Ayuda a Karen a combatir el Cancer

My name is Karen

I'm from Guatemala and I'd like to share my story

Almost two years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Five days after the diagnosis, I had surgery, and the pathology report confirmed stage 3C ovarian cancer. I thought, "I think I've reached the end of my rope."

But there were things that raised some concerns for the doctors, and they repeated the pathology test, and the results from the first one were confirmed. But I felt and looked great. I asked the oncologists more than six times if that was the diagnosis, and yes, it was. And then they gave me the news that I now had to undergo chemotherapy, and that's when I felt like my world had collapsed. In fact, I had said that if they told me I had to undergo that treatment, I wouldn't do it because I felt fine and it would make me worse. But they explained to me that it was necessary because it had started to spread, and even though they had cleaned everything, it was necessary in case anything was left behind.

And I wasn't wrong. Chemo brought an opportunity for healing, but it also brought suffering, pain, despair, the urge to throw in the towel, and sometimes even arguments and complaints to God.

A year ago, I finished treatment, but the pain remained because one of the medications caused neuropathy. I've cried a lot thinking I'll never be me again. But what do you think? I'm still me, maybe even a slightly improved version. Maybe slower and with more restrictions, but I'm still me: happy, sociable, still angry, although less and less so, haha. I enjoy my family and friends, even if it's rarely or only by phone. When I feel I'm almost 100% healthy, something else comes along: dengue fever, COVID, and most recently, on January 15th at 10:00 a.m., I suffered a TIA, or as the doctor explained, a pre-stroke or pre-heart attack. I was very scared when my face was twisted, I couldn't speak, one eye was completely closed, and I couldn't move at all. But my mind was super clear, and I said, "I don't want to be trapped in my body." Thank God, that night I was already starting to talk and move a little. The next day I was able to walk. The hardest thing to recover was my speech because I spoke very slowly, but I recovered. I was in the hospital for six days, and God knew why He was taking me there. I met people who were a testimony to me and a great blessing. Every day I feel improvement in some things that are still not 100% complete, and I know that God will lift me up from this one too.

In 2025, we noticed that the cancer had returned, and it was more severe than it once was. The doctors can't find where it's located, and the test to locate it costs $2,000, plus chemotherapy, medications, and hospital stays. Family and friends are doing our best to raise some of the needed funds, but of course, it's very difficult to obtain them overnight.

Today, I'm here to ask for a chance, and my family, friends, and anyone who can donate will be very grateful.