We have been shocked to receive Karen’s recent diagnosis of high grade glioblastoma. A week and a half ago, she was completing her duties as a registered nurse at Riverside Hospital in Kankakee, Illinois. She is now battling an aggressive brain cancer. We are asking for your help to cover Karen’s medical expenses, utility bills, cost of food, as well as travel expenses for her treatment to ensure her the best quality of life however long she has here with us. Karen has worked as a nurse at Riverside for thirteen years. I remember as a teenager my mom working very hard to obtain her nursing degree while raising my two younger siblings and I. She has always been proud to work in healthcare and to provide the best care for her patients. I am so proud of my mom. She always worked hard to provide for our family. Now I want to try to help return that love, protection, and peace of mind back to her.

On Saturday, November 9, my mom was at work in the hospital beginning a twelve hour shift when the word finding difficulties she had been experiencing for the past week or so took a turn for the worst. We had attributed these difficulties to regular aging or stress. But when she could suddenly no longer log into her work computer or identify the object that a physician was holding in his hand to be a pen, her and her coworkers knew something was very wrong. My mom was provided with the best care when she was immediately given the appropriate scans which identified two lesions in her brain. She was quickly transferred to Rush in Chicago where she received brain surgery by Dr. Munoz on November 11 to remove as much as possible of the larger mass in the temporal lobe of her brain.

She survived brain surgery and has recovered very well so far. She did well enough to be discharged on Wednesday, November 13th, and she is now at home with family. I am her daughter, and I live with her. I work for our local county health department as an environmental specialist. We attended her first appointments with oncology and radiation oncology at Rush in Chicago on November 18th. The care team there is amazing, and she will begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments as soon as possible in early to mid December once her brain has healed further from the operation. Karen’s word finding difficulties have improved, and she actually feels much better than she did days and even years leading up to the surgery and the removal of much of that mass. Despite the circumstances, we have shared many laughs and much love over the last week and a half. I feel the love deepening within our family and the growing gratitude that we have for the present moment together to be the silver lining of this situation.

Even if you do not donate monetarily, I appreciate you reading about her situation and sending any loving energy, prayers, and support her way. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy all that there is to enjoy and especially your togetherness ❤️ Thank you, and updates on Karen’s condition will be provided. She is a loving mother, grandmother, aunt, and daughter. She loves her two little grandsons as well as her pet cats who are all rescues. She lives a vegan lifestyle and loves animals and nature in general. She is an avid flower gardener and has also created and maintains a lovely pond that is full of life at her home. She was one of the best nurses, truly excellent, and she already misses doing her job. She is an amazing woman, and I love my mom!