My name is Sue! This is our cancer journey story!
Just after finishing up the renovation of this B&B in July 2024, our health crisis began. It has been a very difficult past few years and ultimately, we had to go off-island so he can be treated. Our caretaker Josh has been doing an amazing job hosting the B&B in our absence.
My husband Kevin, was carving a tiki in the B&B and had an anaphylaxis reaction that sent him to the hospital. His blood numbers were low but we thought it was the trauma of it and it would improve, but it just kept getting worse. After a year of many trips to the hospital with no answers, we went to Honolulu Queens Hospital and he was diagnosed with MDS Myelodysplastic Syndrome a type of blood/bone cancer where the bone marrow doesn’t produce enough healthy blood cells. It’s a rare type with VEXAS, an auto-inflammatory condition that causes body wide inflammation and his seems to be in his vascular system, causing a lot of pain, in abdomen, chest, back and throat. We had to go back to Oregon because Hawaii didn’t have the treatments he needs. He is currently undergoing chemo, with the hopes he can receive a bone marrow/stem cell transplant, his only hope for survival.
Then last week, in early March 2026, I was diagnosed with Breast cancer, so now my journey begins. While caring for Kevin I was focusing only on him and not taking care of myself. Now we are fighting this cancer fight together. We hope to return to our Hawaii home when we both kick cancer.
If you would like to contribute to help with our medical expenses, this is our GoFundMe link:
urgent-help-for-kevins-and-sues-cancer-treatment
