Support Karen Wilhelm's Medical Recovery

Hi, we're trying to raise funds to help cover the medical costs for the treatment of my mom, Karen Wilhelm.

Last month, mom went to urgent care for what she thought was a particularly nasty kidney stone. After some imaging and further testing we discovered a mass on the tail of her pancreas. Though the biopsy was inconclusive, the mass needed to be removed. It had essentially given her diabetes. The pain the mass caused was intense, slowing her down if not stopping her all together.

On Wednesday, October 9th, mom went in for surgery to remove it. There, the surgeon found the mass was larger than anticipated. He described it as the size of an apple or tangerine. With it came about 60% of her pancreas, her entire spleen, and a section of her intestine. After two days in intensive/intermediate care, she remained in the hospital for a total of 6 days, until October 15th. She's home now and moving around with the help of a walker, but she still has a drain in her surgical site and a temporary ostomy bag. The pain is proving difficult to manage but still manageable. We expect she'll be recovering for about two months.

We are waiting for a determination on the mass; whether or not it was cancerous. In the event that it was, she will have to undergo chemotherapy and other related treatments. As it stands, she will need at least one additional surgery to fix her intestine.

Given the surgery, the recovery, and the care she has received, we have no idea what the cost will amount to, but it is sure to be high. We are reluctantly asking for assistance to help cover these mounting costs.

My mother is a kind and determined woman who would never ask for something like this herself. She has, for her entire life, been the one providing help, not the one in need of it. Even the idea of the attention this ordeal has brought upon her is distressing. But she is absolutely deserving of every bit of help she can receive.

Any assistance you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you