Reach for the Joy
WELCOME TO MY NEW SITE!!!
With Reach for the Joy, I hope to encourage and empower people everywhere to count their blessings and follow their Bliss. Life is short and we have no guarantees. Embrace each and every moment. Look for the lessons and the Joys everywhere- especially in the hard stuff!
This site is dedicated to survivors every where! Not just breast cancer- not just cancer- My story is about Reaching for Joy when all hope seems lost.
I am healing and thriving, thanks to the unconditional love of my family and friends, and of course, The Creator. I am grateful for every moment I have to share on this earth in this body.
If this is your first time here, please read MY STORY. (recently re-edited)
In the section LIVING JOURNAL, I have written my observations on life throughout my personal struggle with Stage Four Breast Cancer.
For recent updates regarding fund raising and treatment, please see the UPDATES section in the right side bar.
If you are finding this site after wondering what the heck happened to kalena.org… thanks for searching me out! Welcome back- And thank you! Please tell your friends, add the url or a link this website on your site or Facebook account, and just keep on Reach for the JOY!
I have restored the PayPal link (in the sidebar). Cancer is an incredibly expensive undertaking and most “alternative treatments” are not covered by even the best medical insurance.
Asking for financial help has been one of the most difficult and humbling experiences of my life. Because of the incredible generosity of so many angels (family, friends, even strangers…) I was able to find “alternative” cancer treatment that is not covered by insurance. Unfortunately, I am still very very short of what I owe the good doctors at San Diego Clinic. Of course, they treated me without the necessary funds, but I do hope to pay them back in full one day! If everyone reading this could contribute just $5 (think of it as forgoing your favorite little indulgence for a day or two… like a Starbucks’! ) I will complete my goal and continue my mission…and once I have reached my goal, it is my intention to pay it forward in many ways. Another easy way to help at no cost to you is to click on the google links on the right bar (low) and/or use the search window at the top of this page. I enrolled in the ad-sense program through google and they pay me a tiny stipend for using this tool.
One of the ways I have begun is by setting up a non-profit, Reach for the Joy, Inc. It is still in pending status, but will be retroactive for any donations. We have already selected a board of directors and our next recipient: a beautiful young woman (23) with pancreatic cancer whom I worked with at Brent’s Place. The goal of Reach for the Joy is to assist those with terminal diagnoses create JOY in their lives in spite of (and because of) their personal challenges.
Please make donations out to “REACH FOR THE JOY”- our (pending) non-profit to aid those with life threatening illnesses find the JOY in their lives. There is a Paypal link in the right sidebar to make this easier to do.
Contact info for me personally is below.
If you or someone you know is dealing with cancer of any kind, I urge you to look into the many opportunities for healing. Some of my favorites are: LOVE, prayer, meditation, therapy, forgiveness, acupuncture, reiki, massage, and of course, the amazing treatment I received in Tijuana, Mexico. In Mexico (April to June 2009) I was under the care of Dr. Munoz at the San Diego Clinic. You can read more details in the Updates section about my personal experience. If you are interested in the treatments at SDC, please call Jennifer at the clinic and let her know you are a friend of mine. Their website is sadly lacking, unfortunately. But the place is completely legitimate and absolutely wonderful!! I believe I was Divinely led there, as do so many others I have shared stories with who are making similar journeys. The phone number is 619-804-7783. They are extremely busy and give 100% to each of their patients, so if you do not get a return call immediately, please be patient.
Over the past year, I have made some very difficult personal decisions. Some have disagreed with me harshly. I truly believe that, as a Mother, the best thing I can do for my little girl is to survive as long as possible. And with nearly 29 months of survival- may I coin the word “thrival” ??- I am enJOYing each moment to its fullest!
I will survive. I am a survivor. And I know that my daughter chose me, cancer and all. I cherish every moment we spend together and I am grateful for the opportunity to be alive to be Zaiden’s Mommy. I can think of nothing else I desire more completely.
My life is RICH!!
Thank you for your love and support.
We are all SURVIVORS!
Keep Faith and JOY close~
Karen
(formerly Kalena)
 Stronger, Healthier YOU Strong on the outside, healthy on the inside Total wellness can be yours today. We have an amazing… |
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