Karen Kalan's Fundraiser

Dear Friends and Family ,

I am so so so excited to share with you that I am an official member of Team Sharsheret for the2024 TCS NYC Marathon.

As many of you know, in June of 2023, I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. Now one year later I am celebrating this anniversary (and the long journey I've had) by crossing the NYC off my bucket list, while giving back to an amazing organization that has provided me with so much support over these past 12 months.

Here is my story:

In June 2023, I learned that my routine mammogram from a year prior was abnormal, yet due to a failure of checks and balances and lack of communication, no one ever contacted me. I also learned that my tumor was considered large and the radiologist performing my diagnostic mammogram didn’t want to answer my hard questions. So put all these things together and I was terrified. The two weeks leading up to my official diagnosis were among the scaries of my life. After many, many tests and doctors’ visits, the diagnosis was official, and I knew I had a long road ahead of me. The day after receiving this news, I climbed a mountain in Boulder, Colorado with Ari because I needed to prove to myself that despite having cancer, I could do hard things.

Fast forward to today - 12 months later. I’ve undergone a lumpectomy, 4 rounds of chemo (along with cold capping, which in some ways was harder than the chemo itself), 35 sessions of radiation, and now I'm on hormone blockers pills and ovarian suppression shots, which have sent me into a chemically-induced menopause. My prognosis is good. I will survive, and not only that… I will thrive. Along this journey I tried surfing and parasailing. I’m back to running on the trails, just a little less and a little slower. But I’m here and trying to enjoy each moment. I lean on friends and family when things are tough, I’m not afraid to accept help, and my amazing village is always here for me.

I haven’t been vocal about my journey on social media up to this point because I just want to feel normal during not-normal circumstances. I did cold capping in order to preserve my hair - not because I cared about the vanity of my hair, but because I wanted some normalcy in my life and I certainly didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. I wanted to go to my kids’ sporting events, go for a run or a hike, challenge myself in new ways, read a book, spend time with friends, and the list goes on. I never use the terms “battling cancer” or “fighting cancer” because I don’t feel like I’m in a battle…it’s just a journey that I need to get through. I try to embrace “Tough.Fierce.Strong” (the mantra I’ve always taught others), but to be honest, there are many days when I’m none of these things, and I’ve learned that that’s okay too.

One of the main things I’ve learned is to be your own advocate for your health care. Routine mammograms and other tests are vitally important, but not enough. “No news is good news,” is not enough either. Log into every portal. Follow up on test results. And if there’s something you don’t understand, absolutely ask questions. Seek second opinions and don’t worry about hurting your doctor’s feelings. If a doctor is hesitant to let you seek a second opinion, that might not be the doctor for you.

Another thing I learned was to seek emotional support. The physical journey is hard, but the emotional journey has been even harder. Even before I was officially diagnosed, I made a phone call to Sharsheret, a Jewish breast and ovarian cancer community, that proved to be invaluable to me. They provided me with a social worker who has walked with me through every step of my journey and validated that all of my feelings were normal and okay. I joined their Facebook group, learned so much from educational webinars and fun virtual events like paint nights and yoga, and received so many “intentional” gifts - things like a pillow to use after surgery, nutrition coaching, exercise bands, a makeup kit with things like eyebrow tattoos, and more.

I have already began to train for my race, and am inspired to undertake this rigorous challenge as I am doing it in support of Sharsheret in order to support women and families, at high risk and those facing breast and ovarian cancer at every stage-before, during, and after diagnosis.

It is particularly meaningful for me to race on  behalf of Sharsheret because they were the only organization that provided the vital culturally relevant support I was desperately seeking. So now I'm hoping to make a difference by taking on this personal challenge and joining with the other members of Team Sharsheret.

As a member of this incredible Team, I have pledged to raise $4500 (which I hope to greatly exceed!) in support of Sharsheret's breast cancer and ovarian cancer programs and services. I am asking you to please support me in my athletic and fundraising  efforts as I take on this challenge, ask for corporate matching for your  gift too! All contributions are tax-deductible. 

Thank you all so much, in advance, for your support!