From left to right: Karla – Sharing with school children – With her beloved dog – “Stay kind and curious!”
Love With a Capital C for Cancer
Meet my dear friend Karla. When she was first diagnosed with stage-4 NETs (Neuroendocrine Tumors), Karla learned that this rare disease was incurable. It was however, treatable. But few clinics were prepared to do so. Then she discovered that the NCI, the government-sponsored National Cancer Institute, was equipped to treat her fully-metastasized cancer.
The NCI has extended Karla’s life-expectancy by several years. Years she’s using to bless untold numbers of others: through her wonderful, life-affirming blog Flannel With Faith, and through her live readings to school children from her memoir (when health allows) about adventuring in the Ozarks with her beloved dog.
Ironically, however, even though the NCI recognizes Karla’s disease as one of the most serious forms of cancer, it is not well-known enough to make Medicaid’s list of fully-covered conditions. Hence, she’s required to pay at least $3800 a month before receiving any additional aid.
As a result, she’s filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy, which will buy her time to pay back her growing medical debts. And, in order to further reduce her cost of living, she’s moving to a small 55+ community.
“I’m not bitter or angry at God or doctors or anyone,” Karla writes, “(but) my family does get angry. My mom cries a lot and is losing her memory, so it’s hard on my family to watch. (Nevertheless), they have grown in their faith, and I have joy in my heart!!”
Karla’s treatments can be extreme, the most recent she’s labelled her “worst nightmare.” Still, with 9 tumors in her skull, 6 in her spine, 5 in her kidneys, and dozens of others throughout her body, these treatments are the key to her surviving another five+ years.
Years Karla will use to bring her irresistable spirit of hope and love to others!
Note: Karla’s sister has created a GoFundMe page to help cover medical costs. I encourage you to visit and follow her blog and, if you feel so led, to consider making a contribution here!
Wow, thanks for sharing, so many sad stories like that, thanks for thr donation link, keep us informed of how she is doing.
My privilege.
Thanks for Sharing, Mitch.
It’s frightening that the government says – ‘Yes you’re sick with cancer, but TOO sick for us to really help you much.. .’ What would they say if she did Not have $3800 + to put out every month ? maybe a ‘Sorry to hear that ma’am, good luck to you, have a nice day’ ??
Medicaid waives this fee for well-known cancers, but because of its rarity NET has been overlooked.
but now they do know about it. . . sorry but this type of governmental faulty logic disgusts me, not helping the people who need help
Mitch, thank you for writing about Karla. She has such a joyful and optimistic spirit and deserves every bit of help we can give her.
She certainly does, Steve.
God bless her and keep her. She’s sharing a powerful message and lending hope, too. 🙏🏾🩵
She is indeed, trE. 🧡
Prayers for your friend! Life can be harsh, but with God‘s grace, we keep walking.
Amen, my Anonymous friend.
Thank you, Mitch, for letting us, who care so much about Karla and have been inspired by her faith and courage, know of her financial need.
My privilege, Dora.
By everything Karla has gone through, she is such a loving light for us and such a strong woman. Thank you for for making aware of the GoFundMe page. I know Karla for a while but did not know about that page. Will check it out!
Great, Erika❣
Done 💖
Bless you, Erika.🧡
🙏
Your friend is a true delight! Glad you posted this, Mitch.
🧡
Thank you for sharing this story about Karla. I’ve unofficially adopted her as my third daughter. Karla is an amazing woman, a person with faith galore and a positive spirit in spite of her illness. We’ve been friends for a few years. It’s so interesting to find someone like her and feel connected immediately. My oldest daughter received a cancer diagnosis too. She finished her radiation treatments and has just begun chemo. Karla has given me so much wisdom through her journey. I pray for her every day.
Bless you, Mama Kathy❣
It is so disappointing how expensive medical treatment can be, and those who need it most get slammed the worst financially. Glad to see a GoFundMe page has been created for her. There are a lot of compassionate folks in the world. Wishing her the best.
