Woman Beats 10-Day Cancer After 50 Years of Research
Karen Bohn had six days to live when doctors diagnosed her rare leukemia in 2019. Thanks to a treatment breakthrough funded by decades of research, she's now five years cancer-free and celebrating at the tournament that helped save her life.
When bruises started appearing across Karen Bohn's body in September 2019, her doctor recognized something most wouldn't. Within 24 hours, Bohn learned she had acute promyelocytic leukemia, a rare cancer so aggressive it kills within 10 days if untreated.
She was six days in.
For decades, APL was nearly always fatal. Even treatments developed in the 1980s and '90s only bought patients a few months before deadly relapse.
But in 2013, researchers finalized a new protocol adding arsenic infusions to treatment. The cure rate jumped to roughly 90%.
Bohn spent 43 days in the hospital receiving daily arsenic infusions, then continued treatment for nine and a half months. She often slept 18 hours a day, waking only for treatment and food. Midway through, COVID-19 hit, adding isolation to an already grueling journey.
In June 2020, Bohn finished treatment. This week, she's celebrating five years in remission as the featured patient at the Killebrew-Thompson Memorial golf tournament in Sun Valley, a 50-year-old event that's raised nearly $26 million for cancer research.
The connection runs deep. Hall of Fame baseball player Harmon Killebrew, who co-founded the tournament, was Bohn's father's favorite player.
"I'm just so happy to be alive," Bohn told the Express. "And I wouldn't be if it hadn't been for the research that this foundation and many other philanthropic organizations have sponsored over the last 50 years."
Why This Inspires
Bohn's survival proves that research funding works, even when progress feels slow. The treatment that saved her life took decades to develop, requiring countless studies, failed experiments, and incremental improvements.
She and her husband now run the Oncology Heroes Fund through the University of Minnesota Foundation. The fund supports not just doctors and nurses, but janitorial and food service staff who care for cancer patients every day.
"Who takes care of them?" Bohn asks. "They're so busy taking care of us."
Thursday's free Cancer in Focus Forum will feature Bohn alongside Olympic gold medalist and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton, with her oncologist discussing the latest advances in leukemia treatment.
Her message to attendees centers on gratitude and action. Even modest donations move science forward, she says, potentially saving lives decades down the road.
"It's really a life of gratitude and hope," Bohn said.
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Based on reporting by Google: survivor story
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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