Help Karin Rebuild Her Life After a Sudden, Life-Changing Diagnosis

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On Independence Day 2024, my sister Karin was more than 1,200 miles into her solo Appalachian Trail thru-hike, achieving a long-held dream that required extraordinary physical and mental fortitude.

At 4:00 AM on July 4, she awoke in her tent unable to stand. She collapsed, numb from feet to chest, and had to be rescued off-trail. The irony is staggering – on a day that celebrates freedom, Karin faced the terrifying loss of her own bodily independence.

Two weeks and countless tests later, she was diagnosed with idiopathic transverse myelitis (TM), a rare inflammatory spinal cord condition that causes sudden paralysis. There’s no known cause, and no known cure.

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Karin’s Fight to Reclaim Her Life

A licensed physical therapist assistant who’s spent years helping others recover, Karin is now applying that same determination to herself.

Since being discharged, she has:

• Attended outpatient physical therapy 2–3 times per week

• Begun independent aquatic therapy

• Remained in pelvic floor therapy

• Participated in counseling and specialist follow-ups

• Had hand controls installed in her car

• Managed bowel/bladder dysfunction, fatigue, chronic pain, and weakness

• Pursued self-administered rehabilitation

• Returned to working part-time despite these challenges

Worsening matters, Karin recently tore her rotator cuff, from physical strain using the hand controls. Surgery is recommended, but the cost and more time off work feel impossible.

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Why We’re Asking for Help

Full recovery from TM is not a “thing,” but hard work, ongoing therapy, and stability can preserve and improve function. What’s holding Karin back now isn’t effort — it’s the financial strain.

In 2024, Karin faced over $20,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses:

• Insurance premiums, deductibles, co-pays

• Medical supplies, adaptive devices

• Physical therapy and counseling

• Medication

• Car modifications and assistive equipment

Karin is now on track to incur another $16,000+ in 2025, on top of the income she’s lost due to limited work capacity. Her part-time job simply isn’t enough to cover these ongoing medical costs.

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Our Goal: $20,000 in 6 Months

Now, one year since the onset of Karin’s TM, we are launching this GoFundMe to raise $20,000 to help Karin stay on her feet, in every sense of the word.

Your support will:

• Cover medical expenses, supplies, and therapy

• Offset income loss so Karin can remain in her home while continuing part-time work and pushing for recovery

We promise transparency in how all funds are used. Karin will resume sharing updates on her condition and progress so you can see the impact of your support.

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Follow Karin’s Journey

• Facebook: CoachKarinVictorio

• Instagram: karinjv1

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Learn More About Transverse Myelitis

• Hopkins Medicine Overview

• SRNA Disease Info

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Thank you sincerely for reading, sharing, and / or supporting Karin. Your generosity will help her move forward physically, emotionally, and financially as she navigates life with a complex, chronic illness.