Miriam’s Fight: A New Sister, a Successful Surgery, and the Challenging Road Ahead
- Steve Jurrens
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Moorehead, MN/Watertown, SD - The journey for six-year-old Miriam Koska and her family has been a whirlwind of profound joy and sobering setbacks over the last three months. Since our last update in late December, the Koska family has welcomed a new member, celebrated a surgical victory, and is now bracing for a more intensive phase of treatment after recent scans provided bittersweet results.
A Milestone Surgery and a New Addition
February was a month of major milestones for the family. On February 12, Miriam underwent a critical tumor resection surgery at Children’s Minnesota. In an important victory, surgeons were able to “remove 98% to 100% of the primary tumor” located on her left adrenal gland.
“We feel incredibly grateful that Miriam’s tumor was not complex,” Emily Koska shared. Following the surgery, Miriam also had a G-tube placed to assist with nutrition and medications—a move that has already proven vital as she navigates the side effects of treatment.
Just eleven days after Miriam’s surgery, the family celebrated a long-awaited arrival. Baby Ruth (“Ruthie”) was born on February 23. Despite the exhaustion of balancing a newborn with Miriam’s recovery, Emily noted the “sweetest” moment was seeing siblings Miriam and Abram spend seven hours in the hospital room simply cuddling their new sister.
The “Poor Responder” Hurdle
While the surgery was a success, the results of Miriam’s most recent scans on March 20 were intended to see if Miriam was ready to move into the stem cell transplant phase.
The results showed significant improvement, but not enough to meet the strict clinical thresholds required for the next step:
· Curie Score: At diagnosis, Miriam’s score (which measures the extent of the disease) was a 20. It has now dropped to a 9.
· Bone Marrow: Disease in her bone marrow has seen a “significant reduction,” though cancer cells remain present at levels higher than the 5% threshold needed for transplant.
Because of these numbers, Miriam has been classified as a “poor responder” within her clinical trial.
“Hearing those words as a parent is devastating,” Emily said. “The reality is that she did respond to chemotherapy, just not enough yet to move on to the next phase.”
The Next Phase: Immunotherapy and the PICU
The “poor responder” status means Miriam will now enter an extended induction phase. This will involve two intense rounds of combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy over the next six weeks.
The immunotherapy targets GD2 molecules to help her immune system destroy cancer cells. However, because these molecules are also found on nerve fibers, the treatment is notoriously painful. To manage this, Miriam will be admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for six days during each round to receive specialized pain management.
The family had already secured housing in the Twin Cities for an April transplant, which is now tentatively pushed back to June, pending the results of her next scans.
Community Support and “Miriam’s Party”
The community benefit held on January 16 at Christ the King Lutheran Church was a resounding success. Dubbed “Miriam’s Party,” the event exceeded its financial goals, providing much-needed help for the family as they navigate the costs of extended stays in Minneapolis and the arrival of baby Ruthie.
The family continues to find strength in local support and their faith. “I am exhausted. I am worried. I am so deeply sad some days,” Emily shared. “But I refuse to let cancer win. It has already taken so much from our family.”
How to Help
As the Koska family prepares for the rigors of the PICU and immunotherapy, the community is encouraged to continue its support:
· Financial Contributions: Donations can be made via Lend A Hand Up or Venmo (@Emily-Koska).
· “Fearless Like Miriam” Shirts: Supporters can purchase shirts in Miriam’s favorite colors to help fund medical and travel expenses.
· Prayer Requests: The family asks for prayers specifically for Miriam’s pain management during immunotherapy and for “clear scans” following this next phase.
“We truly thought we would be heading into transplant in April,” Emily said. “Right now, I’m trying to hold tightly to the positives... her cancer is not progressing, and there has been improvement.”
