Support Kari's Myeloma Journey: A Community of Care

Dear Beloved Community,

Two years ago, my life changed when I was diagnosed with high-risk smoldering myeloma—a condition that, if left untreated, almost always progresses into incurable multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer in the plasma cells in the bones. I now face periods of disability, an uncertain prognosis, and a narrowing window of time for early intervention. My heart feels both tender and full as I write this letter to ask for your support.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000 for Treatment and Recovery

This diagnosis has become a catalyst for transformation—a threshold moment that invites me to soften, to surrender self-reliance, and to receive the support of community. I’ve been accepted into a groundbreaking clinical trial at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that offers real hope of stopping the disease from progressing and creating a long period of remission. I’m reaching out to ask for your support to access this treatment that could significantly extend my life and protect my health.

The Clinical Trial: A Path to Healing

Under the care of Irene Ghobrial, MD, a leading specialist in early myeloma intervention, I’ve been accepted into the CAR-PRISM clinical trial. The treatment follows carefully planned phases:

Because this treatment clears out all plasma cells—including healthy ones—I will be unable to work for up to six months as my immune system rebuilds.

How Your Support Creates Healing

Your contributions will provide necessary funding during this time of intensive treatment and recovery. Gaining access to this clinical trial requires relocating to Massachusetts. As someone self-employed and without a partner's income to rely on, I cannot meet this moment alone. Your support bridges the gap created by what insurance won’t cover.

Even small contributions make a difference. Every gift—whether $10 or $10,000—is part of the web of care that holds me through this journey. Your generosity creates real, tangible support:

Each gift is a thread in the wider fabric of care—making it possible for me to walk this path with steadiness, dignity, and support.

An Invitation to Community Healing

This invitation reaches across many chapters of my life. Whether we are close now, have been in the past, or you’ve found your way here through mutual friends or my story—thank you. Throughout this journey, a circle of beloved friends and family has gathered around me in a council of care, transforming my life and heart. This campaign is an invitation to join that circle—a living example of the community-based healing I’ve always believed in.

Ways to Support

My council of care will provide weekly updates during active treatment and monthly updates throughout recovery.

May this journey affirm our shared humanity and the power of collective care. May any support you are able to offer ripple outward into wider healing. And may those ripples carry my lifelong prayer out—including back to you:

May all beings, everywhere, experience wellbeing, love, and ease.

With deep gratitude,

Kari Kishin Lindahl Hart

My Journey: Intersections of Identity, Spiritual Practice, and Healing

Throughout my life, I’ve been called into intimate understanding—personally and professionally—of how our identities and histories shape our health.

I’m queer, genderfluid, transgender, and female-bodied. Like many in my communities, I carry experiences of trauma. I also live with severe allergies and asthma, caring for a chronically vulnerable immune system. These experiences have guided me to a deeply courageous and steady heart—a place where I can meet life’s challenges directly, using them as fuel for transformation and healing.

These experiences also connect me deeply to my communities. Research shows that the impacts of both childhood trauma and systemic inequities live in our bodies, shaping our immune systems and health outcomes. Within my communities, many of us carry these stories in our bones—the weight of navigating systems that fail to see us fully and the wisdom we gain from advocating for our own wellbeing. I feel this now more than ever, with the current political violence and loss of rights facing us.

Professionally, these experiences are part of my devotion to a life of service. Prior to the pandemic, I worked as a licensed clinical social worker and mindfulness teacher, offering mindfulness-based, equity-focused, multicultural therapy with rural and historically underserved populations. During the pandemic, I focused my work on supporting healthcare workers facing unprecedented challenges caring for COVID patients. Through facing the depths of human suffering together, the patients, providers, and administrators I've served have shaped and inspired me with their remarkable resilience.

These experiences have been profound teachers for me. For more than twenty years, I have practiced rigorously in both the Buddhist and Shamanic traditions. The myeloma diagnosis has been a life-changing call to listen more closely and surrender to what is. I was fortunate to receive scholarships for two extended retreats, which gave me the space to process the reality of my diagnosis as part of my spiritual practice. One central theme that emerged during this time is what Thich Nhat Hanh calls 'interbeing'—the web of interconnection and interdependence that supports all life. This understanding deepened my sense of interdependence, guiding me to let go of self-reliance and rest more fully in the embrace of community, the natural world, and the sacred. What started as a medical diagnosis has become a practice of receiving life's preciousness with new depth.

The Path Forward

In April and May, I’ll complete screenings and have my cells collected to begin the process of personalized CAR-T therapy. In July, I’ll undergo the active treatment phase—three days of outpatient chemotherapy, followed by hospitalization and 24/7 monitored care. After that, I’ll need 6–8 weeks of continued support for daily needs as my immune system rebuilds. Full recovery can take up to six months.

My insurance covers some of the medical costs, but not housing, travel, food, or the presence of a caregiver—nor does it account for being unable to work for half a year. That’s what this campaign makes possible.

Your support provides:

A Council of Care

In this journey, I've been blessed to be held by love that flows from many sources. A circle of beloved friends and family have gathered around me in a council of care, moving with remarkable, intuitive grace, each person sensing when to draw near. I feel so grateful for: the devoted presence of my new partner Alexandra, the enduring support of my former spouse Ryushin, the foundational love of my mom Bobbi, the impossible generosity of my dharma sibling Noah, the organizational prowess and fierce heart of my cherished friend Emily, the unwavering care of my lifelong friend Kelly, the soft, shining determination of my dear friend Sam, and the courageous steadiness of my dharma sibling Stephan. You'll see them as the team on this page. Receiving their care has changed my life and heart. I hope this web of love and care touches your heart as you read this. This campaign is an invitation to join us in this responsive circle of care, a place I hope is not just a support for me, but a collective experience of community wellbeing.

Thank You

Thank you for witnessing my story here. I don’t have words for the gratitude I already feel. I’m honored for you to be a part of my journey, in whatever way feels right for you. I invite you to stay connected with me. Any way that is authentic and within capacity for you to support my journey, I receive with humble gratitude.