Penn State lecturer needs financial assistance

Karrie Bowen, a lecturer of Communication at Penn State University (the Behrend campus), mother, wife, friend, and amazing human needs help. And, to be frank, she needs it now.

 

Karrie is not the person to ask for help — ever. But because of a diagnosis of advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism, severe hypocalcemia, and advanced osteoporosis, she is in dire need of assistance when it comes to help in paying her medical bills.

 

March 5th, 2020 is the day that Karrie was officially diagnosed with her laundry list of conditions. Throughout the fall of 2020 and into spring and summer in 2021, she was showing some marked improvements and questions were being answered. However, around the end of September 2021, her health took a drastic turn. Old symptoms returned and things went south despite using the tried-and-true as well as more innovative medical interventions and therapies.

 

At the end of the Fall 2021 semester, it was evident this is much bigger than before.

 

It has been very hard physically and emotionally, but with the support of a trusted group of colleagues and friends, Karrie made the heartbreaking decision to follow her medical team's strong suggestions and she is currently on full medical/FMLA from the job that she loves so she can focus all time and energy on her health. The time away from work has allowed freedom for her almost weekly visits to the Cleveland clinic in her journey of determining if parathyroidectomy, whether alone or in conjunction with more aggressive treatments, can give Karrie, and by default, her family and friends, her life.

 

The stress is just as debilitating. But to add on to that stress, this past week while Karrie was going in for pre-operative testing for a parathyroidectomy set for May 5th, 2022, she collapsed in the waiting room.

 

And, today, the  unexpected happened. Karrie's life-saving surgery has been put on hold indefinitely. Her pre-op bloodwork shows solid evidence she has internal bleeding and her heart is also partially enlarged. She is being admitted to Hamot today, May 3, to get more testing and to stabilize her, and then she'll be transferred to The Cleveland Clinic. This means more travel expenses, more medications, and more unforseen medical bills.

 

Karrie is beyond independent, to a fault, and now, she is grappling with being a burden to Steve, her husband, and Ruthie, her child, her family, and the few friends she has locally. Stress is taking a serious toll, exacerbating the symptoms from the chronic illness. But she keeps trying to prepare her family and herself for what comes next.

 

Karrie always gives, but has a hard time taking. The baseline goal is $25,000.

 

I know that Karrie would never ask for this. But she has too much on her plate to have to worry about money right now. She needs helps because her life is truly on the line at this very moment.