Karen's Kickin' Cancer in the A$$ (hypotenuse leg)
Donation protected
"When you can't do what you do, DO what you CAN" - Jon Bon Jovi
My mom is diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic cancer. If that’s hard to read, imagine having to write it here. She’s spent her entire life helping everyone she could (whether it be her kids, her grandkids, her family, her students or her friends), but now she needs all the help she can get.
It started with a mild (but constant) pain in her abdomen around Christmas (of course this began in 2020, the worst year ever!)
Preliminary blood work came back with NO red flags, yet the abdominal pain was still there. Next came a CT scan; results read "inconclusive,” however the aches remained. Lastly, her doctor ordered an MRI, and that’s when the awful news hit (later confirmed by her biopsy). It was definitely cancer, it had definitely spread to her lymph nodes and liver.
We had a week of asking (screaming!!) all the questions: Why didn't they catch this sooner? How did this happen? Why her? Why now? Is this really happening? Why? Why? WHY!!??!! But nothing could explain it; there were no answers. My mom spent her career teaching math, and the absolute worst thing for a math teacher is NOT having the answer.
So maybe we're asking the wrong question. Maybe the right question is: HOW CAN I HELP?
It’s safe to say that none of us know the actual costs that come with a cancer diagnosis, but we know they will be substantial. My mom has never been one to ask for anything - she was born a giver. But once chemotherapy starts on Monday (2/8/21), her means of teaching, the thing she’s dedicated her life doing, will be severely impacted. If you have the means of being able to give a little something, it will go toward helping one of the MOST loving and selfless people battling the MOST difficult fight of her life. If a donation is just not something you can afford, then please offer a prayer, send positive vibes, dedicate your yoga practice to her, or simply share this GoFundMe with others.
Our Mom’s Love in a Nutshell
When you hear my mom's name (Karen, KooKoo, Kooks, Keekee, Grammie, Krip, Mammasita, Mrs. Kripas) , I bet you that you're thinking of words like kind, thoughtful, friendly, funny… but you are mostly thinking of MEMORIES! I know this is true because every time I talk to someone, they tell me "I always think of XYZ when I think of your mom" or "She reminds me of the time we XYZ". Some of my favorites:
All the times she's rushed onto the dance floor for any Bon Jovi song at a wedding...
All the years she's brought in dozens of slices of Bakers Square pies in for her students on Pi Day (3.14)...
All the times when she would be "1st in line" to get the best seats or the best tables or the best view for everything from chess matches, to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, to all choir concert/sports game we were in, to the DMV on the morning of my 16th birthday to get my drivers license, to The Bozo Show with my Girl Scout troop, to standing in line at Kohl’s on Black Friday (back when people could do that)...
All the times she has said "I'd like to speak to your manager please" in true 'Karen' fashion not to complain but instead to give a compliment about an awesome employee...
The time she replied "no thank you" in Italian... while vacationing in Paris, France...
Her autographed photo of Tom Cruise hanging in her laundry room (every one of her students from IHM mentioned this!),
The best day of the week during the school year (pre-Covid) was every single Friday in Mrs. Kripas’ class = Fun Food Friday (every one of her students from Waubonsie mentioned this!)...
Every Thanksgiving when she would invite "anyone spending Thanksgiving alone" to our family's holiday (even if that meant finding seats for 40+ people)...
All the times she would be the most bundled-up fan in the stands during her son’s high school hockey games (or high school football games working the back gate)...
All the times she would pull out a stack of Bed Bath and Beyond coupons at the thought of buying a small, household item there...
All the times a new Hot Wheel would “magically appear” for her grandson each and every time he stepped in her house (even if he’d already been there for a few hours)...
Or the few times she would put up all five fingers to any car that cut her off because putting up only one (the actual middle finger) was just too mean and could hurt someone’s feelings...
These are just a few of the branches that make up the gigantic tree of memories of our mom. When you think of all the people she shared her love with, there’d be a forest spreading far beyond where the eye could see. If you’re lucky enough to know (or have known) my mom - Karen Kripas - then you are lucky to have experienced what love feels like when it’s at it’s absolute greatest.
*Hypotenuse Leg is a math theorem. Also known as Angle Side Side or A.S.S. If you need further explanation, please contact Mrs. Kripas;)
With so much LOVE and many THANKS,
Her 2 kids: Jenny (the Penny) Kripas and Eric (the Dollar) Kripas
My mom is diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic cancer. If that’s hard to read, imagine having to write it here. She’s spent her entire life helping everyone she could (whether it be her kids, her grandkids, her family, her students or her friends), but now she needs all the help she can get.
