THE SARIO FAMILY

Karen Barberan Sario is a caring, compassionate, nurturing person, beautiful inside and out. In 2019 Karen had to choose between her career or being available for her dad’s last days here on earth. She chose her dad. A sacrificial task of being a full-time caregiver to her dad, and a caregiver and emotional support for her mom. This is the type of person Karen is.

In 2020, the entire world was affected with COVID in many shapes and forms, some more devastating than others. Karen was an integral part of NBA entertainment’s family and was part of the team that coordinated what we know to be the NBA bubble to prevent COVID spread with the objective of bringing NBA entertainment to the many loyal NBA fans. Proven throughout her career at the NBA she was looking for a way to bring the NBA experience to NBA fans who would not necessarily have the chance to sit in the arena and pay the prices that some are able to pay. Again, this is the type of person Karen is.

Easter of 2021 was all planned out, family and friends over for the holiday weekend, an old fashioned Easter egg hunt all coordinated by Karen. Little did everyone know that Karen was experiencing excruciating pain which she thought was a pulled muscle in her chest/upper back area, and fatigue, which she believed was just from planning for the weekend. She pushed herself through the weekend with a piercing pain. After they left, she tried to lay down only to feel the discomfort worsen. The pain was so unbearable that she drove herself to the emergency room, Rob forced to stay home to watch their boys Parker was 10 and Reston 6 at the time. Sitting in the emergency room alone, x-rays were taken, then she was told she would be admitted for additional tests.

After four days of being in the hospital undergoing numerous tests, pet scan and a biopsy, Karen’s life was completely changed when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Multiple Myeloma being a rare type of blood cancer.

Karen is a loving wife to Rob Sario, and mother of Parker, 12 and Reston, 7. This is far from the future Rob and Karen could have imagined for themselves. They are a young family looking for a place to grow, discussing the future and the things they would like to accomplish together. Now everything looks so different. Now they are facing mounting medical bills, and trying to decide how to make ends meet.

Rob and Karen are the compassionate power couple that always offers their help, and because of their kindness and generosity many have asked how they could help. Honestly, a monetary donation toward their medical expenses will help them now more than anything. Between paying for a place to live and the onslaught of medical bills, it has already become a burden on them. Karen does have health insurance, but we all know that it only covers so much.

Rob and Karen are such good people. I know that Karen is the type of person that does not fear change and she is always willing to evolve both professionally and even more so personally. Even with this cancer she has chosen to evolve. She is always thinking about the well-being of her husband and the willingness to fight to live for her sons. Karen has been told time and again, that God has a purpose for her life, and HE knew this would be her journey before He formed her in her mother’s womb. Karen’s faith in God has increased and she wants to use her journey to give God glory and hopefully help others along the way.

For those of you who are not familiar with multiple myeloma, here is a little bit about multiple myeloma from cancer.org: multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system. In general, when plasma cells become cancerous and grow out of control, this is called multiple myeloma. In multiple myeloma, the overgrowth of plasma cells in the bone marrow can crowd out normal blood-forming cells, leading to low blood counts. Myeloma cells also interfere with cells that keep bones strong. Bones are constantly being remade to keep them strong. Two kinds of bone cells work together to keep bones healthy and strong: Osteoclasts break down old bone and osteoblasts lay down new bone.

Myeloma cells make a substance that tells the osteoclasts to speed up dissolving the bone. So old bone is broken down without new bone to replace it, making the bones weak and easy to break. Fractured bones are a major problem in people with myeloma.

Let’s support the Sario family together. Any help they can get right now will be greatly appreciated. If you can donate to help, it would mean the world to them. If you are unable to donate, you can still share this GoFundMe and you can PRAY. Prayer is a powerful gift that God has given us all to pray with faith, trusting that HE can heal her. There is no cure for MM, but it is treatable, and people can go into remission with it and are able to lead a somewhat normal life.

Please pray for Karen – for long term remission and healing and for strength mentally, emotionally, and physically for her, Rob, Parker, and Reston that they know that they are not alone in this.