2024 Recipients
This page contains stories of recipients this calendar year who have received KARE Funds . Please feel free to read the stories to understand the positive impact donor funds are having on so many families meeting the mission of the Foundation. THANK YOU DONORS!!!
Some families request anonymity and the KARE Foundation honors their wishes. One family received funds through our connection with Dana Farber and Boston Children’s Hospital in 2024.
Meet the Cooper Family
Once again, the KARE Foundation has been connected to a young mother diagnosed with Glioblastoma. ☹
When researching possible candidates, I ran across a GoFundMe page for a woman in Connecticut, Alisha Cooper, who was diagnosed in the summer of 2023. I contacted the organizer of her GoFundme, Alisha’s friend and fellow nurse Shanon, and found out more about Alisha’s story. When sharing the story with the board, we all agreed Alisha would be our next recipient.
Alisha is now 35 years old. At the time of her diagnosis in August 2023, her baby girl Alaina was only 8 months old. Alisha and her husband Rob were thrilled with their new role as parents to this beautiful baby girl. She started having symptoms in June of 2023 with painful headaches, nausea, and brain fog. Like so many other people diagnosed with Glioblastoma, the symptoms were not considered serious but the result of sleepless nights and being a new parent. As a nurse, as well as being with other health care professionals, they determined something more serious was going on. She went to the ER and in August of 2023 the MRI showed Alisha had brain tumors. They performed the surgery on August 10th, 2023, and their world was shattered when Alisha received the devastating news that she had (2) Glioblastoma Grade 4 brain tumors in the left temporal lobe & thalamus.
Alisha has been accepted into a new clinical trial at Dana-Farber in Boston, MA. The treatment requires frequent trips to Boston. Traveling to and from her home in CT to Boston is a full day of blood drawings, meetings with the medical team, and treatments. She also continues to have regular appointments with her neuro-oncologist in Hartford, CT. Alisha is not able to drive after having seizures post operation in recovery. She has been required to depend on her family and friends for help. In addition, she is not able been able to return to work, and her husband Rob has been required to take time off work to be with his wife during these medical treatments.
Alisha loved her job as a nurse and is so hopeful she will get back to being a caregiver and not the patient. She loves being with her baby girl, who just turned 2, but with short term memory loss and risk of possible seizures, the future is uncertain about when she can work again.
As Alisha noted, “As much as I love spending time with Alaina every day, I am currently still unable/allowed to work. I have been away from my amazing full-time job as a Nurse to which I miss terribly. I really want to get back to spending time with my colleagues and doing what I enjoy most, helping people.”
The spirit of this young woman is amazing. Nurses are attracted to their profession because of a desire to care, to serve, and to help! The KARE Foundation is honored to provide assistance and support to Alisha, Rob and Alaina to help this beautiful family in her fight against Glioblastoma!
Paul was the most amazing girl dad, and we know he is up there pulling for Alisha to beat this cancer so she can be there for her daughter to see her grow and flourish for many years to come!!!
Blessings all and thank you donors!!! We are so grateful for all you have enabled us to do with your generous donations.
Meet the Leasure Family
For the 2nd October KARE Foundation’s recipient, we once again collaborated with another amazing foundation whose mission is to also financially help families struggling with life threatening diseases, Jamies’ Dream Team. We have collaborated with this foundation in the past and are honored once again to be contributors to help the Axel Leasure family from western Pennsylvania.
Axel is a 9-year-old boy who has genetic medical challenges, but unfortunately was recently diagnosed with a Brain Glioma that has moved to his spine. His father and other brother also have the same genetic condition that has made it difficult for the father to work. As you can imagine, the financial stress is overwhelming. To make matters worse, their one vehicle used to transport the family to and from appointments recently became unrepairable. This meant they were completely dependent on others for transportation. They had no funds available to purchase another vehicle.
This is when Jamie’s Dream Team heard about the families struggles from the Resource Counselor at the hospital in Pittsburg to see if they could assist in helping the family procure transportation. When Jamie contacted the KARE Foundation, the board agreed the Leasure family would be our 2nd recipient for October and provided funds to Jamie’s Dream team to contribute to the purchase of a vehicle. Below is the social media post from Jamie with the list of amazing organizations that contributed to make this happen for the family. As you can see from the collage of pictures and statements from the family, they are beyond appreciative to all the foundations who contributed to getting them into a reliable vehicle once again!!
This level of support from other foundations humbles me to recognize how many amazing organizations are out there with a mission to help others in need!! We are blessed to be able to work with these non-profit organizations.
Since Paul was a mechanic and also a kind and generous soul for those in financial need when having issues with their vehicles, he would be so proud to know KARE contributed to getting the Leasure family back “on the road”!
Below is the social Media post from Jamie’s Dream Team
“We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to those who were able to come together to help us provide Axel and his family with their dream! We could not have done this without the help of our fellow organizations and those of you supporting us as well.
Yesterday, we all had the pleasure of surprising Axel's family with their new vehicle. This vehicle will be used to provide safe and reliable transportation for Axel to and from his ongoing medical treatments. We are all so very thankful for all of the support. Please make sure to check out the photos from the surprise!
A special heartfelt THANK YOU to our fellow organizations who helped make all of this possible. This weekend, we will be featuring them on our page with information about them and an upcoming fundraiser that you are able to support them with. We sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for helping us continue to make Dreams come true.”
Below is the list of contributing organizations:
Paul Dostie KARE Foundation "Kindness Always Rewards Everyone"
Carson's Hope
Rocco's Warriors
Thinking of Nikki Foundation
Reflections Of Grace
www.412Foundation.com
Thank you donors and blessings to all!
