Help Tara Burkhart Fight Cancer

My name is Erin, and my beautiful sister Tara is now in the fight of her life against an aggressive and incurable form of blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I am trying to raise funds to support her and her family through this crisis.

Her struggle began in April with simple back pain that worsened dramatically over a couple of weeks into complete exhaustion, shortness of breath and profound weakness. She had several ER visits before finally being admitted to the hospital with shocking news. She was in complete kidney failure and needed ICU care and emergent dialysis. A few days later, she needed an emergency splenectomy and was placed on a ventilator. Subsequently, she was transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and remains in critical condition. After days of painful waiting, we were given the news that Tara has Multiple Myeloma, a rare blood cancer that affects cells in the bone marrow. Myeloma lesions have now spread throughout her body, including her failing kidneys, her spleen (which had to be removed), and her bones. Tara has been hospitalized for five weeks now. She is currently receiving inpatient chemotherapy, which is her only chance to recover her kidney function and start fighting this cancer. We now realize that we cannot help Tara through this battle alone and need support from our friends, loved ones and community.

All of the proceeds raised will go directly to the Burkhart family to cover the many costs associated with her illness, including:

• Transportation costs – her family spends hundreds of dollars per week on gas and parking driving back and forth to Boston.

• Medical Bills, not covered by insurance, already in the thousands, have started coming in, and she is still in the hospital!

• Rehabilitation expenses

• Unforeseen financial hardships due to extended time away from work

Tara is an amazing mom to her three teenage children, Annabelle, Maggie and PJ. She is a dedicated paraprofessional for students with disabilities at Exeter High School. Tara has devoted her life to taking care of others, and now we must help take care of her while she fights this disease. She cannot work, and her job carries no benefits, such as short-term disability, making things even more difficult. Due to severe weakness, she cannot sit up independently or walk and requires a feeding tube for nutrition. She will need extensive rehabilitation before being able to return home.

With your prayers and financial support, I know we can help Tara, and her family navigate this crisis and give her a fighting chance to see her children graduate from high school. Thank you for bringing hope to my sister and her family and for all your prayers, expressions of kindness and support during this difficult time.