Heartland Cancer Foundation Patient Spotlight:
Kristen Kuhn
Kristen Kuhn of Gretna is 19 years old. She loves drawing and art, her Bichon, Jamie, and mastering archery with her Dad. Kristen is the middle daughter of three, of an eighth-grade math teacher and child psychologist. She also has Ewing’s Sarcoma.
Diagnosed in January of 2016, just halfway through her sophomore year at UNL where she was studying Biology and looking forward to vet school, Kristen started experiencing lower back pain that left her lying flat on the floor of her bedroom in the middle of the night, not allowing her to sleep. But finals week was coming up, and Kristen needed to push through. She had an MRI and was told she may have a bulging disk in her spine, so physical therapy was started. Nothing seemed to reduce the pain, and the stress
of finals made it worse. More scans were done, and it was revealed that Kristen had Ewing’s sarcoma.
Ewing’s sarcoma is an extremely rare cancer affecting less than one thousand people in the US each year. This cancer most often occurs in and around the bones and typically in children and young adults. Bone pain, localized swelling and tenderness are symptoms, and in rare cases bone fractures may also be found.
Treatments for Ewing’s sarcoma include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Kristen started chemotherapy immediately and admits going through the treatments has been stressful. She says, “It really helps having a positive mindset and thinking about getting through it. Some days are worse than others, and some days are perfectly fine.”
Since her diagnosis, Kristen has found strength in her faith in God, that He would be with her and carry her through it. Her family and friends have taken off work to visit her and drive her to appointments. Her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, built a fundraiser on her behalf that provided a lot of financial help. Nearly the entire community of Gretna, plus friends from out of town, attended a pancake feed to help raise money for her treatments. “I’m thankful for everyone being so selfless to drop everything and help us by always being supportive and willing to help,” Kristen shared.
Kristen is also grateful for local organizations, like Heartland Cancer Foundation, for providing support and assistance to her family. “A big part of going through cancer treatment for so long is the money part of it,” she says. “For me, my parents are paying because I’m only 19. But still it’s like how are you going to pay for all these medical bills? You think you’re going to have to pay for it all
on your own. Realizing there are resources out there that can help you is such a relief.”
For newly diagnosed cancer patients, the reality of having to adjust their life can be crushing. Cancer is one of the most difficult experiences a person will ever go through. But Kristen is pragmatic and offers wise words to those who might be told they have cancer in the future: “It gets easier. It’s always going to be a struggle. Keep strong and rely on those around you, letting the people that love you take care of you.”
Diagnosed in January of 2016, just halfway through her sophomore year at UNL where she was studying Biology and looking forward to vet school, Kristen started experiencing lower back pain that left her lying flat on the floor of her bedroom in the middle of the night, not allowing her to sleep. But finals week was coming up, and Kristen needed to push through. She had an MRI and was told she may have a bulging disk in her spine, so physical therapy was started. Nothing seemed to reduce the pain, and the stress
of finals made it worse. More scans were done, and it was revealed that Kristen had Ewing’s sarcoma.
Ewing’s sarcoma is an extremely rare cancer affecting less than one thousand people in the US each year. This cancer most often occurs in and around the bones and typically in children and young adults. Bone pain, localized swelling and tenderness are symptoms, and in rare cases bone fractures may also be found.
Treatments for Ewing’s sarcoma include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Kristen started chemotherapy immediately and admits going through the treatments has been stressful. She says, “It really helps having a positive mindset and thinking about getting through it. Some days are worse than others, and some days are perfectly fine.”
Since her diagnosis, Kristen has found strength in her faith in God, that He would be with her and carry her through it. Her family and friends have taken off work to visit her and drive her to appointments. Her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, built a fundraiser on her behalf that provided a lot of financial help. Nearly the entire community of Gretna, plus friends from out of town, attended a pancake feed to help raise money for her treatments. “I’m thankful for everyone being so selfless to drop everything and help us by always being supportive and willing to help,” Kristen shared.
Kristen is also grateful for local organizations, like Heartland Cancer Foundation, for providing support and assistance to her family. “A big part of going through cancer treatment for so long is the money part of it,” she says. “For me, my parents are paying because I’m only 19. But still it’s like how are you going to pay for all these medical bills? You think you’re going to have to pay for it all
on your own. Realizing there are resources out there that can help you is such a relief.”
For newly diagnosed cancer patients, the reality of having to adjust their life can be crushing. Cancer is one of the most difficult experiences a person will ever go through. But Kristen is pragmatic and offers wise words to those who might be told they have cancer in the future: “It gets easier. It’s always going to be a struggle. Keep strong and rely on those around you, letting the people that love you take care of you.”