Meet Armando Fletcher
As KARE Foundation followers know, Paul’s daughter Allie has been fighting Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) since birth. As any mother would do, you reach out to find any resources, associations and/or medical institutions to gain knowledge of the disease and collaborate with others who have, or have a loved one, with HCM. This is when Jeanne’s relationship started many years ago with Lisa Flanigan Salberg, CEO and Founder of The HCM Association (HCMA).
Lisa started HCMA in 1996 after her sister Lori passed from HCM. Lisa herself also has the disease and was the recipient of a heart transplant around 7 years ago. (Thankfully she is doing GREAT!) HCMA provides support, advocacy, and education to patients, families, the medical community, and the public about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while supporting research and fostering the development of treatments. Lisa is a passionate advocate for HCM, and she and her team have made incredible headway to advance the research and treatments for others with this heart disease.
When Paul passed, we knew the foundation also needed to support HCM warriors and over the last couple years, we have found several recipients after reading their stories on the HCMA Facebook page. Since the KARE Foundation’s mission to help HCM patients with financial support seemed to augment the mission of HCMA, we contacted HCMA to provide more information about the KARE and how we could collaborate.
That is when the KARE Foundation connected with our October recipient, Armando Fletcher. Armando is an HCM patient who was required to have open heart surgery for a septal myectomy and to fix value issues. Both surgeries are common for HCM patients with severe symptoms and the surgery is usually the first line of defense to prolong the patient’s own heart function and hopefully mitigate the need for a transplant. Unfortunately, Armando had just started a new job when his heart started failing rapidly and he was required to have surgery. Armando is a resident of New Mexico but was sent to Boston to the Lahey Clinic on September 3rd since the Cardio team specializes in this complicated surgery for HCM.
Being that Armando just started his job, he was not yet eligible for health care or disability. Thankfully the company is keeping the position open for when he can return to work. However, the expenses have been overwhelming! Armando is a follower of HCMA and after his surgery, he contacted the association to see if they provided financial assistance for patients. HCMA does have the Lori Fund which provides up to $600 per year microgrants to patients with financial needs. These funds are specifically for patient care and not for diagnostic or screening purposes.
Since Armando’s financial need was so great, HCMA contacted the KARE Foundation to see if we could help. We contacted Armando to understand his situation and the KARE board wholeheartedly agreed Armando would be a recipient for KARE Funds. When we contacted Armando with the news, he was beyond grateful for the support. (From both the Lori Fund and KARE). The financial support WILL help him get through his recovery so he can get back to work and start paying off the medical bills that have accumulated due to his illness.
Armando is a loving 45-year-old father of 2 boys, Armando IV (almost 21), and Josiah 19. Currently they are in the process of determining if his son’s may have the disease, but neither are having symptoms at this time. (THANKFULLY!)
It has been a long road to recovery. Armando had complications after his surgery which required him to be in the hospital for several weeks. Thankfully his parents were able to be there with him for most of the time. He is now home recovering, but still sore from the surgery and unfortunately his heart is having AFIB symptoms. His medical team is reviewing options for treatment/procedure to correct. Armando is anxiously waiting to get this surgery behind him, start feeling better, and get back to work and life once again!
Thank you, donors, for your generous support to help recipients like Armando! We will keep in contact with Armando to see how his recovery is progressing and will also keep him in our thoughts and prayers. The KARE Foundation is also grateful to collaborate with HCMA to help Armando. HCMA has offered so much support and knowledge to the Dostie family, (and sooooo many families across the globe), over the years!!
Paul would be proud to know his legacy is once again helping someone like Armando! He would also be proud to know we are working with the HCMA that has been instrumental in providing resources and educational support for his family over the years for his daughter Allie.
Blessings all!
Meet the Waterman Family
For September, our 1st recipient was introduced to the KARE Foundation via the Bone Marrow Transplant doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber treating this young boy.
Jalen, is an 11-year-old, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD involves multiple organs in the body, but most prominently affects the brain and spinal cord. The disease destroys myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds the brain’s neurons. Without myelin, nerve cells that allow us to think and to control our muscles no longer able to function correctly. ALD knows no racial, ethnic, or geographic barriers.
Jalen is the older brother to Kylar. Both are fighting the same disease. The boys were diagnosed as a result of Kylar being picked up on the newborn screening panel, when he was born. Jalen, and his brother Kylar (7-years-old), are the sons of Kelly, a divorced mother who lives in New Jersey. Thanks to the knowledge about ALD that came with Kylar’s birth, Jalen and Kylar were able to be monitored appropriately. About a year into their ALD journey, Jalen was found to have areas of demyelination, requiring him to have a stem cell transplant. Boston Children’s Hospital was one of the best facilities to be transplanted.
Jalen did well with a gene therapy stem cell transplant. However, 6 months post-transplant he suffered a non-traumatic spinal cord injury called transverse myelitis, which left Jalen with impaired ambulation and he has had to have several orthopedic surgeries. While Jalen was still recovering from his transplant as well as the transverse myelitis, Kylar’s routine ALD monitoring also found him in need of a life-saving transplant. Kylar had a very bumpy course and is unfortunately now blind, non-ambulatory and non-verbal.
The story of this family is heartbreaking! Fortunately, Kelly was a stem cell transplant nurse at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, so she is acutely familiar with the challenges facing her sons. Did she ever think both of her sons would be affected by this rare disease? Never… but at least her career has provided her with the knowledge and experience to know what is best in the fight to keep her sons alive!
Since both boys require constant care and have significant functional deficiencies, every day is a struggle! Kelly is in a constant fight to secure the right resources for her boys to pay for uncovered therapies, medical equipment, extensive treatments, and frequent travel to and from Boston. She is a fierce warrior in the fight for her sons.
