Our beloved friend and sister Karen is in the fight of her life. After 5 years of living with one of the most painful conditions known to humans, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and in the last few months, her situation has become incredibly complex and worse. She is now mostly bedridden, unable to work, and in unrelenting pain with a cascade of complex neurological issues that we are hunting down answers for. In the past 5+ months the condition has spread to her head creating a severe level of pain that has rendered her non-functional. She hasn’t spoken in 3 months. It’s a scary moment. She’s always been the one holding others up, as a therapist, poet, and friend, and now she urgently needs her community to hold her.
The Bullets
- Karen is battling CRPS + FND: debilitating neurological conditions causing non-epileptic seizure like activity near-unceasing, 12/10 pain, leaving her mostly bedridden and unable to chew, laugh, or cry without extreme pain. She has developed extreme hyperacusis which causes auditory sensitivity and prevents her from listening to music, sound above a gentle whisper, entertainment, audiobooks etc. without exacerbating her pain.
- Five years of resilience: In the earlier years, even while living with chronic pain, she got her LMFT license, wrote and published a poetry book, moved to the woods, and supported herself and her clients.
- Crisis since March 2025: After a treatment, symptoms spread to her head. She had to close her practice, is non-functional, and requires full-time care.
- Financial cliff: She’s already spent over $100,000 on medical care. Ongoing costs are $5–8K/month for housing, food, medical care, therapy, and caretaking.
- No safety net: She is ineligible for state disability and waiting 6+ months for federal review.
- Family has stepped in: Loved ones are quitting jobs and relocating to care for her.
- The road ahead: Karen needs six months of runway to stabilize, plus the possibility of future specialized treatment costing $40–80K. (We thought this is the campaign we were going to make, but she is not eligible to attend any specialized treatment centers in her current condition. Right now we just need to get her back on her feet.)
How we got here
Karen is one of those rare people who seems to hold the whole world with her heart. She has spent years supporting others as a therapist, friend, and artist, creating beauty even in the midst of pain.
For the last five years, she has lived with CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), a condition so painful it’s often called the “suicide disease.” In March 2025, after a treatment in New Jersey, her CRPS spread to her head and was compounded by Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Since then, her pain has been near-constant and unbearable, often “12 out of 10.” She hasn’t been able to sit upright for months, and she is unable to work or live independently.
Karen has always carried herself with dignity and determination. She continued to see clients, to write, to contribute. She paid for her medical expenses out of pocket, spending over $100,000 in the past four years. But now, with her condition advanced and her practice closed, she needs her community’s help.
Right now, her family is stepping in: flying across the country, pausing their own work, and providing round-the-clock care. But the costs are staggering: rent, food, utilities, occupational therapy, ongoing treatment, and basic living expenses. Karen is not eligible for state disability, and federal disability takes months just to hear back.
This GoFundMe is about giving Karen six months of stability: a chance to cover her living expenses, receive care, and have a runway to focus on healing instead of survival.
Financial goals
- Base Goal: $5,000/month for 6 months = $30,000
- Stretch Goal: $8,000/month for 6 months = $48,000
- Future Treatment Goal: Specialized care estimated at $40,000–$80,000
We are setting the campaign goal at $55,000, the average between base and stretch needs, to sustain her care for six months and begin preparing for advanced treatment when she’s stable.
*Karen is currently receiving care in California and we want to relocate her to a more affordable place, but for the moment, she is unable to be relocated cross country because of the state of her condition.
How your gift helps
Your support goes directly to covering Karen’s essential monthly expenses and care:
- Housing: $3,000
- Utilities: $400
- Food & daily needs: $800 for groceries and essentials
- Caretaker support: $2,500 for full-time in-home care
- Occupational Therapy + Additional Treatments (speech/hearing retraining): $750+ monthly, not covered by insurance
- Medical debt repayments: $1,200
- Transportation, phone, insurance, and other bills: $600
- Total monthly need: $8,000
- (with $2,000/month covered by government assistance, the gap to cover is $5,000–6,000/month).
How to support Karen
1. Donate | Any amount helps. Even $10 makes a difference when shared widely. Please consider a monthly recurring contribution (which is an option when you make your donation).
2. Share | Post on your social media or email it to those who know Karen, or those moved by her story.
3. Leave a note | Karen draws strength from hearing your words of encouragement.
How To Share
One of the most powerful ways you can help Karen is by sharing this campaign regularly. When you share, don’t just post the link... tell a story about who Karen is to you. Share a memory, a way she’s impacted your life, or what you love about her. Those personal stories are what inspire others to give and remind people that this is about community care and mutual aid. Even if you can’t give again, your words and your shares keep the circle of support widening and bring new people into Karen’s care network.
Closing
Karen has spent her adult life showing up for others. Now it’s our turn to show up for her. Let’s give her the stability, care, and dignity she deserves as she walks this incredibly difficult road.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kristen Prosen
Organizer
Sebastopol, CA
Karen Prosen
Beneficiary