ARLINGTON, Va. — A local caregiver, who is going through her own health challenges, is remaining resilient and hopeful with the help of the community's support.
Ketsia Erra Kendall has lived and worked in the DMV for a decade. In that time she has cared for others as a dedicated nurse and Patient Care Director at Virginia Hospital Center.
But, now, the 33-year-old nurse is a patient herself, fighting both leukemia and advanced heart failure as a side effect of chemotherapy. On top of this, Ketsia and her husband Gregory are facing significant financial challenges after he recently lost his job and health insurance.
As they face adversity, their community has rallied behind them, launching a GoFundMe campaign. In it's first eight hours of being posted it raised $6,000. Since it was posted on Christmas Day, it has raised more than $27,000 of the goal amount of $75,000.
They are hoping the campaign raises awareness, not only about her health journey but also about the difficulty of navigating a serious illness without adequate support.
On Monday, the organizers of the campaign released an update about her condition. On New Year's Day, they said that she was officially one week post surgery and most recently she was taken off of the RVAD oxygenator, and she is beginning to breathe normally.
"Ket’s spirits are extremely high, and when she’s not cracking jokes with the family or nursing staff, you can find her doing two walks a day around the hospital unit! Her appetite and sleep schedule has improved significantly and is almost back to normal — she is even planning to enjoy a bowl of soup joumou in a few minutes," the GoFundMe page states.
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.