Care For Karen
Donation protected
Dearest Friends,
Karen Ledger, our friend and colleague, is beginning a critical stage in her life-saving fight against Leiomyosarcoma (LMS). LMS is a very rare (only 1 out of hundreds of thousands people get it) and very aggressive form of uterine cancer.
Thanks to the caring and generous financial gifts from many of Karen’s friends and colleagues over the past few months (see the original request down below), she has been able to apply to, and be accepted by, The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) who is a leader in the field of Sarcoma Cancer Treatment. She was also able to find a place to live that is very close to the SCCA, made possible by the help given by many people already.
This move to Seattle also brought her closer to her mother, and to her longtime beau, Michael Harrington. Karen’s mother suffers from Alzheimer’s, so although it’s good to be near her, she cannot offer any help to Karen. Michael, who has been Karen’s companion for years, has had to put his own work aside to help care for her during this time. While it’s wonderful for her to have Michael as an advocate, this contributes to the need for fiscal assistance, since neither of them can work during this treatment.
In mid-November, Karen completed a round of radiation proton therapy. She is scheduled to begin the treacherous road of a chemo-therapy regimen within the next couple of days. This is an extremely strong regimen, which they tell us will cause side-effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, mouth ulcers, leukopenia, infections and peripheral neuropathy.
In order to help mitigate these effects, plus other mental and spiritual effects, the SCCA has recommended some adjunct therapies, such as acupuncture, herbal pharmacology, yoga, macrobiotic solutions, etc. While well supported and recommended by her doctors, Medicaid will not pay for these supplemental therapies, so we turn to you for more assistance. Karen needs our lifesaving help now more than ever.
After our initial plea, many people banded together to help Karen, and we are very grateful to them. However, there has been no activity over the last several weeks, as the world’s focus shifts to keeping up with the daily grind. But we can’t stop now, and really need a big rallying push to be made for Karen’s sake. Please help!
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Please send a donation of any amount - honestly, any amount at all would be helpful.
- Just as critical, please share this plea, along with your personal connection to Karen, with your friends, family and network. SHARE on your own Facebook or Twitter pages, including this link: http://tinyurl.com/CareForKaren
Michael would like to add this personal request:
“I need your help to keep Karen alive while we seek a hopeful future and worthwhile present. I need you to be a part of this village. Grace and peace be with you.” — Michael Harrington
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Below is the original plea request. For those of you who stepped forward in the early days of this campaign, we thank you so very much. There will be an update out soon detailing some of Karen's progress.
Someone we love needs help. Many of you know our dear friend Karen and for those of you who don’t, she is the kindest, loveliest woman you will ever meet. Karen has recently been diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive form of uterine cancer, Leiomyosarcome (LMS). She is very ill, and needs our help in her recovery.
In order to receive the best care Karen decided to seek treatment in Seattle, which has resulted in a cross country move that has added to the stress of dealing with a critical illness, as well as the cost. The move to Seattle puts Karen closer to her family network, including her longtime domestic partner Michael Harrington. However, in order to be Karen's caregiver and medical advocate, Michael has had to step away from his job. While he is happy to do so, it means that neither of them have an income at this time.
Karen is determined to beat this cancer, and wants to use every means possible to treat the illness and improve her immunity. Along with traditional treatment of radiation and chemo, she is also exploring alternative holistic treatments, which are, as we all know, not covered by insurance. On top of everything else, Karen has to find an apartment that is close enough to the hospital to allow for frequent and quick access.
This is where you come in. Like so many of us, Karen is an artist who has always poured her all into her career, which means she will have no source of income during her treatment. She has always been quick to give to others but initially did not want to ask for help for herself. We finally convinced her to let us do the asking for her. So here’s the ask:
Please donate whatever you can spare to help Karen win this battle. Know that whatever you can contribute will be appreciated immensely. And please pass this go fund me forward via email and Facebook to everyone you possibly can. They say money cannot buy you happiness, but when you are going through something like this, it can make all the difference in the world.
Karen has been there for so many of us, time and time again, when we were in need...won’t you help her out now that she needs you?