When the Dr. contacted the KARE Foundation to see if there was any way we could assist this family, the board knew Paul would say…”ABSOLUTELY!!!” Kelly was so appreciative of the support since her financial situation has been extremely difficult as a single mom. We are honored to be able to assist Kelly and are thankful for our relationship with the medical team at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber for making the connection. We are also VERY GRATEFUL for our donors who are the reason we can continue to help these families. Please keep Kelly, Jalen and Kylar in your thoughts and prayers!
Blessings all!!
Meet the Bender Family
One morning while surfing social media, a notice regarding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser crossed my screen for a family whose 6-year-old son (Michael), was just diagnosed with a childhood glioma brain cancer. The person who forwarded this information was the mother of a prior recipient. I started to dig to discover information about the family and low and behold, I was connected to their cousin, who then connected me to the family. The Bender family is our 2nd September recipient.
The Bender family lives in a rural town in western Pennsylvania just over the border from Maryland. Father Bennie, wife Martha, sister Tillie (15), brother John (14), sister Laura (13) and Michael (6), are a hardworking and loving farming family. In addition to Michael having brain cancer, Laura, their 13-year-old daughter, has Cerebral Palsy. My husband and I had the honor of meeting them when delivering the donation. We were so impressed with their positive attitude and incredibly kind and humble spirit.
Earlier in 2024, the Bender’s decided to depart from their prior community to start a new life. Soon after their departure, young Michael started to have symptoms with his vision and had severe headaches. The symptoms became worse and when the family took him to the hospital, they received the devastating news Michael had brain cancer. As you can imagine, this news was bad enough, but they also had the stress of not having insurance since they were no longer part of the community who self-insured in the event anyone needed medical care.
This hard-working family is well loved by their new community and the community has rallied around the Bender’s to help during this difficult time. Thankfully they were recently able to get insurance so that has relieved some of their stress. However, Michael is being treated at UPMC hospital in Pittsburgh and they are required to frequently travel over 2 hours each way into the city for his chemo and other treatments. As a result, Bennie is required to take time from work, and as the primary income source, this puts an additional stress on their financial situation.
The Bender’s have a very strong faith base and know there are events in life out of their control, but they trust in the Lord to be their guide. The Paul Dostie KARE Foundation is so honored and grateful to have connected with the Bender’s and to know we are helping in some small way. The Bender’s were incredibly grateful for KARE Foundation’s support.
So many of our connections with our recipients are heaven sent and this one is no different! Please keep Michael and his family in your thoughts and prayers are they keep up the fight to help Michael beat this cancer!!! If Paul met this family, he too would be so proud the Foundation has selected them to receive funds to honor his legacy!
THANK YOU, DONORS, for your generous donations that fund these deserving recipients. We can only do this because of you!
Blessings all!
Meet the Patten Family
Once again, we have another heaven-sent story about how we connected with our 2nd August recipient, Elijah Patten!
Paul’s brother Brian’s wife Kris is a teacher and was contacted by a counselor from the same school system in CT regarding a young student who was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. He heard about the KARE Foundation and knew Kris was involved with helping the foundation and wondered if this family could be considered as a recipient. Contact was made with the father, Ryan, and when their family situation was discussed with the KARE Board, everyone agreed we needed to help!!!
Elijah, now 13-years-old, had a stroke on Christmas Eve in 2022 when he was 11. Elijah has a twin sister Ariana, as well as 3 younger siblings, Isiah 12, Olicia 9, and Uriela 5. This incredibly unfortunate event was the beginning of a long journey in Elijah’s fight!! While in the hospital, he ended up having severe headaches and brain swelling. Within 6 months, Elijah endured 4 brain surgeries and ultimately was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. Elijah was in the hospital for months and finally returned home in May 2023. He has gained some of his mobility and speech back, but he is required to use a walker or wheelchair. He eventually returned to school and thankfully the school system has provided so much support to help him reenter his life to be a kid again!
As with all Glioblastoma patients, you depend on the daily chemo, ongoing treatments, and live with the stress and “scananxiety” month to month until the next MRI!! Thankfully as of today, Elijah is stable. We pray this will continue!!!
As you can imagine, Elijah’s parents have encountered many sacrifices during his illness. They have had to miss work for hospital stays and treatments, continue to care for their 4 other children, and stress as the medical bills continue to accumulate!! The financial and emotional pressure on the family has been significant. The KARE Foundation is honored to help the Patten’s and we will continue to be there for the family as we follow Elijah’s journey to beat this cancer!!!
As always, thank you donors! You are helping the KARE Foundation continue to support these families facing adversity many of us cannot imagine! As Paul would say, “YOU GOT THIS ELIJAH!!!”
Blessings all!
Meet the Koenig Family
Our first recipient for August, Elizabeth Koenig, was introduced to us by another KARE recipient and brain cancer warrior, Tom McGowan. Tom and Elizabeth are in the same brain cancer therapy group in Maine, and as they were talking about their struggles; physically, mentally and financially, Tom mentioned the financial assistance he received from the KARE Foundation to help alleviate some of his financial burden so he can focus on his fight! Elizabeth’s husband Dylan contacted the KARE Foundation and after our discussion regarding their situation as Elizabeth fights her cancer, the board agreed this family would be recipients of KARE Funds.
One cold and snowy winter day on January 30, 2022, Elizabeth went out to take some photos with the kids and had her first seizure. She had no idea what happened… thought she hit her head and blacked out. Her husband took her to the Maine General Emergency Room where they unfortunately gave her the news, she has Stage 3 Astrocytoma. She had surgery on February 2, 2022 to remove the tumor and during that time, Elizabeth really had no idea what was happening and everything was just “fuzzy”.
