KAREN PORTER FUND
Donation protected
Asking for help is not in Karen Porter’s experience or vocabulary. While Karen gives freely of her time and expertise to help others and is a much-loved mentor for many, she finds it very difficult to request help for herself. For that reason, several of us personally affected by Karen’s generosity and support have built this page to request your assistance during a time when Karen has a pressing need.
Karen was recently diagnosed with gallbladder cancer which was later found to have spread to the liver, bile duct, and pancreas. Because gallbladder cancer is extremely rare, she must travel out of the area for some of her care as there are only four specialists within a 500 mile radius of Missoula. She recently underwent an aggressive, multi-organ surgery in Spokane, and now faces months of chemo and radiation therapy. In addition, there are deductibles, co-pays, and "no-pays," (the latter being care used in tandem with traditional treatments – things like supplements, an organic food diet, acupuncture, etc. as examples – but for which insurance will cover nothing).
An honored member of the marketing faculty at the University of Montana’s School of Business Administration during the late 80s and early 90s, Karen left academia in 1993 to lead marketing functions at two Fortune 500-sized companies. Her passion for working with small businesses and students brought her back to Montana to run her own marketing consulting practice while rejoining the faculty as an adjunct instructor at UM.
Due to the physical limitations of her illness and treatments, her income is down at the same time her expenses are soaring. Karen needs help maintaining her household, as well as with the plethora of mounting medically-related expenses.
We are honored to post this page on Karen’s behalf. Your support in any capacity is gratefully appreciated.
Karen was recently diagnosed with gallbladder cancer which was later found to have spread to the liver, bile duct, and pancreas. Because gallbladder cancer is extremely rare, she must travel out of the area for some of her care as there are only four specialists within a 500 mile radius of Missoula. She recently underwent an aggressive, multi-organ surgery in Spokane, and now faces months of chemo and radiation therapy. In addition, there are deductibles, co-pays, and "no-pays," (the latter being care used in tandem with traditional treatments – things like supplements, an organic food diet, acupuncture, etc. as examples – but for which insurance will cover nothing).
An honored member of the marketing faculty at the University of Montana’s School of Business Administration during the late 80s and early 90s, Karen left academia in 1993 to lead marketing functions at two Fortune 500-sized companies. Her passion for working with small businesses and students brought her back to Montana to run her own marketing consulting practice while rejoining the faculty as an adjunct instructor at UM.
Due to the physical limitations of her illness and treatments, her income is down at the same time her expenses are soaring. Karen needs help maintaining her household, as well as with the plethora of mounting medically-related expenses.
We are honored to post this page on Karen’s behalf. Your support in any capacity is gratefully appreciated.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jennifer Rose-harper
Organizer
Missoula, MT
Karen Porter
Beneficiary