Help Karis Study Women's Health Research

Hello!

My name is Karis Martin and I am fundraising for graduate school. In 2020, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 1 in every 10 women. Since this disease is under-researched and overlooked due to societal inequalities, I had to do the research myself in hopes of finding treatments and ways to alleviate pain. This sparked my love of health research, which led to changing my major to Health Sciences. Through my academic courses and my own independent research, a passion has grown in me to teach others about health, especially its intricate relationship to society. I chose to use my chronic illness to better understand the experiences of others and to be a voice for those facing health disparities. I have already begun my endeavor to educate others on health sociology by sharing my experiences and research through social media and seminars. I truly am vehement about the improvement of women's health research.

To my surprise, I got accepted into my dream graduate school program at Johns Hopkins! They even have offered me a scholarship that significantly reduces the cost of the second year. I feel very thankful and privileged to be able to have this opportunity, and I do not want money to stop me from pursuing my dreams. I have been applying to as many scholarships and grants as possible, but even with this help, I do not have the funds to pay for it myself and I'm scared of being in debt for the next 20 years.

This process has become even more complicated as I wrestle with the effects of my endometriosis. I have spoken with multiple specialists, and it seems like my endometriosis has spread to my diaphragm. This requires a specific surgery by an endometriosis specialist. We are hoping to have this done in February 2025. The cost of that surgery alone is $20K. This will be my third, and hopefully final, endometriosis surgery. As you can imagine, living with a chronic illness is not cheap. I know it may seem unreasonable to pursue higher education in light of this, but I am determined to follow my dreams (as cheesy as it sounds).

I am dedicated to health research in order to shed new light on the social factors contributing to chronic pain and the disparities in women's health. So many things in my life have prepared me to go into this field, and I am confident that this is what God wants me to do. If given the opportunity, I know I can be a light to share hope with women suffering from chronic pain. I cannot do this alone, so I need your help. I hope to start the graduate program this Fall 2025. Please help me in my effort to pursue higher education!

Much love,

Karis Martin