Saying Good Bye

Many of us have been effected by cancer in one way or another, either through our own diagnosis or supporting a family member or friend. It’s not an easy road. Our stories may not be the same but we all have the same goals and that is to support each other any way we can. 

As someone living with cancer, and being a part of the cancer community as a patient advocate I’ve met some amazing people. One such person was Karen, also known as Keto Karen. She was passionate about life and helping others, whether through weight loss, healthy eating or cancer support, she was a beacon of light for many. 

Support groups can be vital especially for your mental health. While I was not part of her cervical cancer support groups I can only imagine she left a huge impact on many within them. That’s just the kind of person she was. 

Taking care of your own mental health is vital in helping with recovery and Karen also shared that with many of her Facebook friends. She’d post videos sharing and reading books she found helpful. 

She was a fantastic advocate and spent countless hours educating herself on new treatments and therapies. She had a wonderful oncology team that was very supportive with whatever she brought forward to them. There were even a few things that her oncologist had to research, as she hadn’t heard about them before. 

Leave it to Karen to set the bar. 🙂

Within the cancer community it is inevitable that we will have to say goodbye to friends we’ve met along the way. It’s never going to get easier, especially when you know someone who has had such in impact on so many people. 

Back in April 2022 Karen shared her cancer story in our local paper. You can read Karen’s article here.  

IN MEMORY of Karen, please share information on the signs of cervical cancer with all the women in your life. 

Fly High Beautiful Angel

When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live. We will all die one day; perhaps the winner here is the person who does it under his or her own terms; the person who dies peacefully and not at war. Let us focus on the life that people enjoyed before being told “you have cancer” and remember them as victors in life, not losers in death. Let us stop letting cancer appear to be the winner.

Stuart Scott, ESPN anchor.