1977
Brenda
2009
Brenda Killian
July 29, 1977 — March 6, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
By Don Colburn
The Oregonian
Brenda Killian, who shared publicly her experience of undergoing breast cancer treatment while pregnant, died early Friday, barely a week after learning the cancer had come back. She was 31.
Killian died at Legacy Hopewell House Hospice in Southwest Portland, where she was taken Thursday after six days at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center.
"It was very peaceful at the end," said Larry Killian, her husband, who was with her when she died shortly after 3 a.m. "I think she would be happy. She didn't want to die in a hospital."
The speed at which the cancer spread to Killian's bones and liver and overwhelmed her body shocked everyone in her family, as well as her doctors.
As recently as last week, despite nagging pain in her lower back, she drove herself to Providence Cancer Center for her 24th and final dose of radiation — a milestone she hoped would signal a return to a normal routine. Instead, an MRI scan of her back the next day revealed the cancer had spread to her bones.
"A week ago, when Brenda called me, I thought we'd get her back pain under control and send her home in a day or two," said Dr. Linda Moore, Killian's obstetrician. "In my wildest dreams, I never expected to be here now."
By Monday, her body slipped into liver failure, and she gradually lost consciousness. Her extended family gathered.
"Brenda was my baby, before I had my own baby," said the oldest of her four older sisters, Maria Aragon, of Torrance, Calif.
Killian received last rites in her hospital room Thursday morning. In discussions with her medical team, her family decided Thursday to move her into hospice care at Hopewell House.
Larry Killian said the decision to forgo intensive care and artificial life support was clear, based on her expressed wishes. It would be different, he said, if further treatment offered any realistic hope of recovery.
"Her soul is ready," he said late Thursday. "She's had her last rites. "It's got to happen naturally."
The Oregonian chronicled Brenda Killian's story in print and online last year, highlighting new evidence that a pregnant woman, especially after the first trimester, can undergo chemotherapy without harm to her fetus.
Brenda and Larry Killian moved to Portland last winter, after both were laid off in the Los Angeles area. She had worked at the Cornerstone Theater Co., a community theater there. He is a salesman for Sysco Foods.
After her diagnosis in April, when she was in her fifth month of pregnancy, Brenda Killian had surgery to remove her left breast. Her doctors found no sign of the cancer in her lymph nodes. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy before delivering a healthy baby, Abigail, on Sept. 5.
The Killians also have a son, Jack Seamus, who turned 4 in January.
The youngest of eight children, Killian grew up in Southern California. She went to college at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and earned a master's degree in history at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.
Her dream was to resume a career in theater someday, writing and producing community-based plays. She often made fun of her own flair for the dramatic.
"Remember, I do have a background in theater," she would say with a wink after an over-the-top comment.
Her latest project, still in the idea stage, was a theater production based on "the breast cancer community" and her own experience. She joked about calling it "The Mammary Monologues," a takeoff on the off-Broadway hit, "The Vagina Monologues."
Whenever she returned to Southern California to visit her family, her sisters would hold an impromptu barbecue and invite her wide circle of friends.
"She had so many friends," said her sister Lillian. "Whenever she came home and whenever she left — party. Always a barbecue. We call it a 'Brendapalooza' because so many people show up."
Besides her husband and two children, survivors include her mother, Guadalupe Arrieta; sisters Maria Aragon and Sonia, Lillian and Laura Arrieta; and brothers Armando and Alex Arrieta.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tues., March 10, at St. Mary's Cathedral, 1716 N.W. Davis St., Portland.
By Don Colburn
The Oregonian
Brenda Killian, who shared publicly her experience of undergoing breast cancer treatment while pregnant, died early Friday, barely a week after learning the cancer had come back. She was 31.
Killian died at Legacy Hopewell House Hospice in Southwest Portland, where she was taken Thursday after six days at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center.
"It was very peaceful at the end," said Larry Killian, her husband, who was with her when she died shortly after 3 a.m. "I think she would be happy. She didn't want to die in a hospital."
The speed at which the cancer spread to Killian's bones and liver and overwhelmed her body shocked everyone in her family, as well as her doctors.
As recently as last week, despite nagging pain in her lower back, she drove herself to Providence Cancer Center for her 24th and final dose of radiation — a milestone she hoped would signal a return to a normal routine. Instead, an MRI scan of her back the next day revealed the cancer had spread to her bones.
"A week ago, when Brenda called me, I thought we'd get her back pain under control and send her home in a day or two," said Dr. Linda Moore, Killian's obstetrician. "In my wildest dreams, I never expected to be here now."
By Monday, her body slipped into liver failure, and she gradually lost consciousness. Her extended family gathered.
"Brenda was my baby, before I had my own baby," said the oldest of her four older sisters, Maria Aragon, of Torrance, Calif.
Killian received last rites in her hospital room Thursday morning. In discussions with her medical team, her family decided Thursday to move her into hospice care at Hopewell House.
Larry Killian said the decision to forgo intensive care and artificial life support was clear, based on her expressed wishes. It would be different, he said, if further treatment offered any realistic hope of recovery.
"Her soul is ready," he said late Thursday. "She's had her last rites. "It's got to happen naturally."
The Oregonian chronicled Brenda Killian's story in print and online last year, highlighting new evidence that a pregnant woman, especially after the first trimester, can undergo chemotherapy without harm to her fetus.
Brenda and Larry Killian moved to Portland last winter, after both were laid off in the Los Angeles area. She had worked at the Cornerstone Theater Co., a community theater there. He is a salesman for Sysco Foods.
After her diagnosis in April, when she was in her fifth month of pregnancy, Brenda Killian had surgery to remove her left breast. Her doctors found no sign of the cancer in her lymph nodes. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy before delivering a healthy baby, Abigail, on Sept. 5.
The Killians also have a son, Jack Seamus, who turned 4 in January.
The youngest of eight children, Killian grew up in Southern California. She went to college at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and earned a master's degree in history at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England.
Her dream was to resume a career in theater someday, writing and producing community-based plays. She often made fun of her own flair for the dramatic.
"Remember, I do have a background in theater," she would say with a wink after an over-the-top comment.
Her latest project, still in the idea stage, was a theater production based on "the breast cancer community" and her own experience. She joked about calling it "The Mammary Monologues," a takeoff on the off-Broadway hit, "The Vagina Monologues."
Whenever she returned to Southern California to visit her family, her sisters would hold an impromptu barbecue and invite her wide circle of friends.
"She had so many friends," said her sister Lillian. "Whenever she came home and whenever she left — party. Always a barbecue. We call it a 'Brendapalooza' because so many people show up."
Besides her husband and two children, survivors include her mother, Guadalupe Arrieta; sisters Maria Aragon and Sonia, Lillian and Laura Arrieta; and brothers Armando and Alex Arrieta.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tues., March 10, at St. Mary's Cathedral, 1716 N.W. Davis St., Portland.
Service
St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
1716 NW. Davis Street
Portland
,
OR
US
97209
Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 10:15 AM
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Brenda Killian, please visit our flower store.