Help Karena Keep Fighting

Karena’s Fight Isn’t Over

Karena’s battle for her life has gotten bigger, and she needs all the support she can get.

Every little bit helps cover the things she can’t cover on her own.

Karena was first diagnosed with stage 1C high-grade ovarian cancer in September 2022. She underwent a full debulking surgery and 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy. She thought she had beaten it.

Then, in January 2026, everything changed.

Her cancer came back as stage 4B high-grade ovarian cancer and had spread to multiple places in her body.

She knew what chemotherapy had done to her the first time. The neuropathy and cognitive problems were devastating, and she honestly did not want to put her body through it again. But when she learned how far the cancer had spread, she felt she had no choice. She went back into treatment and tried to fight with everything she had.

Alongside treatment, she also began exploring alternative and holistic approaches because she knew she needed to fight this from every direction she could.

Her cancer initially responded. Her CA-125 dropped dramatically, and her scans showed significant stability and improvement after treatment.

But she knew her body was telling her something too.

She made the incredibly difficult decision to stop platinum chemotherapy and continue looking for another way to fight.

Now, the cancer is growing again. Her doctors have told her that she has limited options. There are targeted therapies and clinical trials available to her, and she is currently going through testing to see if she qualifies for a trial. But she has also been given a prognosis of potentially a couple of years with the goal of extending her life.

Karena isn’t ready to accept that as the end of her story.

She has so much life left in her.

She has children and a precious grandson who loves her. Dreams she still wants to live. Places she wants to see. People she loves. And a whole lot more living she isn’t willing to give up on yet.

She feels deeply that she needs to step outside of the traditional system and explore treatment options outside the country, including approaches that are not covered by insurance and can be extremely expensive out of pocket.

This isn’t about giving up.

It’s about fighting for every possible chance she has.

She knows there are no guarantees. She knows this road is scary. But as long as there is something she believes could give her more time, she wants the opportunity to try.

If you know Karena, you know she has always fought hard. And right now, she needs people to fight with her.

If you can donate, no amount is too small. If you can’t donate, sharing this fundraiser means more than you know. A share could put this in front of the one person who can make a difference.

Please help Karena buy time.

Help her chase the possibility of more birthdays, more memories, more adventures, more time with the people she loves.

She is still here. She is still fighting. And she is not ready to stop. 🩵