Another unfortunate occurrence was when she had the seizure, it happened toward the end of the COVID shutdown, and she was not able to have anyone in the hospital with her. This is a big issue for patients with cognitive impairments since they are not able to effectively understand or communicate with the hospital staff. Thankfully, Elizabeth made it through the surgery and recovery successfully and was able to get home to her family… and on that day, the COVID restriction for the hospital ended.
Elizabeth and Dylan have 2 children, Liam 10, Lukas 6, 2 dogs and 2 cats! As a 35-year-old young mother, the thought of having terminal brain cancer is terrifying!! She wants nothing more than to beat this disease and we are all rooting for her. Thankfully Elizabeth and Dylan have a great family support system, her mom Pam and Dylan’s parents, Lisa and Kris.
At this point Elizabeth’s cancer is stable. However, due to physical and cognitive impairments because of the tumor and seizures, Elizabeth is no longer able to drive or work. This has put a significant financial strain on the family. In addition, the frequent hospital visits and treatments require Dylan to take time from work to be with Elizabeth.
As we always do when making decisions about our recipients, we ask ourselves, “What would Paul do?”. His love for family was so strong and we know he could not imagine a young mother being faced with this horrible brain cancer worrying about the future. We are blessed our generous donors have enabled us to help families like the Koenig’s and we know Paul is up there saying to Elizabeth… “YOU GOT THIS!”.
Elizabeth and Dylan are so appreciative of everyone who has supported them. We are equally appreciative for our donors and for making the connection with the Koenig’s to help them in their journey to fight this beast of a cancer. Keep up the fight Elizabeth!!
Blessings all!
Story of the July 2024 Recipient Family
Hello folks… get your tissues ready. There are many layers of absolute sadness to this story. We are going to keep this story generic since the family has WAY too much going on and the trauma this family has endured is beyond comprehension. The KARE Foundation is honored and blessed our paths crossed to be able to help in some small way. Paul must be a part in helping make this connection.
The KARE Foundation was recently introduced to our next recipient by a friend of the family from Madison CT. This friend is very close friends with the family and when she heard about the KARE Foundation, emailed us to relay the story about what the family was/is going through to see if we could help. Below is her email to KARE received on June 28th.
“I recently learned about the Paul Dostie KARE Foundation through a friend in my parent bereavement group. I wish I had known about you when my son Max was struggling through treatment for and living with an aggressive DIPG; we could have used all the help and support we could get. Max passed away 22 months ago today at the age of 23, so it seems fitting that today is when I am reaching out to you. I am so grateful to know about you now because I am sure as many of you have discovered in your journey, you meet people in need who are now struggling, and the stories are so painfully similar. I am writing to ask about how to apply on behalf of my friend who lives in CT. She has given me permission to find out more on her behalf as she is completely overwhelmed at the moment.
My friend is Tara, and her husband Dwight was recently diagnosed with two grade IV glioblastomas. The prognosis is 12 months. Their daughter Kyah, a dear friend of my older son Jack, passed away June 13 from metastatic breast cancer and liver failure; for the second time in Jack's life, he was present as a loved one took their last breaths. She was 27 years old, and Dwight and Tara's only child. Tara is now carrying the heavy weight of grief while trying to juggle and manage and advocate for her husband…. Dwight's treatment plan has not yet begun, though the steps are underway. His treatment plan is exactly the same as my son's, which feels so strange to hear. Yesterday we started to get their apartment ready for Dwight to come home on Saturday after a few weeks in rehab following brain surgery…”
Reading this email brought me to tears for SO MANY REASONS!!! Tara and Dwight lost their only daughter and right after, Dwight was diagnosed with (2) Grade IV Glioblastoma tumors. Dwight had a craniotomy; 1 tumor was removed but the other on the midline was inoperable. They have not even been able to process the grief of losing their only child at the age of 27!!!! As of July 15th, Dwight’s symptoms were so severe he will be going into hospice… not even able to start treatments to fight the cancer. How… just HOW can this sweet woman cope with her circumstance. Our hearts are breaking for Tara and Dwight. There are no words I can find in this language to provide to her… except we are praying for them and here to help.
In addition, their friend in Madison lost her son at the age of 23 to DIPG!! DIPG is a pediatric glioma like adult Glioblastoma. Even more heartbreaking to her story is her ex-husband passed away suddenly soon after. Seriously… why?? JUST WHY?!?!? We are beyond blessed she reached out to KARE. As someone who has lived through painful struggles and losses, she is still there for her friend. However, our hearts are broken for her as well.
I am very sad to report that on July 18th, Dwight lost his battle with Glioblastoma… When texting with Tara, she is beyond heartbroken and not even able to process what has happened in the last 6 weeks of her life. If you believe in synchronicity, their daughter passed on 6/13, Dwight was in room 613 in hospice and died at 6:13 in the evening. Her only comfort was the strong presence that her daughter was with her and Dwight to guide him to his eternal life. Once again… no words!!!!
We all need to count our blessings. Life may be difficult at times but when you hear stories like these, you realize the pain, stresses, and agonizing grief so many people face in life.
Thank you, donors, for granting the KARE Foundation the opportunity to assist these families. YOU ARE helping to make a difference!
Blessings all!
Meet the Ashby Family
All I can say is it takes a village….
Our recipient this month was introduced by a friend in my small town in western Maryland who knew a family who lost their son Aaron at the age of 13 to leukemia in January of 2021. In 2023, their 18-year-old son Jordan, a high school athlete excelling in baseball, started having headaches and seizures and was then diagnosed with grade IV Astrocytoma brain cancer!!! He has since had 2 craniotomies to remove 2 tumors.
