Courage to Jump
Skydive for Charity

Deborah M. Greer-Costello, known to most as “Debby,” was born July 22, 1967 at West Point Military Academy to Jesse R. and Marian Greer. Debby was the second of seven siblings in an Air Force family so she attended many schools in the twenty years her father served. These included ones in Anchorage, AK, West Springfield, VA, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Cypress Creek High School in Houston, TX from which she graduated in 1985.

Always an active child, Debby was a Girl Scout and her troop earned more than $15,000 to go on a cross country camping trip to the GS Center West in Wyoming. Service to others and raising money set a pattern for her efforts in later years.

Debby attended Incarnate Word University, San Antonio, TX, for several years and transferred to St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, where she received a B.A. cum laude in Writing in 1991. Deb played high school and college basketball, was an avid swimmer and worked out whenever possible. A talented artist, she enjoyed silk-screen and pottery-making. She read widely but became somewhat of an expert in pop-culture and reality shows.

Deb began her working career with the Kozmetskys at RGK Foundation in Austin and later became an administrative assistant at Pepsi Cola in Austin. She married Stephen Costello in November, 1997 and they moved to Houston where she worked for Prince Waterhouse Coopers for several years. The Costellos’ daughter Zoe was born in 2000. When Zoe was two the Costellos separated and Stephen moved to be near his family in New York. Meanwhile, Debby was given a position editing technical manuscripts for the EPA at Shaw Group in Houston.

Debby had been diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes since before her daughter’s birth and began experiencing fatigue, muscle aches and other symptoms which she thought were related to diabetes in 2005. At the time, she was spending many hours assisting those who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. She tried many things to feel better including visiting the doctor, but on October 21, 2005 she could not even dress to go to work. Deb called her sister Jenna and the two went to the nearest hospital.

Blood samples revealed the cause of her problem—Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The number of annual cases of ALL in the United States is 4000, with 3000 of them being children. It is particularly uncommon form of the illness for a female aged 38. By midnight the same day her sister Stephanie accompanied her to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, to begin treatment. The doctors were interested in her case because she had an unusual gene which made her more susceptible to reoccurrence of the illness.

M.D. Anderson recommended chemotherapy, radiation and an adult stem cell transplant. Her six siblings were tested and only her brother James was a 100% match. The procedure was scheduled for February 2006. During her recovery the family appealed for help from friends and family. They were inundated with donations of blood, platelets and other support from all over the world. Prayers were offered from England, Africa, China, among many and all parts of the United States.

Due to her weakened immune system, Debby could not live with her daughter, so for months during her treatment she lived with her brother-in-law Bill Stradley’s parents, Bill and Emmalee, and then later in an apartment with her mother near the Medical Center. Her Supper Club friends helped move her into her apartment, and The Knights of Columbus at her church brought her things to storage when the daily trips to the hospital ended. In July, 2006 she and Zoe went to live in San Antonio with her parents because it was impossible to live independently at that point.

Another miracle as she began treatment was the gift of a laptop from three of her Houston friends. Debby had blogged since 2003, mostly as a diversion for her friends. The gift of the laptop enabled her to keep in touch with everyone outside although she was isolated in the cancer ward.

Deb chronicled her life with leukemia. She still looked good with her rosy cheeks, blue eyes and stylish hats. She reacted well to four rounds of chemotherapy and became the cheerleader for other patients in the hospital. Only in the fifth round and then the “Hiroshima” of radiation did her courage fail. In February she was bolstered by 4 million stem cells from James “The Stem Cell Stud” Greer. The doctors were thrilled when she rallied and his cells began rebuilding her immune system. “I’ll know his cells have taken over when I start craving Moon Pies,” she quipped.

Through the process another miracle happened as news of Debby’s blog, www.debutaunt.com spread and gained her fans throughout the world. Her funny, irreverent and sometime irascible accounts of life with cancer and after showed that she had a “kick-butt” attitude toward the disease. People wrote her encouraging letters, and complaining letters, and sent her gifts. She received teddy bears, tiaras, feather boas, sparkly voodoo dolls, Houston Texans signature caps, Bibles, homemade cards, a marriage proposal—even with no hair or eyebrows—hobby kits and lots of books, especially, Rachel Ray cook books.

She was offered a trip to see Oprah in Chicago to meet Uma Thurman, another “kick-butt” chica whose performance as The Bride in “Kill Bill” she used as imagery during her chemotherapy, but developed encephalitis and could not go.

Her blog was a finalist in the Inspirational Category by The 2006 Best of Blogs. Interestingly, in May 2006, her blog helped save her life. After her mother brought her to the hospital after Debby was sleeping a lot, irritable and not eating, the doctors believed that she was just depressed. Family members directed the doctors to read her blog, which showed her upbeat attitude yet her increasingly sick condition. She couldn’t speak for herself, but the blog spoke for her, and the doctors diagnosed her with encephalitis and she recovered after quick treatment.

