Support for Karen
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Please help my Mother-In-Law, Karen Medlar, in her fight against Cancer.
Karen is a loving mother of 6 and grandmother, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma in May of 2013. We have been so lucky that she has made it this far with the help of a positive mind frame and experimental chemo treatments. At this point in time, the particular chemo she was on has stopped working (as expected) and new tumors have developed in her Lymph nodes in her neck. They are very large and cover her entire color bone on one side. If left untreated, there is a possibility that we could lose her within a few months.
Karen's doctors have recommended her to move forward with Ipilimumab treatments at this point, followed by radiation. Our immediate need here is for a $2400 deposit on this treatment, and Karen will be expected to make another $4000 lump some payment for the radiation directly following, then payments of $400 per week to keep the treatment going. These figures are all out-of-pocket costs. The total cost of the Ipilimumab treatment is $103,000 - of which $41,000 will need to be paid eventually. Before this treatment begins, Karen will be nurturing her body naturally with Frankincense and other essential oils for support (approx $500/month). Although Karen has undergone an immense amount of pain, she is still very much wanting to fight this thing and love on & heal her body!!
(This is a picture of my husband Jeremy and son Liam visiting Karen in the hospital during a critical point in her treatment after some complications about a year ago).
Karen has had a diffciult road since 1998, when she was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease. She worked incredibly hard for many years as a dental hygenist and single mother of 6 (7 including a grandchild that she raised), and her back just finally gave out. She had her first back surgery which did not fix the problem, then had a fall in 2005 that caused serious problems.
Unfortunately she received subpar medical care and the surgeon performed a second surgery - but did laminectomy by mistake, instead of another fusion. This was an unfortunate situation that led to permanent nerve damage and failed back syndrome for Karen. At that point, she was no longer able to either sit or stand for any extended amount of time and went on permanent disability. She got a 3rd back surgery to resolve the issue, but that surgury was also not successful. Karen sought legal representation regarding the 2nd surgery with no luck, fighting an uphill battle against a very powerful insurance company.
Because of her inability to work due to physical limitations, Karen has a very limited and fixed disability income, where she is unable to afford more than her rent, utilities, and food costs each month. Her son Sean lives with her and assists with her rent payment, but otherwise Karen has no other financial support or savings at this point. Her out-of-pocket medical and prescription costs have drained her financially.
It boggles my mind thinking about how Karen was able to pull off going to dental hygiene school and working full time, all while raising 6 (really 7) kids.
(This is a picture of part of the family a couple years ago)
She worked her tail off, finally got to an established place in her career, then got hit hard with all these health issues.
The beautiful thing is that through all of this, Karen has been able to be at peace with what is happening and be truly grateful. Though she is in pain due to the tumors and her back, she continues to support her grandaughter who is living with her, and assist her elderly parents. She is living in the present moment and continues to be the extremely kind, humble, and generous woman that she is.
I'm asking you to help us keep her around, we need more time. She's not ready to go! She wants more time with her children and several grandchildren, including mine. Please help this selfless, loving, wonderful soul in her journey of healing and comfort. Prayers, positive energy, and financial support are all very much welcomed and needed right now. We are grateful for any amount of support you can give.
Karen, we love you so much. & THANK YOU all for taking the time to read this!
Love, Brynn Medlar
Karen is a loving mother of 6 and grandmother, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma in May of 2013. We have been so lucky that she has made it this far with the help of a positive mind frame and experimental chemo treatments. At this point in time, the particular chemo she was on has stopped working (as expected) and new tumors have developed in her Lymph nodes in her neck. They are very large and cover her entire color bone on one side. If left untreated, there is a possibility that we could lose her within a few months.
Karen's doctors have recommended her to move forward with Ipilimumab treatments at this point, followed by radiation. Our immediate need here is for a $2400 deposit on this treatment, and Karen will be expected to make another $4000 lump some payment for the radiation directly following, then payments of $400 per week to keep the treatment going. These figures are all out-of-pocket costs. The total cost of the Ipilimumab treatment is $103,000 - of which $41,000 will need to be paid eventually. Before this treatment begins, Karen will be nurturing her body naturally with Frankincense and other essential oils for support (approx $500/month). Although Karen has undergone an immense amount of pain, she is still very much wanting to fight this thing and love on & heal her body!!
(This is a picture of my husband Jeremy and son Liam visiting Karen in the hospital during a critical point in her treatment after some complications about a year ago).
Karen has had a diffciult road since 1998, when she was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease. She worked incredibly hard for many years as a dental hygenist and single mother of 6 (7 including a grandchild that she raised), and her back just finally gave out. She had her first back surgery which did not fix the problem, then had a fall in 2005 that caused serious problems.
Unfortunately she received subpar medical care and the surgeon performed a second surgery - but did laminectomy by mistake, instead of another fusion. This was an unfortunate situation that led to permanent nerve damage and failed back syndrome for Karen. At that point, she was no longer able to either sit or stand for any extended amount of time and went on permanent disability. She got a 3rd back surgery to resolve the issue, but that surgury was also not successful. Karen sought legal representation regarding the 2nd surgery with no luck, fighting an uphill battle against a very powerful insurance company.
Because of her inability to work due to physical limitations, Karen has a very limited and fixed disability income, where she is unable to afford more than her rent, utilities, and food costs each month. Her son Sean lives with her and assists with her rent payment, but otherwise Karen has no other financial support or savings at this point. Her out-of-pocket medical and prescription costs have drained her financially.
It boggles my mind thinking about how Karen was able to pull off going to dental hygiene school and working full time, all while raising 6 (really 7) kids.
(This is a picture of part of the family a couple years ago)
She worked her tail off, finally got to an established place in her career, then got hit hard with all these health issues.
The beautiful thing is that through all of this, Karen has been able to be at peace with what is happening and be truly grateful. Though she is in pain due to the tumors and her back, she continues to support her grandaughter who is living with her, and assist her elderly parents. She is living in the present moment and continues to be the extremely kind, humble, and generous woman that she is.
I'm asking you to help us keep her around, we need more time. She's not ready to go! She wants more time with her children and several grandchildren, including mine. Please help this selfless, loving, wonderful soul in her journey of healing and comfort. Prayers, positive energy, and financial support are all very much welcomed and needed right now. We are grateful for any amount of support you can give.
Karen, we love you so much. & THANK YOU all for taking the time to read this!
Love, Brynn Medlar
Organizer and beneficiary
Brynn Medlar
Organizer
Prescott Valley, AZ
Karen Medlar
Beneficiary