing less than 8 hours under water. Indeed, a return to a relatively normal life." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_SeaCelebration_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for contemplation.
    FunnyBlood_pensive_BW.tif
  • Recovery was a lengthy and, at times, lonely process.
    FunnyBlood_Sunset_BW.tif
  • After her diagnosis and initial course of chemotherapy, Karin stayed in the hospital for a month. There was a lot of time to kill.
    FunnyBlood_Rubix_BW.tif
  • November 16, 2001. One year since diagnosis, in her parent's backyard, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
    FunnyBlood_OneYear_2.tif
  • Karin's Super Birthday, on the first anniversary of her stem cell transplant (the day she was reborn), included a piñata. She promptly smashed it.
    FunnyBlood_Pinata_BW.tif
  • Instead of the then-standard bone marrow transplant, Karin received an experimental stem-cell transplant--and a new life. She is hugged by her mother moments after the stem cells were delivered, having just been reborn.
    FunnyBlood_syringes_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for contemplation.
    FunnyBlood_Sad_BW.tif
  • "Worse than being bald, worse than having my head shaved, was having the wig styled to look like my old hair. It didn't work. And, I soon realized it only served to hide the label I now carried as a person with leukemia. This was not something I wanted to do. I found the bandanas much more comfortable and myself much less self-conscious when wearing them." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_RetiredWig_BW.tif
  • Living on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Karin would have to drive to the city and Thomas Jefferson Hospital for frequent outpatient visits. She rests during the drive, with her reflection on the car's passenger window.
    FunnyBlood_Car-window_BW.tif
  • Instead of the then-standard bone marrow transplant, Karin received an experimental stem-cell transplant--and a new life. She rests with her mother moments after having received the stem cells, having just been reborn.
    FunnyBlood_PostTransplant_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy2_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy4_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy-smile_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Pain_BW.tif
  • A gifted pianist, Karin turned to music during her long recovery. Because of the weakened state of her immune system, she was not allowed to venture into public, and few people other than her family and doctors were allowed to visit with her.
    FunnyBlood_Piano2_BW.tif
  • "At an agonizingly slow pace I have been progressing towards a new, relatively normal life. One of the most excruciating parts of this process had been my inability to be in water, on water, or even near water. Finally, after having waited all summer for my immune system to recuperate, I returned to the shore where I had spent many a childhood vacation. Once I saw the water, I could not turn back. I had to let it touch my toes--if my toes, why not my legs. I settled for a risky dip up to my knees. As a child, I would have settled for nothing less than 8 hours under water. Indeed, a return to a relatively normal life." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Ocean_BW.tif
  • Recovery from a stem-cell transplant is a long and lonely road. Little contact can be had with the outside world--there are too many germs out there. It leaves a lot of time for contemplation.
    FunnyBlood_InBed_BW.tif
  • November 16, 2001. One year since diagnosis, in her parent's backyard, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
    FunnyBlood_OneYear.tif
  • "If my doctors had seen me do this, they would have escorted me back to my room on the 14th floor, to keep me penned. Who knew that trees could be killers? They harbor fungi and molds that pose a lethal threat to someone with virtually no immune system. Far from the people and the filth of the streets of Philadelphia, the forest seemed so clean and inviting." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_TreeHugger_BW.tif
  • "If my doctors had seen me do this, they would have escorted me back to my room on the 14th floor, to keep me penned. Who knew that trees could be killers? They harbor fungi and molds that pose a lethal threat to someone with virtually no immune system. Far from the people and the filth of the streets of Philadelphia, the forest seemed so clean and inviting." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_TreeHugger2_BW.tif
  • Recovery was a long and, at times, lonely process.
    FunnyBlood_Reflection_BW.tif
  • "Throughout the course of my treatment I must allow the doctors to biopsy my bone marrow to eliminate the possibility of relapse. A heavy-gauge needle is plunged into the rear of my hip so that both a sample of the liquid marrow and the solid bone can be extracted. Even after 8 biopsies it remains an uncomfortable feeling." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Biopsy-cringe2_BW.tif
  • After her diagnosis and initial course of chemotherapy, Karin stayed in the hospital for a month. There was a lot of time to kill.<br />
<br />
"Our minds were rarely sad. We strongly believed and often reminded one another that sadness did not fight cancer. Perhaps the best reminder to both of us and to everyone that was affected by the situation, were our frequent displays of silliness, our capacity for normal behavior under abnormal circumstances." - Karin Weidenhammer
    FunnyBlood_Shooting3_BW.tif
  • With Karin's stem cell transplant came the risk of rejection of the stem cells by the body, much like there is with an organ transplant. The resulting graft versus host disease can me life threatening or mild.<br />
<br />
Luckily, Karin suffered rather minor symptoms. The steroid prednisone, which she was prescribed for its anti-inflammatory properties, ultimately led to osteonecrosis (bone death), a known side effect of the drug. This, in turn, led her to need a hip replacement.
    FunnyBlood_Soccer_BW.tif
  • With Karin's stem cell transplant came the risk of rejection of the stem cells by the body, much like there is with an organ transplant. The resulting graft versus host disease can me life threatening or mild.<br />
<br />
Luckily, Karin suffered rather minor symptoms. The steroid prednisone, which she was prescribed for its anti-inflammatory properties, ultimately led to osteonecrosis (bone death), a known side effect of the drug. This, in turn, led her to need a hip replacement.
    FunnyBlood_ZipperHip_BW.tif
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