Jackie Kohut Kwan Yin Healing Project
Our healing project is named after the Chinese bodhisattva associated with compassion, Kwan Yin, who is regarded by the Chinese as the goddess of mercy. Kwan Yin is a shortened form of a name that means ‘One Who Sees and Hears the Cry from the Human World.’
Our healing project is about empathy and mindfulness and it is directed toward one of Silent River Kung Fu’s newest black belts, Jackie Kohut, and her battle with myelofibrosis.
Jackie Kohut
Jackie’s medical journey began when she was a twenty year old Laboratory Technologist student at N.A.I.T. The students were tasked to make manual estimates of their blood counts and Jackie’s estimates kept coming up with high numbers of platelets. A normal range is from 140-400 and her sample was consistently reading 800-900. Jackie immediately followed up with a hematologist and was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocytosis (high platelets). That was the beginning of her MPN (Myeloproliferative Neoplasm) journey.
For many years, Jackie’s condition was stable and she did not have to do anything except attend her health appointments and it was fortunate that she did not have any complications. Then in 2007 (37 y/o) when Jackie was undergoing testing for surgery for thyroid cancer, it was discovered that her MPN had progressed to Polycythemia Vera. Her bone marrow was producing too many white blood cells (used to fight infections), red blood cells (carries oxygen) and platelets (clotting). What this meant was that her blood became too thick and could cause problems like strokes, heart issues, liver issues, etc. Jackie was put on a medication called Hydroxyurea which is a chemotherapy drug that suppresses the bone marrow. Between that and phlebotomies she was able to keep this stage under control.
In December of 2021, Jackie’s condition progressed to the third phase of MPN - Myelofibrosis. The progression was discovered after Jackie experienced some minor complications from a Basal Cell Carcinoma treatment. There were only a few symptoms but Jackie’s mindfulness of her body allowed her to direct the right questions to her hematologist who immediately got Jackie in for more testing. The expected outcome was that her Polycythermia Vera was advancing, not that it had morphed but the genetic testing that followed showed that Jackie had a poor prognosis and was at a high risk stage of Myelofibrosis. She was immediately referred to the bone marrow transplant program. At this point if Jackie does nothing, she has an expected survival of 3 years and according to her specialists, that is being optimistic. In the last few months her blasts (immature cells) have increased so it is fortunate that she was already on the Bone Marrow Transplant list.
Incredibly, a donor has been found in a very short amount of time. Jackie is expected to undergo the stem cell transplant in late April in Calgary, providing all stays well with her and her donor. The recovery time for this procedure is three months and Jackie and her husband Mike must relocate to Calgary until her recovery from the transplant is complete. You can follow Jackie’s journey through her personal blog here.
What Can I do?
Anyone who has had the privilege of meeting Jackie can attest to the infectiousness of her positive approach to, well, everything. Our engagement with Jackie’s journey will go a long way in helping her maintain her positive outlook and it will also help spread awareness of this disease.
There are many ways each of us can help lessen Jackie’s load and lighten her spirit as she tackles this challenge. All the supplies you will need to participate in this project are available at the Kwoon, just ask your instructor if you need some. When you have completed your contribution, drop it off with your instructor and we will ensure they all make their way to Jackie.
Help make a difference by exploring and participating in these engagement opportunities:
