Amanda Zirbes's Page

An open letter from her friend:
Dear Friends of Amanda,

I deeply regret to inform you of the passing of Amanda Zirbes on April 15, 2009.

A family memorial service was held in Wisconsin on April 17th.

An informal memorial gathering in the Southern California area is being planned for the near future. More information will be forthcoming.

Some of you have been receiving updates on Amanda's condition. Others are hearing about this for the first time. You may be receiving this email because Amanda wished that you be notified if she passed. I wrote below a summary of what happened during the last year.

In about April 2008, Amanda began feeling tired and ill. She complained of mild flu symptoms and fatigue that she could not get rid of. About a month later she was in bed with fevers of 105 degrees, and further flu symptoms. In early June, she managed, while still feeling worn down, to complete a previously planned two-week trip to Europe. She was physically limited and ill during the trip.

In mid June, after Amanda returned to California, she saw a doctor because she just wasn't getting better. The doctor reviewed her blood tests and told her to check into the hospital immediately. On June 17, 2008, Amanda was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The doctor told Amanda that she was facing the toughest battle of her life. Without treatment, she could expect to survive only about two weeks. This form of leukemia develops aggressively, but can sometimes be brought into remission with treatment.

Amanda began treatment. The long term goal was for her to receive a bone marrow transplant, if a matching donor could be found. In the short term, chemotherapy was helpful in restraining the illness. After about a month of chemo, Amanda was released from the hospital and was able to join several groups of friends for light social activities. She sometimes wore a wig or scarf because of the loss of her hair. Sometimes she had a limited energy level, but she was able to care for herself.

In July, her brother, Brian, was found to be a perfect 6-point match for a bone marrow transplant. Hope increased. Brian flew out to California and underwent the harmless harvesting process of his bone marrow. Amanda returned to the hospital and began another round of chemotherapy, this time with radiation. The goal of this combination was to rid her system of leukemia (along with her own bone marrow), in preparation for her receipt of Brian's healthy bone marrow. After some expected negative side effects from the chemo and radiation, Amanda received the transplant. The anticipated outcome was that the transplant would form a "new immune system" for Amanda.

In early October, after the transplant and some additional monitoring, Amanda was released from the hospital. The recovery process was expected to take about a year, with gradual improvement. Amanda felt weak and her mother, Kathy, lived with her in California for several months to care for her. During this period, Amanda continued to eat a low-bacteria diet and wore a face mask in public to protect her from infection. Amanda was very limited in energy and was forced to stay at home much of the time.

On Christmas Eve 2008, Amanda learned from medical tests that the transplant had not been successful and that the leukemia had returned. She was admitted to the hospital on December 26, 2008, for further chemotherapy and for a different, more experimental transplant procedure. This treatment did not bring the leukemia into remission, but it did help her feel better for periods of time.

During the next few months, doctors had fewer and fewer treatments to offer. Amanda resided at times in the City of Hope hospital, Duarte, California, and then in the hospital campus housing with her parents, Kathy and Dave. Unfortunately, Amanda was sometimes bed-ridden with fevers and/or confined to a wheel chair for movement. Other days, she was able to walk for short distances and had more energy and was lucid and alert. She physically struggled, but she also persevered, and held on to her sense of humor, during many difficult physical challenges.

On March 31, 2009, she was released from a hospital in California, so she could fly back to Wisconsin with her parents, where she could be with her family, and continue to receive maintainance medical care. She seemed to be fairly stable for a time, but on April 13th her condition worsened. She passed on April 15 at about 3:15 PM CST. Amanda Kay Zirbes was 34 years old.

We love you, Amanda.

sincerely,
Mike Dempsey

Obituary
Amanda K. Zirbes, age 34, passed away at the home of her parent’s on April 15th, 2009 after a long battle with leukemia.
She was born and raised in West Bend, and graduated from West Bend High School in the class of 1993.

Amanda loved life and helping others on her journey here with us. She shared her skills caring for others in California in social work. Amanda enjoyed painting and sculpting.

She is survived by her parents, Dave and Kathleen Zirbes; she shared her life with her siblings, Lonnie (Ed) Casey, Wendy (Dave) Engman, Brian (Katie) Zirbes, and Todd (Kathy) Kramer; she enjoyed her nieces and nephews, Leah, Patrick, Todd, Lacy, Josh, Maggie, Blake, and Max; she is further survived by aunts, uncles, friends locally and in California.

Her gracious and loving spirit will be remembered in a private family gathering. Cremation took place at Myrhum ~ Patten Funeral & Cremation Service and private family entombment will be held in Washington County Memorial Park.

Memorials in her name may be sent to City of Hope (1500 E. Duarte Rd. Duarte, CA 91010-3000) or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society