Dear family and friends,

Our friend and co-worker, Karen Bristow, has had a rough beginning to 2025. She went to the ER on December 30th with extreme abdominal pain. She spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in ICU. She spent the whole month of January and part of February in the hospital/in-patient rehab.

She has been diagnosed with upper GI bleed, two abdominal blood clots, pancreatitis, and the contrast from the CT scan caused kidney failure. She was on dialysis for three weeks and had three blood transfusions while in the hospital. On top of all that she'd been through, three days after being released from rehab, she fell, which caused a compression fracture of the L1 vertebrae.

Karen still has ongoing issues due to the pancreatitis. The pancreas is not producing insulin so she has to give herself a shot every night. She has been very nauseous and the pancreas is beginning to develop a pseudocyst. The cyst is not fully mature yet, so she is having to get CT scans every two weeks to determine when it can be drained.

With all the health challenges, the cost of doctor visits and medications are building up. The stress is not helping her condition, so we want to relieve as much of the stress as possible so that she can focus on her health.

We are asking for your help and appreciate anything you can give. Every donation will go directly toward her medical bills. If you’re unable to donate, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for your support, care, and prayers.