Paying tribute to Kristen

Hi, this is Allie, Kristen’s sister. Kristen is battling Optical Nerve Glioma!

This all started with headaches on October 17th- then slight blurred vision- and on November 2nd, we found out from a MRI, she had an Optical Nerve Glioma! This brain tumor is inoperable due to the location (pushing on her optical nerve) and she has now completely lost her vision in both eyes.

She was scheduled to go to Sloan in NYC on 11/7 but due to insurance issues, we had to take her to RWJ in NB. She was there from Nov 7- November 29th.

She started radiation on November 21st- and was scheduled for 6 weeks of radiation- 5 times a week. (and we were just told that she was to start immunotherapy on Jan 6th!)

She was admitted back to RWJ on Dec 3rd after 3 falls the day before at her apartment. My mom was staying with her there but it was very challenging for both of them. After she got discharged on Dec 6th- my parents brought her back to their house as she needs 24/7 care and the more people around to help, the better!

This diagnosis has not been easy on any of us. This tumor is super rare & very aggressive. Results from a biopsy on Nov 10th showed that the cancer is not just confined to the tumor itself- there are abnormal cells throughout her brain.

She has severe mobility issues due to the tumor as well as now being blind. The right side of her body is suffering, she can’t lift her arm without assistance, and her legs are very weak. She’s not able to walk at all anymore, even with assistance, it’s very challenging!

She has been out of work since October, and her job placed her on unpaid leave. We are currently waiting on her disability claim to be approved.

We are asking for help to alleviate the financial burden with her medical bills, care and anything else her insurance does not cover.

We appreciate you taking the time to read this- and any help you can offer us, whether it be financial or prayers, we would be so grateful. Thank you!

This is going to be a long road- but Kristen is being so strong and willing to fight this with everything she’s got!