My name is Patty McGuffin, and I am fundraising for my dear friends, Kari and Jerry Sinkula. We've been down this road once before, where generous donations helped Kari get through the first part of her cancer battle. The Sinkulas were so grateful for everyone's generosity and caring. Then, in January, Kari was put on Virzenio, which her doctor felt was a drug that could cure her cancer. But unfortunately, things haven't worked out that way, and Kari's inflammatory breast cancer is rearing its ugly head again. It has spread to the other side of Kari's neck, her tonsil, left breast, and the area around her lungs.

Kari and Jerry decided to look into going to MD Anderson, where there are specialists who deal in inflammatory breast cancer. They were able to get an appointment within a week and traveled to Houston for a February 10 appointment. The doctor at MDA met with Kari and Jerry and determined the approach they needed to take was palliative care, which focuses on the relief of side effects, discomfort, emotional stress and other difficulties associated with severe illness. It doesn't replace primary medical treatment; instead, the palliative care teams work with patients' medical teams to make life better for patients and families. The doctor took Kari off Virzenio and is now having her do a combination therapy that includes Kasqali. Cancer cells use the estrogen in a woman's body to thrive and grow, and Kasqali blocks the cancer cells from using her estrogen. Since beginning this combination of drugs and taking supplements she has researched and discussed with her doctor in Kansas City, Kari experienced a considerable decrease in the side effects from Verzenio. However, her last visit to MDA on May 2 showed inflammation of her liver and lungs, and while the cancer seemed to be holding steady, the liver issues were concerning. So she is off the Kasqali for two weeks and will resume at half dose after that until she is rechecked.

As many of her friends know, Kari had started working again on a limited basis but could only do so for a short amount of time. And now, she and Jerry are faced with more MDA trips, which involve airfare, Uber transportation, and accommodations. Southwest Airlines offers a limited number of free flights, and there is a program called Angel Flights, but that program will only fly patients 300 miles at a time. That limit means the coordination of flying from Kansas City to Houston would require at least three flights each way. In addition, Kari's appointments are very early in the morning to allow doctors to perform all the testing they need and get results timely. Reservations at the Houston Hope House must be made in advance and are not always guaranteed, and rides provided by Hope House are not always guaranteed.

To help ease the financial burden, Kari and Jerry have moved into a less expensive home than their downtown apartment. However, the trips to Houston and the accompanying expenses are challenging. Several friends and clients have asked how to help, so I asked them for their permission to start a new Go Fund Me page. If anyone wants to and can help, your contribution would be very appreciated. The more stress we can alleviate from this family, the better. Thank you in advance for your contributions.