My friend learned about the KARE Foundation and knowing the financial struggles this family has been facing due to their medical challenges, asked if the Ashby family could be considered for KARE Funds. After hearing the story and speaking with Nicole, the mother of Aaron and Jordan, the board agreed the Ashby family did indeed meet the mission for the foundation.
Their medical troubles are not just limited to their 2 sons. Before Aaron got sick, their father Gary was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in 2008 and several years later bone cancer in his left leg, Gary went through multiple surgeries and thankfully they were able to save the leg but the scars and pain from the surgeries are a constant reminder of what he endured to remove the cancer.
Nicole has been a fierce warrior supporting her family through their medical struggles and the pain of losing their youngest child. Their daughter Aubrey, 13, is also a warrior in this fight for her brother to beat his cancer and for her father to remain cancer free.
I was fortunate to meet this beautiful family and their bond is so strong and their positive attitude and trust in their faith is unwavering. Thankfully Jordan just completed his latest MRI and the cancer seems to be at bay with his new chemo regime. For anyone fighting brain cancer, the anxiety faced every couple of months for MRI results is ever present. Astrocytoma and Glioblastoma are very aggressive and similar brain cancers, so you hope and pray the tumors do not return or grow.
To say this family loves baseball is an understatement. Their son Aaron who passed, Jordan who is fighting brain cancer, and their sister Aubrey, were/are all excellent players. They are also major Pittsburgh Pirates fans!! In honor of Aaron, the family hosts a softball tournament fundraiser around his birthday weekend in July to raise funds for other kids fighting cancer in our community. They are a giving family, even when faced with their own hardships. Their kindness in helping other children fighting cancer in our small community is a wonderful tribute to Aaron.
The KARE Foundation is honored to help the Ashby’s to alleviate some of the financial stress they face as they focus on fighting their cancers. Thank you, donors, for your support so we can continue to help more families like the Ashby’s well into the future. Paul would be so proud!
Blessings to all!
Meet Bryce O’Linn
It is time to introduce the 2024 KARE Foundation Trade scholarship recipient, Bryce O'Linn!!!
Bryce was introduced to us by a neighbor of Paul’s wife’s brother, who was walking in their neighborhood and met another neighborhood couple. They started having a conversation and somehow during the discussion, the couple mentioned their son was graduating from high school and working as an intern at an automotive shop since he enjoyed working on cars and planned to go to school in the fall to continue building his knowledge related to mechanics.
That is when Jeanne’s brother mentioned that his sister had an automotive business and if Bryce is interested in an apprenticeship/job and possible scholarship, to please give her a call. The call was made and that his how Bryce O’Linn connected with the KARE Foundation!!
Bryce took the job in May and is working at the business for the summer and hopefully longer!! He was awarded the paid apprenticeship, as well as provided a $2,000 check to either purchase tools for school or use toward tuition.
In Bryce’s short tenure with the business, he has shown an aptitude for the mechanical trade, as well as has displayed an incredible work ethic! The KARE Foundation and Jerry’s/Dostie Automotive are honored to have Bryce as a recipient for the award and we hope he will continue with the business for the long term, but either way, we are honored to know the KARE Foundation and the business, gave Bryce the start he needed to get into the trades!
Meet Tom McGowan
There seems to be a common theme regarding how we find KARE recipients… and the story of how we met Tom McGowan is no different!
It happens that Tom’s friend works at the same school in Maine as one of the band members (Tim), in the Unavailables… a band playing at the KARE FEST June 15th this year. During a conversation, Tim mentioned to Tom’s friend that he was going back to CT for a band rehearsal. She asked when and where they were playing, and he mentioned it was for a foundation fundraiser in his hometown of Guilford. She then asked what type of foundation and he said the foundation supports people fighting brain cancer and heart disease. That was when she mentioned her friend was JUST diagnosed with brain cancer. Tim gave the KARE foundation information to Tom’s friend and the connection was made. We met Tom at the very beginning of his journey, just 2 weeks after he was diagnosed.
Tom is 29 years old and last year he started having seizures in his sleep that would wake him up. Doctors thought they were the result of stress and anxiety. However, earlier this year he was having more symptoms. The doctors decided to do an MRI and that is when they discovered the tumor, and everything changed for Tom. He was diagnosed on March 14th and had surgery on March 27th. After the pathology results were returned, the cancer was a grade 3 Astrocytoma, a “relative”, and often, a “precursor” to Glioblastoma. This news was so devastating to Tom and his family.
Tom has always been active, loves the outdoors and playing sports. His symptoms, diagnosis and now treatments, are impacting his ability to do everything he loves. However, Tom is an extremely positive person and is taking this challenge to fight his cancer with strength and resilience. He is now in the treatment phase having radiation 5 days a week. Unfortunately, Tom is not able to work or drive because of his symptoms, medications, and treatments. This has been very hard on Tom financially and thankfully, the KARE Foundation board approved Tom to be a recipient for funds.
When I met Tom, I also met his mother Jen, who as you can imagine is his biggest cheerleader and will do whatever is needed to help Tom through this journey. During our conversation there were so many questions about the disease, educational resources to review, what to expect when treatments begin, how to look for trails, etc, etc…. After our meeting, I received the sweetest note from Jen.
“Linda, it was very nice to meet you today. Your interest in Tom’s story, your kindness to us both, and your generosity with financial assistance for Tom means the world. Our world has been shaken to its very core. It’s comforting to speak with people that truly understand through their own journey with such a tough diagnosis. I am happy to provide you with any information you need on Tom for your foundation. He’s a remarkable young man and we are very proud of him and all that he’s accomplished so far in life. He has big things to do, so we will fight with all we have.”