People wrote heart-wrenching letters: “I was going to kill myself. Then I read .your blog. If you can fight, so can I!” “My insurance has run out. I don’t know how I can pay for medicine.” “I am dying. Please come see me.”

Her final blog entries began in spring of 2008 when Debby noticed swollen glands in her neck and shoulders. She developed achy muscles and mouth sores. Doctors in San Antonio took blood and spinal taps but there was nothing definitive. Maybe it was fibromyalgia.

In summer she went to Seattle to visit a friend and had a few weeks of normal fun, in short supply living with her folks and a weakened immune system. A bout with bronchitis in August, and after her COBRA insurance ran out, she scrambled to find new insurance, knowing that she had little money to pay doctors. When she noticed some unequivocally ominous symptoms, she went to MD Anderson the week before Thanksgiving 2008. The lab had an immediate diagnosis. “Mom,” she said on the phone, “my leukemia is back.”

From there it was a round of chemotherapy, double pneumonia and many other incredibly painful days. At 41, from her bed in the ICU, Deb rejected the “Do not resuscitate” order in December to fight for more time with Zoe and her family, to work hard to rehabilitate herself if there was any chance, to cherish life, no matter how difficult. There were only a few months

Over the years, Deb made many friends—a family in St. Louis who had lost a sister to breast cancer, and then her sister’s partner, a Doctors without Borders physician, died in a mysterious vehicle accident in Pakistan. They stayed in contact to the end. She developed great friendships with members of the cancer blogging community, and one friend made the journey from Seattle to see her and hung out with her for a week in March.

Friends from her church ACTs Retreat Group and singles group Houston Connect checked on her blog regularly, and became alarmed when the feisty and humorous daily comments slowed and then stopped altogether. Her sisters Jenna and Stephanie tried to keep Deb’s readers informed of her progress.

On May 18, 2009, she died with family and friends there as she wished.

Despite never being 100% after her disease, Debby left an impressive legacy. Her blog encouraged so many and brought help for and thousands of dollar for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, M.D. Anderson and South Texas Blood Banks and the National Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Registry.

She became a public speaker for victims of leukemia/lymphoma. “I have seen people turned away for lack of a marrow donor—especially minority donors—sign up!” she’d say. She spent a lot of time trying to educate people on misleading information about adult stem cell and marrow donations, trying to let people know that for most donors, the process results in very little discomfort.

Deb was the keynote speaker for the Light the Night Campaign for the San Antonio Leukemia Society. For her efforts she won an award from the Governor and other local accolades. Her blog was a finalist in the Inspirational Category by The Best of Blogs in 2006. Deb enlisted her shadow “Minny-Me” Zoe, with whom she did most things, to raise money and Zoe went to benefits, drew pictures and walked to raise funds, too.

Deb was a member of Prince of Peace Catholic Community in Houston and Holy Spirit Catholic Church, San Antonio. She is survived by her daughter Zoe, her parents, sisters Michelle; Jenna and Mark Whidby, Chris, Genny and Joy; Stephanie and husband Bill, Jackson and Jessica; brothers, Jeffrey Greer, Thomas Greer and wife Sonia, James Greer and wife Beth, Eric, Katie and Anna; also, aunts Joyce Jepson, Irene Santiago, Gladys Vietor (Mrs. Roy), Laura Axene; uncles David Vietor and wife Marcy, and Bob Vietor and many cousins. Debby was predeceased by her grandparents Jesse Greer, Jane Estes, A.H. and Gen Vietor; Aunt and Uncle, Anita and R.D. Borland, and Aunt Delores Vietor (Mrs. Bob) and Uncle LeRoy Vietor.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and she wants to encourage blood donations at M.D. Anderson or South Texas Blood Banks and participation in the National Marrow Registry.

Deb was especially grateful to her friend Dan Barton for setting up a college fund for her daughter Zoe; contributions may be made The Financial Advisory Group, Inc.; c/o David Jenkins; 5599 San Felipe, Suite 900; Houston, TX 77056. Please make out the checks to "College America" and in the memo field write "FBO: Zoe Costello."

A vigil service will be Sat., May 23, 7 pm at St. Maximillian Kolbe, 10135 West Rd, Houston. Friends are invited to attend a celebration of her life on Sun., May 24, 2 pm at the Earthman Chapel, 8303 Katy Frwy, Houston. A funeral mass is pending at Holy Spirit Church, San Antonio.

Debby received total support from her extended family, especially the R.D. Borland family and Stephen Costello’s family in New York. We thank the kind staffs at MD Anderson, Kindred NW and all the friends and family who cared for Debby and gave her nearly four years with us. You are an inspiration.