Thaanum Family Cancer Battle

This story is about my younger sister, Karen, and her husband, Eric. Just over a year ago, Eric underwent surgery for an aggressive brain tumor known as a Glioblastoma. It's a dreadful diagnosis and the outlook is grim. Eric, a retired Army Special Forces Veteran, was prepared for the battle of his life and he remains in the fight. It's been a really tough year and Karen has been his primary caregiver at home since the beginning. She has had some help from the VA who has covered about 16 hours per week of nursing care plus OT and PT. Last week, we got the unfortunate news that his tumor is growing back. His condition is such that he requires 24/7 care. Karen is honoring Eric's wish to be cared for at home and not in a skilled nursing facility. Read on... Over the past couple of months, Karen began to suffer from back pain and what she thought was an ulcer. She thought it was from the stress and strain. Her pain worsened over the last couple of weeks and after lots of tests and scans, we learned that she has a large mass in her abdomen. The diagnosis is non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and she will begin chemotherapy next week. Now both the patient and the caregiver need care. We have relieved Karen of her caregiver duties and we have hired round-the-clock in-home care for Eric. The cost will run about $15,000 per month. I'm hoping to raise enough funds to cover these costs for a year. If you know the Thaanum family, you know that they are extremely kind and generous. They are givers and asking for help is not something they do easily. Especially in a format like this. That is why I am doing this fundraiser on their behalf. All funds received will go directly to Karen and Eric and will be used to pay for in-home health care. In the event that we raise more than what is needed or used, the excess funds will be donated back to a non-profit supporting Veterans. Please share this page. Every donation will make a difference!