Support for Karyn Sterner-Thayer
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Karyn Sterner-Thayer has always been a bright spot. She has a ready smile and love for everyone around her. She has equal affinity for horses and horsepower, sharing passion for everything from rescue animals to top fuel dragsters. She was Captain of the Cheer Squad in high school, and certainly not the Mean Girls type, but one who bucked the stereotype and worked to include everyone. She is loved by many and has been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people. And now, she needs our help.
Like all of us, she has faced some personal challenges and made choices that forced learning opportunities. Through it all, she trusts in her faith and perseveres. Her son, Jeret, is a testament to who she is as a mother. He shares her bubbly spirit, charm and patriotism.
After many life experiences, Karyn was lucky enough to find her soulmate in Scott Thayer. They met though a faith-based dating site and he was the Cowboy to her Cowgirl. Scott was strong and jovial with a larger-than-life presence, and the two of them realized very quickly that they wanted to build a life together. With snow falling in Leavenworth on December 20th, 2014, they had an idyllic Christmas wedding surrounded by all of the wonderful people who were thrilled to see them become man and wife.
Unfortunately, their newlywed bliss was short-lived. Less than a year after being married, Karyn & Scott were enjoying their mutual passion for snow with friends on a snowmobiling trip. In a twist of frustrating and unjust fate, Karyn ended up in critical condition at Harborview with a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Since then, Karyn has endured a long and trying recovery, but Scott has been her rock. Faced with the realization that he nearly lost her, his love for her only deepened and he sought to giver her an amazing life. The medical bills mounted, but he worked overtime to pay them off. TBI is painful and unpredictable, but he was there for her, comforting her and supporting her. After a couple of years, they were finally able to purchase a home in Ellensburg and settle in to the life they both deserved.
This is the part where they faced their trials, overcame them and it should read, “And they lived happily ever after…”
But in a story too cruel to write, on April 15th, 2019 Scott’s light was inexplicably extinguished. He died at the wheel of his truck, his spirit taken so suddenly that the vehicle simply drifted in to a field and came to a rest. He was only 43 and married to Karyn for less than 5 years.
So now, again faced with unfair and unbelievable circumstances, this is where Karyn needs our help.
She is still disabled and in recovery from her TBI, but she is doing everything she can to support herself and Jeret. She has a part-time job, but it is meant to be a component of her recovery and is in no way a sustainable career.
Scott was an honorable and hard-working man. His work ethic was his asset and that’s what he used to provide for his family. He paid off everything he possibly could, including Karyn’s near insurmountable medical bills, but that left little in the way of savings or retirement.
In this darkest of times in Karyn’s life, we are asking all of you, her friends and family to please rise to the occasion and help her. If you are religious, let your faith guide you. If you are more pragmatic, be driven by the desire to help someone in need.
We all understand that while there is little we can do in the way of alleviating her emotional burden, we can show love and support by ensuring she doesn’t suffer unnecessary financial hardships.
Written by Travis Sterner, Karyn's brother.
Like all of us, she has faced some personal challenges and made choices that forced learning opportunities. Through it all, she trusts in her faith and perseveres. Her son, Jeret, is a testament to who she is as a mother. He shares her bubbly spirit, charm and patriotism.
After many life experiences, Karyn was lucky enough to find her soulmate in Scott Thayer. They met though a faith-based dating site and he was the Cowboy to her Cowgirl. Scott was strong and jovial with a larger-than-life presence, and the two of them realized very quickly that they wanted to build a life together. With snow falling in Leavenworth on December 20th, 2014, they had an idyllic Christmas wedding surrounded by all of the wonderful people who were thrilled to see them become man and wife.
Unfortunately, their newlywed bliss was short-lived. Less than a year after being married, Karyn & Scott were enjoying their mutual passion for snow with friends on a snowmobiling trip. In a twist of frustrating and unjust fate, Karyn ended up in critical condition at Harborview with a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Since then, Karyn has endured a long and trying recovery, but Scott has been her rock. Faced with the realization that he nearly lost her, his love for her only deepened and he sought to giver her an amazing life. The medical bills mounted, but he worked overtime to pay them off. TBI is painful and unpredictable, but he was there for her, comforting her and supporting her. After a couple of years, they were finally able to purchase a home in Ellensburg and settle in to the life they both deserved.
This is the part where they faced their trials, overcame them and it should read, “And they lived happily ever after…”
But in a story too cruel to write, on April 15th, 2019 Scott’s light was inexplicably extinguished. He died at the wheel of his truck, his spirit taken so suddenly that the vehicle simply drifted in to a field and came to a rest. He was only 43 and married to Karyn for less than 5 years.
So now, again faced with unfair and unbelievable circumstances, this is where Karyn needs our help.
She is still disabled and in recovery from her TBI, but she is doing everything she can to support herself and Jeret. She has a part-time job, but it is meant to be a component of her recovery and is in no way a sustainable career.
Scott was an honorable and hard-working man. His work ethic was his asset and that’s what he used to provide for his family. He paid off everything he possibly could, including Karyn’s near insurmountable medical bills, but that left little in the way of savings or retirement.
In this darkest of times in Karyn’s life, we are asking all of you, her friends and family to please rise to the occasion and help her. If you are religious, let your faith guide you. If you are more pragmatic, be driven by the desire to help someone in need.
We all understand that while there is little we can do in the way of alleviating her emotional burden, we can show love and support by ensuring she doesn’t suffer unnecessary financial hardships.
Written by Travis Sterner, Karyn's brother.
Organizer and beneficiary
Christi Croft Mullet
Organizer
Ellensburg, WA
Karyn Sterner-Thayer
Beneficiary