Karen Ledger, our friend and colleague, is beginning a critical stage in her life-saving fight against Leiomyosarcoma (LMS). LMS is a very rare (only 1 out of hundreds of thousands people get it) and very aggressive form of uterine cancer.
Thanks to the caring and generous financial gifts from many of Karen’s friends and colleagues over the past few months (see the original request down below), she has been able to apply to, and be accepted by, The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) who is a leader in the field of Sarcoma Cancer Treatment. She was also able to find a place to live that is very close to the SCCA, made possible by the help given by many people already.
This move to Seattle also brought her closer to her mother, and to her longtime beau, Michael Harrington. Karen’s mother suffers from Alzheimer’s, so although it’s good to be near her, she cannot offer any help to Karen. Michael, who has been Karen’s companion for years, has had to put his own work aside to help care for her during this time. While it’s wonderful for her to have Michael as an advocate, this contributes to the need for fiscal assistance, since neither of them can work during this treatment.
In mid-November, Karen completed a round of radiation proton therapy. She is scheduled to begin the treacherous road of a chemo-therapy regimen within the next couple of days. This is an extremely strong regimen, which they tell us will cause side-effects such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, mouth ulcers, leukopenia, infections and peripheral neuropathy.
In order to help mitigate these effects, plus other mental and spiritual effects, the SCCA has recommended some adjunct therapies, such as acupuncture, herbal pharmacology, yoga, macrobiotic solutions, etc. While well supported and recommended by her doctors, Medicaid will not pay for these supplemental therapies, so we turn to you for more assistance. Karen needs our lifesaving help now more than ever.
After our initial plea, many people banded together to help Karen, and we are very grateful to them. However, there has been no activity over the last several weeks, as the world’s focus shifts to keeping up with the daily grind. But we can’t stop now, and really need a big rallying push to be made for Karen’s sake. Please help!
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Please send a donation of any amount - honestly, any amount at all would be helpful.
- Just as critical, please share this plea, along with your personal connection to Karen, with your friends, family and network. SHARE on your own Facebook or Twitter pages, including this link: http://tinyurl.com/CareForKaren
Michael would like to add this personal request:
“I need your help to keep Karen alive while we seek a hopeful future and worthwhile present. I need you to be a part of this village. Grace and peace be with you.” — Michael Harrington
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is the original plea request. For those of you who stepped forward in the early days of this campaign, we thank you so very much. There will be an update out soon detailing some of Karen's progress.
Someone we love needs help. Many of you know our dear friend Karen and for those of you who don’t, she is the kindest, loveliest woman you will ever meet. Karen has recently been diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive form of uterine cancer, Leiomyosarcome (LMS). She is very ill, and needs our help in her recovery.
In order to receive the best care Karen decided to seek treatment in Seattle, which has resulted in a cross country move that has added to the stress of dealing with a critical illness, as well as the cost. The move to Seattle puts Karen closer to her family network, including her longtime domestic partner Michael Harrington. However, in order to be Karen's caregiver and medical advocate, Michael has had to step away from his job. While he is happy to do so, it means that neither of them have an income at this time.
Karen is determined to beat this cancer, and wants to use every means possible to treat the illness and improve her immunity. Along with traditional treatment of radiation and chemo, she is also exploring alternative holistic treatments, which are, as we all know, not covered by insurance. On top of everything else, Karen has to find an apartment that is close enough to the hospital to allow for frequent and quick access.
This is where you come in. Like so many of us, Karen is an artist who has always poured her all into her career, which means she will have no source of income during her treatment. She has always been quick to give to others but initially did not want to ask for help for herself. We finally convinced her to let us do the asking for her. So here’s the ask:
Please donate whatever you can spare to help Karen win this battle. Know that whatever you can contribute will be appreciated immensely. And please pass this go fund me forward via email and Facebook to everyone you possibly can. They say money cannot buy you happiness, but when you are going through something like this, it can make all the difference in the world.
Karen has been there for so many of us, time and time again, when we were in need...won’t you help her out now that she needs you?
Organizer and beneficiary
Marguerite Forrest
Organizer
New York, NY
Michael Omar Harrington
Beneficiary