🧡
Karla’s resilience is remarkable. Her pleasant attitude while dealing with a rare cancer is uplifting. I’ll keep her in my prayers. Thank you for sharing her story, Mitch.
My privilege, Nancy.
Mitch, you’re such a precious and dear friend. Thank you for sharing this kind and thoughtful message. It’s so humbling.🥲🙏🏻❣️
I feel we are all living Stage 4. No one is guaranteed tomorrow–or the next hour. There have been days, particularly after the major surgery, that I thought, “Lord, why do you still have me here?”
There’s not a day I don’t think about the pain our Savior suffered. And the suffering I see around me, Mitch. Not ONE day.
To suffer and grow communion with Him has been the sweetest thing in my life. The years of ‘missed diagnoses” (not misdiagnosed) and pain–the unknowing. This “thorn in my side” is a bit extreme, but we all have “cancer” of something.
THANK YOU doesn’t seem enough for your prayers, support (in every way). To all of you, thank you. May God bless you and keep you. May I live years to be able to pay forward in every way possible.
Love, Karla❣️❣️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
With all my heart, dear friend❣
❣️❣️❣️❣️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
So courageous!
God bless her heart, Mitch. Karla is a remarkable and courageous person. I will keep Karla in my prayers. 🙏
Thank you, Eugi. 🧡
My pleasure, Mitch.
<3
Karla’s story is both inspiring and horrifying in equal measure. The little I knew about the US healthcare system used to perplex me, brought up on the wonder that is the UK’s NHS. However, as you may have heard, that is in varying degrees of crisis and the noble objective of free care for all at the point of delivery has both notable exceptions and, currently, significant failures.
So I’ve heard, Mike. Sad to hear it. The U.S. will probably eventually adopt something like universal Medicare. But, as demonstrated in Karla’s situation, it will have its oversights and pitfalls.
Thanks for using your powerful, wide-ranging platform, “for such a time as this,” Mitch. Karla is a dear soul who deserves all the help we can give her. Her voice heals others.
It does indeed, my friend.
Me he suscrito a su blog, que el Señor le abrace con su perfecta salud y amor en esta hora. Amén 🙏
Igualmente, Norma.
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Karla has a soldiers heart Mitch, one of God’s soldiers. To go through so much and ever that smile in her heart is truly beyond words. Thank you for sharing, she most certainly gives hope to many others too 🤗🦓🌺❤️🙏
She lets her light shine bright, Mark. 🧡
Way to go, Mitch! Thank you for helping tell the rest of Karla’s story. She is such a brave and resilient soul who has somehow kept the faith.
She is indeed, David.
It’s these trying times that count most in a person’s life, knowing the expectation of departure is near and still being able to count on faith.
Our lives in this world are finite, and no one is exempt, it’s just the way that some will meet it, either in faith or fear.
Karla, with her faith, will probably have lived more in these last years than most of us will live in a full lifetime.
Blessings and prayers for her and for her endurance.
Blessings Mitch
Thank you, Pete. 🧡
Mitch, not only do I follow Karla’s blog, Gloria visited her and the school children last year. Did you know that a zebra is the mascot for this form of cancer? Karla’s zebra is Zeb, and he visited the Aqua Room when Gloria was with Karla. It was a wonderful exchange!
I still cannot grasp the enormity of this cancer, and on the flip side the faith in God and the joy she always shares. She is like God’s voice. I have told her that. Thank you, Mitch. Of course I’ll be making a donation, and sharing your story.
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Mitch, you didn’t have a reblog button, so I copied and pasted your post.
Thankyou for sharing her page.
That is wild her condition is not bad enough to be covered.
I don’t think it’s because it’s not bad enough, Iba. I think it’s been overlooked because of its rarity.
Shouldn’t it be covered more because it is rare. I’ll never understand how insurance works. Over here, we’re wasting money paying it when most times claims are denied.
People like Karla are so inspiring. I wish we had a better health care system to support them
Amen.