Third Time's The Charm For Karen

To receive a cancer diagnosis must be heart stopping and terrifying. To hear that
you have cancer for a second time, would most certainly mean reliving a
frightening nightmare, yet again. For our beloved friend Karen, this is the 3rd
time she's been given the dreaded cancer diagnosis. 

If this feels like dejavu (or more accurately, a recurring night terror) to me, then I  can't begin to imagine what this horrifyingly familiar situation must feel like for   my dear friend and co-teacher, KK (Karen).  Just three short years ago, Karen was told that she had a malignant tumor in her leg. Sadly, that wasn't the first time she had been given such news, as Karen had heroically fought cancer as a young girl, when she beat ovarian cancer at age 12. But this most recent battle with cancer  wasn't as swift as the first, for although Karen's tumor was successfully removed, only months later she found out it had spread to her lungs. Yet, as always, Karen 
summoned the strength, courage, and humor to win the battle. But, this war is
not over yet.

Just recently, after experiencing immense pain in the same leg, Karen was given    the dreaded cancer diagnosis once again. The cancer in her leg has returned. This  will be Karen's third bout with cancer (4th procedure).  The good news, they've
caught it early and it has not yet spread to her lungs. However, she's been
informed that the tumor is fast growing and very aggressive. Karen just had
surgery this week.  Ironically, Karen's recent surgery was performed on the very
same day that her fellow teachers and colleagues returned to campus for
in-person instruction. School will not be the same until Karen is back in Room
310, with her 4th grade students, who miss her tremendously.

This third time WILL be the charm for Karen, for she is about to fight this
nightmare of a battle again. While the details of Karen's cancer history are
devastating to be sure, the cold hard medical facts can't begin to convey the
trauma and despair that she, her husband, and teenage daughter have endured. 
And yet, Karen is the last person to complain about ANYTHING. Even when her
leg became severely infected after surgery, or when her chemo port became so
infected that it almost led to sepsis, Karen somehow found the humor in the
situation. After all, humor is just one of the many things we love and treasure
about Karen. She has the ability to make you laugh, and put you at ease, even
when you don't think it's at all possible.  That's exactly what Karen needs from us
right now -  relief and ease of mind.  Knowing that she won't have to worry about
taking care of her family, and can instead focus solely on her health and recovery
is precisely what Karen would do for everyone else. 

Please, help me give Karen the gift of peace of mind, at a time when she needs to muster all of the strength that she can possibly find. Karen is a true giver, selfless  in every sense of the word, always putting the needs of others (her family, her
students, her friends) before her own. Not this time, not when she is preparing
for the third and hopefully, final battle with cancer. Karen will undoubtedly win
the war, but she needs our help, our support, and our generosity in order to beat    cancer for the VERY LAST TIME. Thank you!