Karen Needs Support in her Darkest Hour

Hi, my name is Melanie Buchman. I hope you will take a moment to read and consider this Go Fund Me campaign, which I, in collaboration with other friends, have set up on behalf of our dear friend, Karen DiFloure.

Due to previous complications, Karen is in dire need of a liver transplant. She is a loving and devoted mother of Tyler, Anthony, and Gianna Cammoroto as well as a stepmother of three. Her family VERY MUCH needs her continued love, care and guidance.

Karen and her kids have endured many trials and have learned to rely upon each other, forming a deep bond of love and dedication. No one can fathom life being in any lesser form for them.

For the past year, Karen has courageously persevered through the extreme physical, mental and emotional setbacks of her devastating medical situation, which requires frequent hospital stays and endless treatments and testing -all while balancing the needs of her family, her home and, up to six months ago, her obligations at work. At this point, when not in the hospital, Karen needs the assistance of her husband and parents to care for her, as she is too weak to do much on her own.

As you can imagine, Karen and her family are anxiously waiting . . .

Sadly, the pressures from mounting financial obligations is adding undue hardship and stress to an already unbearable situation.

In whatever way possible, please reach out to Karen by sending cards/texts/emails, posting messages of encouragement, providing meals for her family, etc.

While consulting with Karen, we agreed to share the following email I sent her several months ago . . .

To my dear friend,

I want you to know that I am here for you, not just to listen but to support and encourage you.

I don’t know why bad things happen to good people; but I know it’s not for good people to feel alone or discouraged. It is for friends and family to rally, reassure, inspire and give strength to the one we love.

There have been times when I wondered why some of us seem to have more than our fair share of hardships; but, with time and “clearer vision through the rearview mirror”, I can see that it was to build up a stockpile of resources within ourselves so that when struck with the most challenging of circumstances, we find ourselves far more resilient than the average person.

So, once the particulars are known and you have had some time to contemplate and mourn and rail, we, the ones who love you, will be there to lift you up so you can “steel” yourself for this battle, which you have unwittingly been preparing for through the culmination of all the past experiences you have endured to become this exquisitely beautiful, yet fearsomely determined soul I know and love.

I need you to tap into the "Mama Bear" within you that has risen up time and again to care for and protect so wondrously those you love to be here, now, to do the same for you.

You, my kind and loving friend, are a valuable gift beyond measure . . . to me . . . to your family . . . to God.

You cannot be replaced in my life, the lives of your family and the many friends who love you .

So, at this particular time, I ask that you concentrate on the God-given grace and positive spirit within you to find and ignite the faith, hope and determination that you will need once again. As in the past, you WILL get through this!

I love you, Karen, and I want you to know that I am holding you up in caring thoughts and prayers and I have no intention of letting go. You are not in this alone. I am asking God to be with you and to send His angels to you to give you strength and support and to get you to the other side of this illness to live a long and fulfilling life which we all need and you deserve.

Love to you always, Melanie

In closing, it is without a doubt that Karen and her family are facing life altering challenges. It is our hope that through this Go Fund Me campaign some of the pressures of medical treatment, bills, and related expenses that continue to mount will lessen some of the financial burden on them . With one less worry, Karen and her family will be able to focus more fully on her treatment, plan for the future, and cherish time together as a family. Please keep them all in your thoughts and, especially, in your prayers.