Supporting Karen Through Cancer Treatment

Hey there, my name is Shala Massey and I am creating this Go Fund Me to support in covering medical costs for my dear friend, Karen Kieffer.

A few weeks ago, Karen was suddenly taken ill and a birthday biopsy on December 14th confirmed that she has Stage 3 ovarian cancer.

The cancer in Karen's body has quickly spread to other tissues, and due to a tumor that is located dangerously close to the aorta, Karen will not be able to have surgery until after an initial round of chemo to shrink the tumors.

Karen will receive chemo every 3 weeks for 4-6 weeks, at which point, if the tumors respond to treatment, she will be able to have surgery to remove the remaining tumors and then undergo more chemotherapy. The first round of treatment and recovery is anticipated to take a year.

Karen is not eligible for disability through Social Security or her employer. She had just started two new jobs in August and had not accrued any time off.

One of Karen's jobs requires going into nursing facilities and hospitals, and due to the immunosupression with chemo treatment, Karen was forced to go on leave from this position in mid-December. She is currently receiving 60% of her income on paid medical leave, but this support ends April 2023.

Currently, Karen is still seeing therapy clients, but it is unclear whether she will physically and emotionally be able to continue seeing clients once she begins chemo treatment on December 22.

This is a call for community support to help cover medical costs and basic living needs while Karen is undergoing treatment.

Your contribution will go directly to Karen to support her in paying copays for doctors' vists, paying for any specialized equipment and supplies, and basic living expenses such as rent, utilities, etc.