Meet Karen

Meet Karen, who has a gift of explaining math to others and is pursuing Applied Mathematics

Karen was a Junior at UC Berkeley, working her way towards a degree in Applied Mathematics. She was the first in her family to go to college and her family was proud of her. Karen noticed that she had a gift for explaining math and making it easy for others to understand it. She thought she might like to become a math teacher one day. But her plans changed with the discovery that a 10 pound tumor had grown inside her abdomen. Emergency surgery to remove the tumor revealed a rare and aggressive form of cancer. To be with her family for support, Karen withdrew from UC Berkeley and moved back home to begin her long cancer treatments. Her medical bills and financial pressures mounted up quickly.

The Orion Fund awarded Karen a grant to pay for health insurance, co-pays for medical bills, multiple ER visits, pathology, medications and some relocation expenses. Karen has now been cancer free since early April 2018. She has begun to rebuild her life, works part time and attends a local college. She hopes to resume her studies at UC Berkeley.

Karen maintains a positive attitude despite the traumas she has been through. She notices the many blessings in disguise she encountered during her health challenges. She was comforted by all of the support and care she received from so many along the way. 

Karen wants other students dealing with health issues to know that they are not alone or isolated. She advises students to reach out to counselors, psychologists and wellness programs in their school to learn more. There is always someone who will empathize with you. This happened for her and she is so grateful. She now wants to give back.

That is why Karen is willing to publicly share her story through The Orion Fund; she hopes her story will encourage others in similar health circumstances to have hope.