“I was soaping up in the shower, and I knew right away,” Karla told us. She immediately called her sister and said, “I have cancer. I found a big knot.”
A visit to UVA Breast Cancer Center confirmed she had stage 2 breast cancer that had traveled to her lymph nodes. Karla underwent a mastectomy and 5 of 6 rounds of chemotherapy. Her team of doctors felt she wasn’t strong enough for the sixth round.
Because of her aggressive treatment and recovery time, Karla was unable to return to work, creating more hardship in the form of overdue bills. Most important to Karla was to make sure she stayed current on the auto loan for her water-blue Jeep, affectionately named Mermaid.
“If I lost that Jeep, I’d lose my lifeline to my job, to my treatments. The Relief Foundation has been a lifesaver for me to be able to help me keep my feet on the ground and not have to worry about the car payments while I got better.”
Today, Karla is on the mend and has returned to a job that she “truly, truly loves” as a guide for a wild horse tour company in Corolla.
She enjoys a healthy lifestyle and reminds everyone she meets of the importance of self-exams and yearly mammograms.
“I am a survivor. I went to a lot of places before a friend told me about the Relief Foundation. I am blessed with family and good people to help me.”