We believe Tom has big things to do as well and will follow Tom through his fight!! As Paul would say, “YOU GOT THIS TOM”! We are thankful our paths crossed with Tom, and even more thankful for our donors who are the reason why we are able to provide financial support to those fighting their diseases and for the caregivers by their side each and every day!!
Blessings all!
Meet Harper Struntz and Family - Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
How is it that connections to these amazing recipients keep “appearing” in so many mysterious ways. The case regarding how we connected with Harper Struntz, a then 8-year-old girl fighting for her life, is just another example!!
Scrolling through my Facebook page, a mutual friend posted on a Harper Strong group site that appeared in my feed. The post captured my attention since this young girl was waiting for a donor heart. As usual, my curiosity was peeked, and I started to review the Harper Strong site and learn that Miss Harper was a normal young energetic girl that suddenly fell extremely ill in October of 2023.
For 2 weeks, Harper had multiple visits to urgent care, pediatrician’s office and hospitals. Finally, on Harper’s 2nd visit to WVU Hospital, her liver enzymes were 10 times higher than they were 4 days before. That is when WVU transferred Harper to ICU in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Her parents, Chad and Allison, were then uprooted to find housing in the city over 3 hours away from their home, to be near their baby girl.
Once in Pittsburgh, to understand the extent of her liver failure, an ultrasound was ordered and the ultrasound technician saw something was wrong with Harper’s lower heart and recommended an echocardiogram be ordered. That ultrasound tech was Harper’s lifesaver! The echo showed Harper had severe cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction, (a measure of heart function), of 19%. So, at that time, Harper was in heart AND liver failure!!! Unfortunately, soon after, Harper’s kidneys also started to fail. ☹
To keep Harper alive, they started treatments for all her failing organs, Harper was required to have open heart surgery to implant a LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) to help her heart pump blood through her body since her own heart could not. She also needed tubes inserted for dialysis to treat her kidneys and liver. After a couple of weeks, it was determined Harper needed a heart transplant, however the dialysis seemed to be working to repair her other organs. As you can imagine, this was a harrowing time for the family!
Fast forward to March 7th, Harper received a heart!!! Here is a post on the Harper Strong site from her mom Allison the night before her surgery.
“Tonight, there are so many emotions. I think of a family somewhere who is spending their last hours with their loved one. I’m sure they are reminiscing, thinking of happy times and fun things they did with this special person. Tonight, they are holding a hand for the last time, kissing a forehead. Tomorrow our lives will become forever entwined with theirs….complete strangers who will share a connection of the most precious kind. I pray they know what a blessing they are releasing to us. A completely selfless act of love, kindness and giving.”
When the KARE board was notified about Harper’s story, we knew we needed to help this family! I contacted the grandmother, Lauree, to let her know about the donation from the KARE Foundation. The family was so appreciative of the support! The financial strain on the family living away from home and being away from work has been beyond stressful!
I have been following Harper’s journey and staying in touch with Harper’s grandmother Lauree, during the ups and downs throughout her recovery. On the 2-week anniversary of her transplant, March 27th, Harper was released from the hospital to the Ronald McDonald house in Pittsburgh. To understand the magnitude of what these families endure, I thought this next post from Lauree was heartwarming and needed to be shared.
“Tonight, my heart is smiling. Tonight, I was able to do something I haven’t done for a very long time. I cuddled on the couch with Harper. Just her and me, a pillow and a soft blankie. No VAD drive line, no heavy backpack with back up batteries. No tubes, wires or lines. Just me and my sweet girl. She snuggled up with me, laid her head on my lap, and we talked. And laughed. And for a while, all was right in the world. Don’t ever take for granted these moments. You don’t realize how precious they are until you don’t have them. I snuggled her in, and my arm was across her chest, and I could feel her heart beating. Her gift of life. Beating as God intended it to. Placed there by a highly skilled team of amazing surgeons. Tears filled my eyes as I felt the rhythm. It felt strong. And I felt so very thankful. There are no words to describe the depth of gratitude. No words. I see improvements in Harper each time I am here. She still has a journey ahead of her, but she is doing it! Baby steps are good….she’s moving forward. Just to hear her giggle and act silly again is something I have waited so long for. Our girl is coming back….little pieces here and there….and I love it so much!”
On 4/22, now 9-year-old Harper received word she is finally going home! Below is a post from her mother Allison when they were notified on 4/16 that Harper would be coming home soon. .
“It blows my mind just 6 months ago Harper was knocking on death’s door. The look of fear on the surgeons faces the night of her LVAD placement when they couldn’t control her bleeding. I’ll never get that out of my head. Clinging to her pale, cold body. We weren’t sure if we would get to watch our sweet girl grow up. We didn’t know if we would ever be able to hear her beautiful voice again or get one of her bear hugs. It’s been months of surgeries, tests, therapy, tears, prayers and sleepless nights. Our world has been completely changed. But next week we get to bring Harper home, hopefully for good You will never be able to convince me that God is not real.”
This is a long story, but it really exemplifies the struggles the families endure during their loved one’s illnesses. We are glad to report Harper is home and had a amazing and beautiful homecoming from her hometown. She is thriving well and getting back to being the young girl she was before she fell ill. The KARE Foundation will continue to follow Harper’s progress, and I hope one day to give her a big bear hug myself being this beautiful family lives in my county in Western MD.
THANK YOU DONORS!!! We cannot do any of this without your generous support!! As Paul would say, “YOU GOT THIS HARPER!” and “THANK YOU DONORS for keeping my legacy alive helping.
