Help Kara Heal and Fight Brain Cancer

Hello! My name is Jessica and I am starting this fundraiser on behalf of my little sister, my best friend, Kara.

We all know that life is hard. Kara's life has become unimaginably harder. Life has taken a series of unfortunate turns for her, for our family, since December.

I received a phone call on Christmas Eve that Kara had been in a bad accident. Terrified, I dropped what I was doing and headed to the hospital to be by her side. After seeing her car in person, it is a miracle she made it out of there. Now, by no means did she survive unscathed, but even the workers at the towing garage were shocked she was alive. Her RAV4 was a total loss and her mind/body were forever changed. From that car accident, she had shattered her pelvis (front and back), a few broken teeth, a fractured spine, broken clavicle, fractured ribs, and a broken elbow. It was extensive but she was a champion through it all.

Because of all the extensive testing, CAT scans, and MRI's that were needed, we were also made aware that she had a mass on her brain. They determined that it wasn't from her accident and they had to focus on getting her healed from her other injuries first. It's crazy to think that this accident would also be considered "a blessing in disguise," if you will.

Fast forward many months of healing and doctor appointments, and now here we are trying to wrap our hearts and our heads around the "C" word. Cancer. Such an ugly word that tears through families without rhyme or reason.

They say that the location of the tumor is rare. They say that they think it's been there for some time. They say that she could have 10+ years. They also say it's incurable.

Her surgeon is great. She sees him for everything in Rochester. Rochester doesn't seem far away, but I promise you, appointment after appointment, that time, energy, and gas adds up. But he is worth it. He is such a calm in this crazy storm. He and his colleague are part of a small group that operates on these tumors. They are one of only four places that are even equipped to do so. We are confident in him and his team that he is Kara's best option moving forward.

If you know Kara, then you probably know I call her a marshmallow. She loves everyone hard, with all of her heart. Yes, even in times when she shouldn't, but that's just another reason to love her. She is and has always been there for anyone she has met. Now it's our turn to send some love back. She has been out of work, healing, since her car accident in December, and with more surgeries coming up, we are just hoping to help alleviate any added unnecessary stress that comes with our fighting journey.

If you can find it in your heart to share her story or even make a donation we would forever be grateful.

From the bottom of our hearts - thank you!

She is scheduled for surgery on 10/21. She will have an Awake Craniotomy. Her surgeon is going to try to remove as much as he can and then afterwards we will start some chemo. So we hope to update you as our journey goes.

8/29 Kara shaved her hair in preparation for her upcoming surgery. She still radiates beauty!

9/4 - Woohoo! Happiest Birthday Wishes Aunt Kiki! We love you! We hope 34 is a year of great strength and resilience! You’ve got this, we’ve got this.

10/6 - Susan, one of Kara’s best friends, took her to see Jelly Roll for her birthday! Like most Kara loves Jelly Roll. His music really resonated with her and it meant the world she was able to enjoy that before surgery.

10/19 - Kara’s old coworkers and some of her and our mothers good friends chipped in to treat her to a massage/spa day to help relax her before the big day. Thank you so much!

10/21 - Good morning! Today is the big day. So many feelings going through all of us and especially Kara. We can’t wait to see her on the other side - we appreciate all the love and prayers from family and friends I made sure to visit our Dad and ask for extra prayers and guidance from above. I also brought along some memorable items I have of his to share with Kara.

Ohhh wow it was a long day. Her surgery was about 6 hours - I can’t recall exactly - I am tired and have all the feels.

Her surgeon couldn’t have been more proud! He said he always knew she had it in her and him and his team are extremely proud of her! She was able to stay awake through this brain surgery long enough that he was able to remove as much as safely possible. That gives us great hope for her future! Time will tell as she heals. We should be able to go back and see her in a few hours.

She looks great!! You'd never know she just had brain surgery besides the bandages of course! She is moving arms and legs and can answer some questions which is a great sign! Patients in these circumstances more often than not get worse before they get better. Dr. Schmidt has prepared us for this but I don't think any amount of preparation can make this road any easier for anyone to go through or witness. Thank you to everyone who has been by her side and sending all the prayers, love and vibes. It means the world to us all. Goodnight for now!

10/22 - She is in great spirits and still has good mobility in her right side (which is the side where her Glioma effects) She can understand just about everything coming her way and still can respond but sometimes it's a bit frustrating, understandably so.

10/23 - Her MRI came back great! Dr. Schmidt believes that he was able to remove about 80% and that's fantastic! We're hoping that she may not even need chemo after this just some monitoring! Wouldn't that be great!? She will have more MRI's and as the swelling decreases and healing continues he will let us know for sure.

10/24 - Kara is a true rockstar! We are so proud of you! Your strength and determination are just what is needed to prevail! A little less movement with with right arm/hand but again that is expected with recovery. The neurons need time to reroute themselves now that there is so much of the Glioma removed. That is their job and what they do - so get to work neurons!

10/28 - She is healing beautifully! We are talking leaving the hospital soon and continuing forward with PT/OT and Speech. Yay! She has made great improvements day to day! Her arm and hand are so much better already and we have faith they'll be back to usual in no time! She can stand and walk great though sometimes a smidge wobbly but also to be expected! Her speech is also coming along beautifully! She is stringing more and more words together. Dr. Schmidt said speech is a long recovery but shes making her way up that hill! So proud!

10/30 - Discharge Day! Yay! So glad she gets to come home today! She still has a road of recovery but we are lucky to have her out of the hospital and set up for some PT/OT and Speech therapy. Being able to join us in handing out candy for Halloween was her personal goal and we’re glad she’ll be able to be there!

11/3 - Kara is doing okay! It’s an adjustment being home. Obviously so much more going on outside of her hospital room. She’s currently staying with our Mom for a little bit until she is cleared to go back to her own apartment with her Kitties who miss her!

* Truly form the bottom of our hearts thank you so much for donating and sharing Kara’s story. She will be using these funds to help herself deal with all the medical costs she’s incurred along the way - and it will be a big help to her in not having to stress so much. Life keeps on moving even when we don’t want it too. * Thank you

11/14 - Kara's scar is healing so nicely! And my oh my look at that hair growth! Yay!! She was cleared to drive and was even able to go back home! Full motor control is back with her right arm and leg - and her speech is fantastic! Keep on kicking butt Kiki!