Christa Pike is battling a rare blood cancer. Her lawyers raised the alarm well before Tennessee tried to execute her.

According to reports her legal team made the diagnosis public in a court filing back in January 2026.

The papers say she has thrombocytosis, a condition that her attorneys believe is most likely driven by a rare cancer known as myeloproliferative disorder.

Warnings about the injection

Her lawyers argued the illness could raise her odds of developing serious pulmonary edema during a lethal injection. They said that could leave her feeling like she was suffocating.

The filing also described her long track record of hard blood draws and problems getting needles in. Her team asked that special needles be used to cut down on the chance of complications.

The September 30 attempt

Tennessee went ahead with the execution on September 30 anyway. It did not go as planned.

Attorney Randy Spivey said he saw no fewer than 7 needle sticks in her left arm alone. He added that one of the needles looked bent and that her right arm started to turn purple after the second round of drugs.

Pike lived through both lethal injections. She was taken to a hospital where she stayed for close to two weeks.

Back behind bars

She has since been returned to the same prison where she was held before.

Now she is asking the court to take her out of isolation. She wants to join regular prison activities but says she does not feel safe going back to her old housing unit.