It started with a mild (but constant) pain in her abdomen around Christmas (of course this began in 2020, the worst year ever!)
Preliminary blood work came back with NO red flags, yet the abdominal pain was still there. Next came a CT scan; results read "inconclusive,” however the aches remained. Lastly, her doctor ordered an MRI, and that’s when the awful news hit (later confirmed by her biopsy). It was definitely cancer, it had definitely spread to her lymph nodes and liver.
We had a week of asking (screaming!!) all the questions: Why didn't they catch this sooner? How did this happen? Why her? Why now? Is this really happening? Why? Why? WHY!!??!! But nothing could explain it; there were no answers. My mom spent her career teaching math, and the absolute worst thing for a math teacher is NOT having the answer.
So maybe we're asking the wrong question. Maybe the right question is: HOW CAN I HELP?
It’s safe to say that none of us know the actual costs that come with a cancer diagnosis, but we know they will be substantial. My mom has never been one to ask for anything - she was born a giver. But once chemotherapy starts on Monday (2/8/21), her means of teaching, the thing she’s dedicated her life doing, will be severely impacted. If you have the means of being able to give a little something, it will go toward helping one of the MOST loving and selfless people battling the MOST difficult fight of her life. If a donation is just not something you can afford, then please offer a prayer, send positive vibes, dedicate your yoga practice to her, or simply share this GoFundMe with others.
Our Mom’s Love in a Nutshell
When you hear my mom's name (Karen, KooKoo, Kooks, Keekee, Grammie, Krip, Mammasita, Mrs. Kripas) , I bet you that you're thinking of words like kind, thoughtful, friendly, funny… but you are mostly thinking of MEMORIES! I know this is true because every time I talk to someone, they tell me "I always think of XYZ when I think of your mom" or "She reminds me of the time we XYZ". Some of my favorites:
All the times she's rushed onto the dance floor for any Bon Jovi song at a wedding...
All the years she's brought in dozens of slices of Bakers Square pies in for her students on Pi Day (3.14)...
All the times when she would be "1st in line" to get the best seats or the best tables or the best view for everything from chess matches, to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, to all choir concert/sports game we were in, to the DMV on the morning of my 16th birthday to get my drivers license, to The Bozo Show with my Girl Scout troop, to standing in line at Kohl’s on Black Friday (back when people could do that)...
All the times she has said "I'd like to speak to your manager please" in true 'Karen' fashion not to complain but instead to give a compliment about an awesome employee...
The time she replied "no thank you" in Italian... while vacationing in Paris, France...
Her autographed photo of Tom Cruise hanging in her laundry room (every one of her students from IHM mentioned this!),
The best day of the week during the school year (pre-Covid) was every single Friday in Mrs. Kripas’ class = Fun Food Friday (every one of her students from Waubonsie mentioned this!)...
Every Thanksgiving when she would invite "anyone spending Thanksgiving alone" to our family's holiday (even if that meant finding seats for 40+ people)...
All the times she would be the most bundled-up fan in the stands during her son’s high school hockey games (or high school football games working the back gate)...
All the times she would pull out a stack of Bed Bath and Beyond coupons at the thought of buying a small, household item there...
All the times a new Hot Wheel would “magically appear” for her grandson each and every time he stepped in her house (even if he’d already been there for a few hours)...
Or the few times she would put up all five fingers to any car that cut her off because putting up only one (the actual middle finger) was just too mean and could hurt someone’s feelings...
These are just a few of the branches that make up the gigantic tree of memories of our mom. When you think of all the people she shared her love with, there’d be a forest spreading far beyond where the eye could see. If you’re lucky enough to know (or have known) my mom - Karen Kripas - then you are lucky to have experienced what love feels like when it’s at it’s absolute greatest.
*Hypotenuse Leg is a math theorem. Also known as Angle Side Side or A.S.S. If you need further explanation, please contact Mrs. Kripas;)
With so much LOVE and many THANKS,
Her 2 kids: Jenny (the Penny) Kripas and Eric (the Dollar) Kripas
Organizer and beneficiary
Jennifer Kripas and Eric Kripas
Organizer
Darien, IL
Karen Kripas
Beneficiary