12/11/2021
We started our campaign to find Yun a bone marrow match at the beginning of September. In the past two months, family and friends have spread the word online and in-person, running drives and printing flyers to get more people onto the bone marrow registry.
In the meantime, Yun has been doing the hardest job. He has undergone three rounds of intense chemotherapy, and has been busting his butt driving an hour each way to his deli in Edison, NJ during his intermittent weeks of rest. Maybe it’s the hardworking immigrant mentality, maybe it’s that he wants to spend more time with his wife, maybe it’s because he misses his family; Yun simply doesn’t know how to quit!
Despite his work ethic and positive outlook, his health situation has been difficult. His sister Jin, a RN, provided a write-up about his chemotherapy experience, which we’re posting below. We don’t share this for pity or to dramatize Yun’s situation, but rather to show an honest glimpse into why we call him a warrior, and why we are so bent on finding him a bone marrow match.
From Jin:
Yun is on high dose Cytarbine. He has received 3 rounds. He requires hospitalization due to constant lab monitoring and chemo induced side effects. Each round has resulted in about a 3 week inpatient hospitalization, which means he cannot work when he goes into the hospital for the 3 weeks period of time. This started in August and he just recently came home from his 3rd round of treatment.
The first course was difficult because he did not really know what to expect. It involved the usually effects of chemo that you hear about of nausea/vomiting, poor appetite., drop in blood counts requiring blood transfusions. Little did he know he would develop a irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation, develop a fever that lasted a week, become so short of breath walking to the bathroom from his bed was difficult and worsening of his renal function which is every kidney transplant patient’s worst fear. [cont’d in comments]