Blessings to ALL!
Meet Nadyne Wood and Family - Glioblastoma
Our 1st recipient for the month of May, (GO GREY FOR BRAIN CANCER AWARENESS), Nadyne Wood, happened to be introduced to the KARE Foundation through Abby Lipschutz, whose husband Josh, was a recipient of KARE Funds in February of 2024. This story is heartwarming and heartbreaking.
This story begins with how Josh, Abby, Nadyne and husband Darby met.
Newly married, 17 years ago, Josh and Abby attended a retreat for young couples (under 40 years old) where one partner was dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Josh was fresh from his 2nd brain surgery, but they made the trip to Waco, Texas to meet 11 other couples from around the country. Though they thought Josh’s diagnosis of astrocytoma brain cancer would be rarer than those of other attendees, it turned out they were fortunate to meet another couple, Nadyne and Darby Wood, where Nadyne had the exact same diagnosis!
At that time, Josh had been fighting astrocytoma for a couple of years. Josh’s longevity was an inspiration for Nadyne as she began her fight! Nadyne was coping with symptoms from her first surgery when they met due to her tumor being on the motor cortex. This resulted in Nadyne having greater physical deficits than Josh, but they still related on everything else — medical trials, uncontrolled seizures, and the fear of each upcoming MRI, bonded them through their journey fighting this cancer.
In addition, sharing the role of caregivers in their 30’s, Abby bonded with Nadyne’s husband Darby, and they too remain partners in their journeys helping their loved ones fight their cancer battles.
During this time, Nadyne and Darby were able to have two children, Oliver and Piper. Ironically, both are the same age and Josh and Abby’s children. Having their children around the same time cemented their relationship even further.
Over the years and despite the distance (TX and CT), Josh and Nadyne maintained contact and were warriors in their fight together. However, in the past couple of years, both Nadyne and Josh began to slowly lose their battles with the disease since the cancer shifted from astrocytoma to glioblastoma. Even with their cancers moving to glioblastoma, their longevity of over 17 years fighting the disease has beat so many odds!
However, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Josh on April 16th, leaving behind his wife Abby, 2 children, and so many loving and grieving family members and friends. It is also with great sadness to hear that Nadyne has declined significantly but she is still fighting with all her might!
I received an email from Nadyne thanking the KARE Foundation for the donation. A statement on the note made my heart skip a beat. In the note she mentioned:
“I don't really have any regrets because I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. I only wish that I had more time with my children, Oliver and Piper, to see them grow up. Darby has been the best partner that I could have asked for. My family has always been right there to help take care of myself, my kids and my husband. For that I could not have asked for anything better.”
This statement is certainly a testament to how strong Nadyne is, even in times when her journey on this earth may be coming to an end. As Abby mentioned to me, Nadyne is a cancer warrior like she has never have seen!! Let’s hope she can keep up the fight!!!
The KARE Foundation is blessed Abby sent us the recommendation to assist the Wood family, even as her husband Josh was losing his battle with glioblastoma. Josh and Nadyne’s friendship had deep roots built on adversity of their cancer diagnoses, but their bond will be forever… on this earth and beyond!
Thank you, donors,… as painful as it is to lose a recipient and know one is fighting every day to live, it is beyond humbling to know the foundation was able to give them some level of comfort during their journeys.
Blessings all!
Meet Chuck Beckman and Sharon Zaubi - Glioblastoma 2024
How the KARE Foundation’s paths crossed with Chuck came through an uncanny, but extremely fortunate, route….
When soliciting bands to play at the 2nd annual KARE FEST, an incredible band, Heavy Hitters, signed up to donate their time to play at the FEST. It turns out, their guitar player Chuck Beckman, recently lost his partner and soulmate Sharon Zaubi to Glioblastoma on April 22nd, 2019.
To backtrack with the story of Chuck and Sharon, in 2011, Chuck was playing guitar in a different band when he met Sharon. Sharon was an incredibly talented singer and bass player. There was a great chemistry between them, and they decided to try writing songs together. From that collaboration, their relationship grew and Sharon became Chuck’s life partner, as well as my work partner in 2012. They started playing together as a duo, and in several bands including the Heavy Hitters.
In 2014, Sharon suddenly had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. Scans revealed she had a brain tumor the size of an orange in her right frontal lobe. At that time, the diagnosis was an Astrocytoma Grade 3. Unfortunately, Astrocytoma’s are the precursor to Glioblastoma. Sharon was scheduled for surgery, and they were able to remove 95% of the tumor. As standard treatment for both Astrocytoma and Glioblastoma, Sharon started radiation and chemotherapy.
A second surgery became necessary 5 months later, and two more surgeries over the next several years. Unfortunately, the tumor turned into a Grade 4 Glioblastoma. In 2019, a scan revealed the tumor had progressed to the point where she had only weeks to live. Chuck took her home to care for her until her passing on April 22nd, 2019. As you can imagine, the KARE mission was very near and dear to Chuck’s heart and that is why the Heavy Hitters, in honor of Sharon, elected to donate their time to play for the KARE FEST.
Fast forward to 2024, the KARE Foundation contacted Chuck with the Heavy Hitters to see if they were able to play again this year. This is when Chuck mentioned he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and was not able to play with the band and was not involved in scheduling while on medical leave. When asked how he was doing, Chuck said they found the tumor soon after the FEST in 2023. Other scans revealed 2 lymph nodes were affected. Chuck had surgery on December 13th, 2023. They removed 14 inches of colon and 25 lymph nodes to be on the safe side. The surgery was successful, but he had to have an ileostomy bag while he healed and then a 2nd surgery on February 5th to reverse the ileostomy. He is now recovering from the 2nd surgery and will not be cleared to work again with the band until the April timeframe. As a self-employed musician, the financial stress with no income for nearly 4 months has been extremely stressful and filled with anxiety!
