Support Carol's Journey

Hello Friends and Family of Carol Saulsberry!

As you may know, my mother Carol was diagnosed with high-risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) which is Pre-Leukemia and has an average survival rate of 18 months. As you can imagine for someone as health-conscious and active as Carol, this was a huge shock for her and our family. However, we have been determined to find a path towards full remission. The only treatment for MDS is a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), which carries a high risk of serious complications.

In August 2023, Carol began Chemo treatment to see how her body would respond, the treatment indicated a positive response which meant the BMT would have a high probability of success. Shortly after, it was discovered that Stanford Hospital has been doing a clinical trial that has a more phased approach to the BMT process than standard protocol, resulting in better remission results and less problematic symptoms for patients. Earlier this year, Carol was accepted to the clinical trial and notified about a blood donor match rated 10 out of 10. She was finally able to begin the trial on April 23rd and after a month of inpatient treatments and full BMT, she was discharged on May 19th to outpatient care for another 30-60 days with family and friends as rotating caregivers. Carol continues to make great progress towards remission, updates can be found here.

As a result of the past 6 months of preparation and the next 12 months of recovery and remission, my mother will be unable to work for up to 18 months. As you all know, she has had a long, successful (and self-employed) career as an equine instructor. However, her inability to do what she loves has caused significant financial stress, and I know many of you have asked how you can help, well here it is. Any amount you feel kind enough to contribute will make a huge difference in Carol's ability to return to her normal way of life upon full remission.