Hi, my name is Shannon and I am fundraising on behalf of my sister, Karen Clark. For those of you who know Karen, you know she is not one to ask for help often. She is a pretty independent and private person. I DID finally talk her into allowing me to do this for her because there are times in life when one just needs help from those who love and care for them - and sometimes even help from strangers if they feel moved to do so! So please read her story below and if you are in a position to donate, please do. If you can not contribute financially, please offer help by sharing or even sending prayers or good vibes her way as she navigates through this huge life change.

In late 2022 Karen began having some hearing issues in her right ear and went to a few doctors to try to figure out what was going on. She tried many different treatments but after about 6 months she lost full hearing in that ear. The hearing loss was "chalked up" to a possible viral infection that may have caused scarring as seen in a CT scan that was done. At that time was told it MAY come back, but likely not. She began using a hearing aid for assistance while at work.

In May of 2023, she began losing hearing in her left ear. Again, she went to the doctors who ran many tests and could not pin point a cause. All of her labs came back with no abnormalities. They prescribed her prednisone and advised her to not wear her hearing aid to allow for open air into both of her ear canals. The hope was that the prednisone would work to clear up the fluid and inflammation and that be the only issue going on. Within 2 days of finishing her rounds of prednisone, she lost complete hearing in her left ear as well. She was now completely deaf. She sought out guidance from an ENT specialist who ran tests for autoimmune disorders such as MS or rheumatoid arthritis. Tests came back negative for those. She had a CT scan done and nothing came back abnormal.

In late June she began to have additional symptoms to the hearing loss. She said she couldn't even feel/hear her OWN voice in her head. She began losing her balance at work and would fall a lot. She went back to her doctor and they confirmed she was having vertigo symptoms and believed she had Meniere's Disease. This is a build-up of fluid in the chambers of the inner ear. It causes vertigo, nausea, vomiting, hearing loss, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), headaches, loss of balance and sweating. Karen experienced most, if not all, of these symptoms in the last couple of months.

This tough diagnosis caused her to have to quit her job suddenly. A job she absolutely loved and was so passionate about. It was her life and had been for over 10 years. She had to begin physical therapy to be able to re-learn walking, talking and more. She is not able to drive and has to use a walker everywhere she goes now.

She made a public post about her hearing loss a couple of weeks ago that brought tears to my eyes. It was a tough day for her. She said being deaf is just so lonely. She messaged me privately that it hit her hard that she may never hear Rob's laugh again. Never hear him say I love you again. That she may never hear music again. And I just can't even imagine that. It breaks my heart for her. So I am trying to be there for her in any way I can be, and this page is something I can do for her in hopes she can have a little bit of peace and less stress knowing she has some support out there!

With the sudden job loss, she is now without an income. She is in the process of applying for disability coverage, however, she was just informed it could take anywhere from 6-12 months for it to begin being paid IF she is even approved for it. So I wanted to set this page up for her as a way for her family, friends and even strangers to make donations in the meantime to help her cover costs such as her house payment, utilities, gas for her PT appts and so much more. Again, if you know Karen - this is a huge ask and a little bit of a blow to her ego. But she is also the type of person who will be forever grateful for any help she receives!

She has an appointment with a neurologist her ENT recommended to see if they can provide some more answers for her, but unfortunately they were scheduling out in to November. If she finds she will not get her hearing back, hopefully they can lead her on the right path to navigating her way through this unfortunate life-change.

I know this was a lot of information, but thank you for taking the time to read her story and like I said, if you are not able to help financially we will take a share of this on your social platforms or prayers/good vibes!!

Thanks - Shannon