Lippert Strong Karsten's Battle with MS

Life changes in a moment. Back in August, our best friend Karsten was working at our local fire station when the unthinkable happened. His fellow fire fighters noticed that he was acting different and thought he might be having a stroke. They decided to transport him to the ER.  Karsten underwent multiple tests and scans trying to determine what was happening. He described the experience like being hit by a ton of bricks. His limbs felt heavy, he had numbness in his arms and legs, and he was disoriented. With no answers he left the hospital and tried to go back to normal life. A few days later, he became dizzy and again could not feel his hands. He went back to the hospital for more tests. Since that day it has been an uphill battle to get him into specialists to find the right diagnosis.

Recently, that diagnosis came. Karsten has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as well as a low-grade glioma on his right frontal lobe. This has been life changing for this dad of two young and very active boys. He loves his job as a fire fighter/paramedic. He loves riding dirt bikes with his boys (and mine). He takes his boys out to shoot bows, takes them to the skate park and loves to spend time them. This family's life has been forever changed. This battle has required Karsten to be off work. The loss of income, daily unknown, cost of physical therapy, medications, and cost of insurance has taken an emotion, as well as financial toll on this family. Doctors are optimistic that treatments will be effective, but the infusions are expensive. Each infusion that Karsten needs for Multiple Sclerosis is $15,000 and he needs an infusion every 28 days. That means in one year his infusions will be $195,000. Karsten’s goal is to get back to what he loves, being a fire fighter/paramedic.

Our goal is to help relieve some of the financial stress on this family. Any donation will help make life easier for them as the try to adjust to this new norm.  If you cannot donate, please share so that this family can get the help that they need, and we can get Karsten back to doing what he loves.