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| Vol. 22, No. 18 |
| October 1, 2000 |
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Lectureship Series Memorializes Brave Young Patient
Kalynn Quinn Hensley probably never thought she'd turn out to become a teacher. She graduated from high school last year and planned to go to college, but she never got that far. She died on Aug. 4 of this year, finally succumbing to a rare condition that plagued her since she was born. During the 18 years Kalynn spent as a patient at The Methodist Hospital, she came into contact with hundreds of doctors and nursing staff members, some of whom grew as close to her as family. As these health care workers watched their young patient grow up, they also learned from her. When she was young, Kalynn was diagnosed with a rare disease called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a disease in which tumors grow inside the larynx, vocal cords and trachea. Kalynn was diagnosed with RRP when she was a year old. She then came to Methodist and the Texas Medical Center, because there was no treatment at the time for her condition near her Central Texas home in Franklin. Doctors used CO2 laser surgery to remove the tumors blocking her airway. It was the first of about 300 surgeries Kalynn would receive over her lifetime, to keep her breathing passages clear. At the time not much was known about the disease, but thanks to Kalynn, generations of doctors and nurses learning medicine at The Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine have seen its effects, and can now be prepared to treat other children and adults who have RRP. Kalynn's teaching continues, as members of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses have created a Kalynn Quinn Hensley Head and Neck Lectureship, an educational series that seeks to educate even more physicians and health care professionals about the disease. Ann McKennis, an otorhinolaryngology nurse at TMH, and one of Kalynn's caregivers, is one of the perioperative nurses behind the lectureship idea. "We thought this would be a good way to celebrate Kalynn's life and help other people with this disease," says McKennis. "We want to be reminded of her every year." McKennis, who is on the national board of directors of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses, says the lectureship will begin next year at the group's annual meeting. A memorial fund has been established through another organization, the Ear, Nose and Throat Nursing Foundation, to fund the lectureship. "This disease is aggressive. You can remove the tumors but they grow back," says McKennis. "Even as a small child, Kalynn was always brave. She was a very generous child and young woman." She received a tracheotomy to help improve her breathing. As she continued to receive treatment, Kalynn became a favorite of the nurses who treated her. "We watched her grow up," McKennis says. "Many of the things involved first times, like the first time she wore lipstick, and we were part of it. She was like a daughter to some of us." McKennis says Kalynn had as normal a life as possible. She had her own automobile, she attended school events and took trips. But her disease grounded her, and inevitably she returned to Methodist for another surgery. Shortly after Kalynn graduated from Normangee High School in 1999, she was diagnosed with cancer. In some cases the RRP tumors can develop malignancies, and this was the case with Kalynn. Just as McKennis attended Kalynn's graduation, she also attended the young patient's funeral. "She was very special to all of us," says McKennis. "Kalynn was a little girl with a devastating disease, and endured it with grace and love." Tax deductible contributions can be sent to: Kalynn Quinn Hensley Lectureship, ENT-NF, 116 Canal Street, Suite A, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168.
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