Christmas 2000, Laura Beth Kulpa was celebrating the holidays with her family and young son. Tavan, when something felt increasingly off. What first felt like a stomach bug turned quite painful, forcing the then 20-year-old to the emergency room on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas indeed!
She was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. It is quite common. More than 3 million people per year share the same diagnosis. But Kulpa could never have imagined how that one bout with stomach irritation would begin a string of medical problems that seemed dead set on train wrecking her life.
Three months later, she was hospitalized for the first of many surgeries. In August 2001, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Three years passed before she suffered her first bout with pancreatitis.
Kulpa is a friendly, social person. But being on a first name basis with emergency room staff at multiple facilities is not something to strive for. But yet it continued.
The spring of 2007 for her included a stay in the ICU at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. In ’08 she had her first meeting with a pancreatic specialist and subsequent pancreatic surgery. That began a string of yearly surgeries from 2008-2015. In 2017, she had a total pancreatectomy with Islet Cell Autotransplantation. The surgery took 22 hours and she spent 44 days in the ICU and 101 days total because of various complications.
By this point, she had her two younger sons, Camden, now 15, and Tre, 12. She was in the prime of her life, both in terms of family and earning potential and was missing out on most of it. She freely admits there were times, if not for her children, she would have rung that bell and tapped out on life. People can only endure so much pain.
But Laura Beth pushed through and seems to be finally coming out the other side. She is undergoing pre-transplant testing and has been told once she’s on the list, the wait shouldn’t be long. Fingers crossed, but 2019 was the first calendar year she wasn’t hospitalized at all since she 1999.
She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from West Liberty and nearly completed her master’s. While she does not envision going back to complete her M.S., she is hopeful to return to work full time as best she can.
If there is one thing she’s gotten good at, it’s waiting. Waiting for the pain to stop. Waiting for her life to truly begin, both for her and her sons. That day is coming. She has battled through too much not to see this to fruition.
“They say you have only one life. You actually have two. Your second one begins when you realize you only have one. I’m on my second,” Kulpa said.
Not to put it lightly, but you have probably spent more time in hospitals than a lot of doctors. When did everything start go downhill and what was the root cause of it initially?
I became ill with a stomach bug during Christmas of 2000 and ended up in the ER on Christmas Day. I have had extensive testing to figure out what caused my pancreas not to work right to no avail; but my doctor believes this virus was the root of it all. From 2001 until I had my pancreas removed in 2017, I was hospitalized once every 6 to 10 weeks on average. My stays ranged from three days to months at a time, and 2019 was the first year since I was 20 years old that I was not hospitalized.
I have been living without a pancreas for three years now. In January 2017, I had a Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Cell Autotransplantation. The surgeon removed my entire pancreas, pancreatic duct, bile duct, spleen, duodenum, and part of my stomach. My pancreas was taken to the lab, and all of my insulin-making cells were extracted. These were then transplanted into my liver for my liver to start producing insulin. However, I had significant internal bleeding after the surgery and was unable to receive the IV Heparin needed for the cells to stick, so some of them died off right away. I am only one of about 1200 people in the world to have ever had this done. and I had it right here at UPMC. I also am one of the only people ever to have had it done robotically. I had many complications, including developing a pseudoaneurysm and other clotting issues. The aneurysm is abdominal, and in a vessel they normally do not see them in. It has not grown. It is 0.8cm, and they do not operate until 2cm. This could actually be a story all of its own. It is extensive.
You have had to deal with pancreas issues, multiple hospital stays, having your pancreas removed, and now waiting for a transplant, then on top of that an aneurysm. Do you ever sit and wonder whom you ticked off in a past life? See if maybe fate can share the wealth a bit when it comes to medical problems?
Being in the hospital as much as I have, I have had a lot of time to sit and think about my circumstances and why I was dealt the hand I was. I have gone back and forth with faith and karma and why me. But there is never going to be an answer to that. I will never know why I was chosen to suffer. I used to blame myself and say I was being punished for certain things I did in my younger years, but I no longer believe that. I have spent a lot of time being angry at God, angry at my parents for making me, angry at myself for past sins, and not any of that was productive. I think I spent a lot more time sick because I was in such a negative mindset. I had an extremely poor quality of life for a long time. The pain was unbearable, and I asked God many times to please end it. I have experienced more suffering than any human ever should have to endure. I no longer ask for my load to be lightened; I ask only for the strength to be able to carry it all. I am unbelievably grateful to wake up every day. My first thought is thank you.
Having to fight through this over the years has to be tough, but is it harder knowing your boys have to watch mom go through it? Has that helped you stay strong/push through when times get tough, knowing they need you?
My oldest son has had it the hardest. He is 22, now and he was the one taking care of me and worrying and missing out on normal childhood experiences. But there in the beginning, he was my only reason for continuing on. I honestly would have ended my suffering a long time ago had it not been for my children. My younger two boys do not have a father in their lives. I am it. I will not leave them alone in this world. It is not even an option. I will fight until I can’t fight anymore, especially now that we have had a glimpse of what life outside of hospitals and doctor appointments looks like.
How has your familial and friend support system been through it all? I do not imagine anyone can make it through half of what you have without people having their back.
I have an incredibly large and incredibly strong support system. My posse rolls deep! Many of my friends have been there my entire life. My parents would give their lives for me. I have four siblings, and we are all very close. My younger sister is my medical power of attorney. Even when I go by myself to appointments, they are all calling me, texting, sending cards, sending flowers, posting on my FB; just letting me know I am never alone. And, of course, my children. We have a very rare and special bond, different from most mother/son relationships. Sometimes when I’m going through it, I forget how it affects my loved ones. I can’t imagine what my mom and dad go through when I’m sick, wondering if they will ever see me again. I can’t imagine watching my children suffer. They live in fear every single day. My love for my parents is immeasurable.
Laura Beth and her sons Camden and Tre took a trip to Hawaii in recent years. She still tries her best to give her boys great life experiences whenever possible.
Through it all, you have tried to provide your boys and yourself with a lot of great opportunities, whether they be trips or experiences. How important has it been to retain some semblance of normalcy and positivity? Career-wise, you have a degree and nearly finished your master’s. How has this affected your ability to reach your potential in your career field?
I just want the boys to know there is a whole world out there to explore and that life is about experiences. You can always make more money; you can’t make more time. I was unable to finish my master’s in clinical counseling due to becoming very sick during a high-risk pregnancy. However, I still hold a B.S. in Psychology, a minor in social work, and I was hired by an agency contracted by CPS. Prior to this, I had worked for Northwood and Big Brothers Big Sisters, but I had a tough time keeping a job with being sick all the time. I was promoted to supervisor after being at the agency after only three years. I had many other accolades and awards during that time. My position was held for me when I had my operation in 2017; however, I was never able to return to work and am now on disability. It was the peak of my career. I hope to be able to return after I get my transplant.
