Karol's Cancer Fight

Family and friends and friends of friends,

Our mom, Karol, has been a mother figure to so many people over the years. She and our dad (while he was still alive) opened their home to friends, family, and adopted family who needed a place to stay, a place to live, or a place to reset. Her most defining role in life is caretaker to others. Right now, she needs to be taken care of, and we, her three daughters, are trying our best to do that, with God’s help. In March of 2022, we were shocked to learn that, despite her super-healthy lifestyle, our mom was diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer. She immediately underwent surgery to remove the tumor and she was cancer free for several months. Unfortunately, the cancer returned with a vengeance. A second, more invasive surgery was done to remove a massive tumor that had grown exponentially in a matter of weeks. Mom's doctors urged her that chemotherapy was her best shot to keep the cancer from returning again.

For nearly 6 months, our mom endured the cruel medicine that is chemotherapy and as we watched her slowly decline, we could only hope that the chemo was keeping the cancer at bay. Her first scans during chemo were encouraging, but after her last treatment in early August, a CT scan showed that more tumors have developed and the cancer has spread. The best tumor experts at Johns Hopkins have reviewed her case, and they can only recommend another round of chemo—a different, harsher cocktail that would debilitate her. Unfortunately, they believe that this would only buy her a little more time--time she would spend being sick from the chemo. Yesterday, Mom told her doctor that she plans to forgo chemotherapy. He feels her decision is reasonable given the crippling side effects and the low chance of chemo saving her life.

We are a family of faith. As we have walked through this journey with our mom, we’ve asked God to heal her—but we know that His power is made perfect in our weakness, so there is purpose in this struggle. We don’t know what God will do, but our mom is not ready to give up. She wants to live to see her 5 young granddaughters grow up, to be a friend, a mother, a cousin, a prayer partner, an artist for many more years. By God’s grace, Mom has qualified to receive treatment at a clinic in Texas that offers alternatives to chemotherapy. The doctors there feel there's a chance this treatment could help her. This is her only opportunity to beat this disease. Like many alternative treatments, this treatment is extremely expensive and it is not covered by insurance. We are coming together as a family to help her in any way we can, but she needs a lot more help to cover the costs of travel, lodging, treatments, medicine, and medical care.

Our mother cared for her husband and her own mother who both died of cancer within weeks of one another in 2011, and now watching her fight her own cancer battle is heartbreaking. We don't want cost to be the obstacle that prevents her from getting treatment that might allow her to win this battle. If you're able, please consider donating to Karol's Cancer Fight. We would be so grateful.

Blessings and many, many thanks.

Kaia, Jina, and Sherry