Caring for Kari
38 year old Kari Lundy Cromer has always been known as a caring, fun-loving, and adventurous mother and friend that will do anything for her loved ones. Thinking of her beloved sister’s recent cancer diagnosis and admittance into hospice care, as well as her family’s extensive history with breast cancer, Kari became fearful of leaving her three children without a mother. Not a person to shy from a fight, Kari decided to take the brave step of scheduling two preventative surgeries: a bilateral (double) mastectomy and a hysterectomy.
In September 2019, Kari underwent her first surgery- the bilateral (double) mastectomy. Following a painful recovery throughout the remainder of fall and a reconstructive surgery in December 2019, Kari was finally optimistic about the future as she waited on her hysterectomy scheduled for February 2020. Sadly, in January of 2020 she started to feel unexplained pain radiating throughout her left arm. She began a tiring series of visits to a variety of doctors, but a cause of this pain could not be determined. Eventually, it was decided to continue as planned with the hysterectomy in February.
The pain in her arm only continued to intensify and later spread to her back. At her wits end, Kari decided to visit an ENT at the beginning of March. The doctor biopsied some lymph nodes from her neck and sent them for analysis. By mid-March sweet Kari received the devastating news that she has cancer.
From that crushing moment to now, Kari has maintained a fighting spirit determined to be strong for her two young daughters and step-son. She has visited numerous specialists and undergone several tests and procedures. These tests revealed that the cancer has metastasized throughout her body and skeletal system. Scared, but not defeated, Kari was preparing herself for a barrage of chemotherapy treatments. Tragically, on Tuesday, April 28th it was determined that due to her extremely low platelet count, she is ineligible to begin the much needed chemo treatments. By Wednesday, April 29th, the decision was made for her to enter into hospice care.
Kari will continue her fight, but now this caring soul needs our help. This exhausting journey since September 2019 has taken not only an emotional toll on her family, but a financial one as well. Already struck with salary cuts due to the economic toll of the COVID-19 crisis; her family is being further impacted by the rising medical costs. One bill alone is $6,000 after insurance. Any donation will be greatly appreciated and will aid in lessening some of the burden.
