Hello friends and family,
As many of you know, in March of this year, our sister Darshan was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer. The stage 4 diagnosis means that the cancer has already spread to her lymph nodes and her lungs. As scary as this sounds, Darshan is fully committed to healing - she has a long and uncertain road of treatment ahead of her, and she needs all of our help.
For us, this diagnosis came unexpectedly and has left our family struggling with a range of emotions and suddenly shifting gears to be more there for Darshan. It has been hard watching our parents - who aren’t getting any younger - providing the bulk of Darshan’s care. It has been hard figuring out visits during covid and trying to maintain a sense of normal. It has been hard going through feelings of frustration, anger, and fear of losing our sister.
Darshan is continuously exhausted and needs help at home these days in ways we’ve never seen before. She is so different from the Darshan that we know to be independent and fearless. The one that has always been fiercely there for us, sometimes even when we didn’t want her to be. The Darshan that has fought for and with us for pretty much forever. The girl who threw a pot of beans at her brother (Jagjeet), the one who battled for wins with each of us in card games, board games, really any games, but was always there to let her sister (Seema) win at War because she still cries when she loses at it.
Darshan has already needed to take an indefinite leave of absence from work. Her illness, and the potential side effects from her treatment, make it impossible for her to maintain her job. She has no other income. We are asking for your financial support to help her manage through this difficult time.
Your gift will allow her peace of mind for hospital appointments/stays, treatments, and medications. It will allow her to pay her rent giving her a stable home where she can be nursed by family and friends. It will allow her to access complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage. And it will allow for healthy nourishing food to help her body fight this disease. Your gift will allow her to focus on one thing alone: getting better.
We know that Darshan feels really grateful to have an amazing gynecological oncologist who she trusts, as well as an excellent team of additional providers supporting her care. Even more, she’s been leaning on the incredible love and emotional support she’s gotten from so many of you.
Darshan began intensive hormone therapy in April as the starting point for her treatment. Depending on whether or not the hormones are effective, she may or may not have to undergo chemotherapy starting in the next few weeks. These systemic treatments will be followed by surgery, and targeted radiation will likely follow that. Although the timeline is incredibly uncertain, we anticipate these treatments - and Darshan’s recovery - will take at least a year, and probably closer to 18 months.
We need Darshan. The world needs Darshan. Darshan has devoted her life to working with nonprofits for racial justice and reproductive justice. She has a lot more to give to all of us. Whether you know her from her work with one of these causes, through religious groups, through choir, from growing up in CA, from moving to DC, from NYU, through one of us, it really doesn’t matter from where. We can all agree that she brings her spirit, her heart, her wisdom, her laughter, and more to all she does.
Darshan has always dedicated herself to her family, friends and her community. We are asking for that same dedication from you for her now. Right now, the most impactful gift is one of financial support that can carry her for some time or for a monthly pledge. We ask again, please help us to sustain Darshan’s fight against cancer.
We are forever grateful to you for giving generously and sharing this in your networks. Together, we can help Darshan so she can win this fight and may have so many more years with us.
Thank you,
Seema and Jagjeet
As many of you know, in March of this year, our sister Darshan was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer. The stage 4 diagnosis means that the cancer has already spread to her lymph nodes and her lungs. As scary as this sounds, Darshan is fully committed to healing - she has a long and uncertain road of treatment ahead of her, and she needs all of our help.
For us, this diagnosis came unexpectedly and has left our family struggling with a range of emotions and suddenly shifting gears to be more there for Darshan. It has been hard watching our parents - who aren’t getting any younger - providing the bulk of Darshan’s care. It has been hard figuring out visits during covid and trying to maintain a sense of normal. It has been hard going through feelings of frustration, anger, and fear of losing our sister.
Darshan is continuously exhausted and needs help at home these days in ways we’ve never seen before. She is so different from the Darshan that we know to be independent and fearless. The one that has always been fiercely there for us, sometimes even when we didn’t want her to be. The Darshan that has fought for and with us for pretty much forever. The girl who threw a pot of beans at her brother (Jagjeet), the one who battled for wins with each of us in card games, board games, really any games, but was always there to let her sister (Seema) win at War because she still cries when she loses at it.
Darshan has already needed to take an indefinite leave of absence from work. Her illness, and the potential side effects from her treatment, make it impossible for her to maintain her job. She has no other income. We are asking for your financial support to help her manage through this difficult time.
Your gift will allow her peace of mind for hospital appointments/stays, treatments, and medications. It will allow her to pay her rent giving her a stable home where she can be nursed by family and friends. It will allow her to access complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage. And it will allow for healthy nourishing food to help her body fight this disease. Your gift will allow her to focus on one thing alone: getting better.
We know that Darshan feels really grateful to have an amazing gynecological oncologist who she trusts, as well as an excellent team of additional providers supporting her care. Even more, she’s been leaning on the incredible love and emotional support she’s gotten from so many of you.
Darshan began intensive hormone therapy in April as the starting point for her treatment. Depending on whether or not the hormones are effective, she may or may not have to undergo chemotherapy starting in the next few weeks. These systemic treatments will be followed by surgery, and targeted radiation will likely follow that. Although the timeline is incredibly uncertain, we anticipate these treatments - and Darshan’s recovery - will take at least a year, and probably closer to 18 months.
We need Darshan. The world needs Darshan. Darshan has devoted her life to working with nonprofits for racial justice and reproductive justice. She has a lot more to give to all of us. Whether you know her from her work with one of these causes, through religious groups, through choir, from growing up in CA, from moving to DC, from NYU, through one of us, it really doesn’t matter from where. We can all agree that she brings her spirit, her heart, her wisdom, her laughter, and more to all she does.
Darshan has always dedicated herself to her family, friends and her community. We are asking for that same dedication from you for her now. Right now, the most impactful gift is one of financial support that can carry her for some time or for a monthly pledge. We ask again, please help us to sustain Darshan’s fight against cancer.
We are forever grateful to you for giving generously and sharing this in your networks. Together, we can help Darshan so she can win this fight and may have so many more years with us.
Thank you,
Seema and Jagjeet
Co-organizers4
Darshan Khalsa
Beneficiary