This is when the board convened and decided we needed to support Chuck… who through his selfless heart, supported the KARE Foundation mission for the KARE FEST is 2023 in honor of Sharon Zaubi! Chuck did not have words for how thankful he was to the KARE Foundation for the financial assistance at a time when he needed it most!
We will continue to stay in contact with Chuck to monitor his progress! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he heals, continues treatments to beat the cancer, and returns to playing music again with his incredible band! We know Paul would be giving us high-fives for our decision to support Chuck! Unfortunately, the Heavy Hitter band was booked for the day of the FEST in 2024, but we are hopeful they will be back on the roster for 2025 with Chuck at the helm playing his guitar! 😊
THANK YOU again donors! You make this all possible.
Blessings all!
Meet the Mazzocchetti Family - Glioblastoma
On a snowy Saturday morning, drinking coffee and watching the NBC news channel out of Pittsburgh, (the station I receive living in Western MD), a story came on NBC about a Pittsburgh foundation called Jamie’s Dream Team raising funds for a young mom (Savannah, 23) who was just diagnosed with Glioblastoma. The foundation wanted to provide her, her son (Konnifer, 4) and her parents a dream vacation to Disney before she had to start chemo and radiation treatments. The segment was aired on NBC to spread the word to help Jamie raise funds to make this happen for the family. It gave me goosebumps!!! I shared the story with the KARE board and they all approved Savannah to be our March recipient!
After getting approval from the board, I connected with Jamie from the foundation, and we discussed how we could collaborate our financial support to the family. KARE gave a portion of funds to the trip and the rest to the family. Once again, this connection is heaven sent… what are the odds I was watching TV at the exact time the story aired!! We both know it was meant to be.
The short timeline to get arrangements made for the trip as Savannah was recovering from her surgery, was nothing short of a herculean task. Jamie pulled it off!!! This was the 1st time the family had ever been on a plane, and they did not even own luggage! Jamie got them everything they needed to have a “making memories” trip eliminating any worries. The Mazzocchetti family cannot thank the Jamie’s Dream Team foundation enough! They had the most amazing vacation they will never forget. 😊
They are also VERY grateful for the financial support provided by the KARE Foundation. They know this journey is not going to be easy and will be expensive! I have also connected with the father (Joe) to discuss what they should expect as things progress and provide information for them to review to learn about the cancer, sites to go for medical reviews and recommendations for trials, etc. Also, the KARE foundation is there for them as they work their way through this life-changing diagnosis. Savannah and Konnifer live with her parents outside of Pittsburgh, PA.
Savannah’s surgery was a success! The neurosurgeon successfully removed the tumor. As she healed, the symptoms brought on by the tumor improved significantly. By the time they were at Disney, Savannah was able to finally walk on her own again and regain most of her speech.
Right before Savannah’s diagnosis, she started a new job. She was fearful she would lose her position, but the company has been so supportive and is saving the position for her when she is able to return. Savannah is hoping she can return soon. She wants to get back to as normal a life as possible! Especially being a mom to her beloved Konnifer!!!
I would say Savannah has a guardian angel on her side… as bad as the diagnosis is… it is uncanny how these wonderful connections have been made. We are hopeful Savannah will be able to beat this beast called Glioblastoma. She is young and ready to fight!!!
Thank you, donors. We can share these beautiful stories because of your generosity. I also want to thank Jamie for her collaboration with KARE!!! This will not be the last time we connect our worlds helping those with terminal/life-threatening illnesses in need.
Please keep Savannah and her family in your thoughts and prayers as she undertakes this battle against Glioblastoma.
Blessings all!
Meet the Lipschutz Family - Glioblastoma
Once again, the KARE Foundation connection to our recipient has been heaven sent! An email was received in the general KARE contact mailbox from a fellow Guilford resident, Laurie, whose friend in Madison CT was recently diagnosed with Glioblastoma (GBM). Hearing his diagnosis, Laurie knew about the KARE Foundation and understood part of the mission of the foundation was to help provide financial assistance to families fighting this terrible brain cancer.
After reading the email, we contacted Laurie to hear about the family. Josh Lipschutz (53) was diagnosed with a recurrence of an Astrocytoma brain tumor in 2020. While Astrocytoma is a less aggressive form of brain cancer, it can become more aggressive over time. Despite three brain surgeries between December 2020 and January 2023 and both conventional and experimental treatments, Josh and his wife Abby received the terrible news that the cancer was progressing.
This reality rocked their world. Josh and Abby have 2 young children now 12 1/2 and 11. After finding out about this progression, they knew he would be in the fight for his life. Josh has been unable to work for two years, and Abby has had to significantly cut back her work hours to manage Josh’s medical needs, often necessitating travel to and from Boston for his appointments with his medical team, as well as care for their family. Given that Abby owns her own business, as a practicing therapist, you can imagine, this is causing a significant financial hardship for the family.
It is very sad that another CT shoreline famil is fighting this horrible cancer, and their lives are being challenged with this reality. Community generated donations helped the family take an amazing sailing trip last Spring, before Josh became unable to travel. Josh, an avid sailor, felt the urgency to make memories with their children.
When discussing the situation with the board, we all agreed the Lipschutz family would be our next KARE recipient! How blessed is the Paul Dostie KARE Foundation to be able to help families like the Lipschutz’s!! This can only happen because of our generous donors!!! Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers!!
Blessings to all!!!