The Awesome Way She Battled Her Colon Cancer
The Awesome Way She Battled Her Colon Cancer
The struggle with cancer seems to be overwhelming these days. Cancer is no respecter of persons. It attacks people from any age, race, educational level, and gender. Karen Walsh is the perfect example of how cancer can come out of nowhere. The 40-year-old woman was having stomach cramps and went to the doctor for an evaluation. What she found out next rocked her world to the core. She had stage IV colon cancer and a total of eight tumors throughout her body. Devastated, she knew she had to fight back.
A Routine Checkup Changed Everything
Walsh, like so many people, though that her symptoms were nothing. She had undergone surgery a few months prior and thought that her problems were due to that operation. She is a busy lady being a Broadway actress and a mother of two children. Her cancer was caught too late. It metastasized into her liver and cancer of the liver is inoperable. Chemo was the only option to save her life. As she sat in the cancer treatment center, she knew she had to fight back. She was not going to take this diagnosis lying down.
Battling Her Cancer Her Way
So many people use social media to vent when they are mad or randomly post pictures of their family. At the insistence of her friend, Walsh decided that she would use hers to document her journey with cancer. She hoped to reach other women who are also fighting the same battle. She wants to empower others. She took her first selfie from the chair where she received her chemo treatment. Her friend told her that the support she would receive would help her through her battle. Instagram was the platform she used, and her friend was right.
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The Queen of the Selfie
Today, Walsh does a selfie every time she goes in for her chemo treatment. However, she does not just take a normal picture. She often dresses up in some character form to have fun with the seemingly mundane task. Not only does she have a big following, but others have gotten in on the fun. There are several ladies who dress up right along beside her. Together, they post their pictures for the entire world to see. One time Walsh and her friends recreated “Star Wars,” and another time they recreated “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Each time she goes in for treatment, she has a new theme and costume.
An Actress in Sickness and Health
Since she has been a Broadway actress for years, this is her way of continuing her passion and ministering to others. Everyone knows that humor is the best way to combat whatever you are going through. Karen found a healing balm in laughter and dressing up like someone else.
She stated that she feels like the group of them is the “Golden Girls” of the chemo center. Every two weeks, they get together and do another “gig.” What she has found is that support her friend talked about. She texts back and forth with other members from her act all the time. Not only are they planning for their next picture, but they are planning for their future.
Not Letting The Sickness Win – Ever!
Since Walsh has an inoperable form of cancer, she is hoping one-day science will catch up with cancer and find a way to cure it. For now, she will fight the battle with chemo and hope for the best. She wants to see her children and grandchildren raised and get back on the stage. It appears that cancer has met its match with her. She is not going to let it get the best of her.
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