Thank You and An Update!

Thank You to everyone who has said a prayer, send a message, mailed a card, deposited a donation, and cooked a meal.  Your love and support is much appreciated and has turned many gloomy days bright. 

• Kari is now at Horton Medical Center (60 Prospect Avenue, Middletown, NY 10940) 2nd Floor- Rehab.  Please join me in mailing her some happy mail.  The funnier the better.
• Kari's skin rash from Dermatomyositis  is almost gone and the endless itching is a memory!
• Kari had a bit of a careless caregiver (PC for Nurses Aid) and now has a bit of a shoulder injury.  This makes her therapy and exercise a bit more challenging. The good caregivers earn the new preferred title. May the bad ones encounter some poo throwing patients!
• Kari enjoyed an orange slush today and has another swallow study tomorrow.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that things are moving in a good direction.  Kari is gaining weight (sorry Kari, but it is a GOOD thing) and getting excellent nutrition from a PEG tube.  She has visions of Red Robin dancing in her head, hopefully tomorrow's test will tell us how soon we can all start "The great burger drop".
• There will be a few new missions this week. Please check back on Thursday for details on how you can help!
• Every day Kari is making progress.  Her strong spirit and ability to love through all she is going through; reaffirms how grateful I am to have her in my life. 

Calling All Cooks- Mission Feed Barry Some Non Institutionalized Food

It is tradition for newlyweds to plump up a bit- these 2 are losing weight and this week's mission is to try to stop that.  Kari's doctors are working to get her calories and nutrition, so our focus needs to be Barry (& Jen).  He is a champ and has been at the hospital with Kari over the past week.  Has anyone tried to eat hospital food for a week?  Enough Said.  If you live nearby and are cooking for your family anyway,  please consider setting aside a portion for Barry or Jen.  Sometimes homemade food can lift you out of the druthers.  If you need help getting the food to them please email and I can make arrangements for someone to pick it up.  Freezer meals are wonderful.  Thank you to everyone who has showered love upon Kari and Barry! 

Wants-vs-Needs and Love For The Landlord

When I started this blog, I was deliberate in my intentions.  My goals are simple, but they are outrageous given these economic times.  I am upfront and honest and will continue to be.  If nothing else, friends and relatives are offering vast emotional support for Kari & Barry.  Kari & Barry are touched by many generous monetary donations that have poured in via Chip In this week. I think it is very important for everyone to understand that housing, transportation, and an over the top bed are really NEEDS in my Opinion, not Wants or fanciful wishes. 

Today I learned that I may have offended Kari & Barry's landlord, and for that I am truly sorry.  I have great love for someone who allows a tenant to modify entry ways without batting an eyelash.  Kari & Barry truly have a good landlord.  I am sure he would likely let them out of a lease if we are so blessed to find them another living arrangement.  Kari & Barry are good people who honor their words and fulfil their contracts and their lease is no exception.  Kari's apartment is safe and well kept, it is just not safe for her. 

My intention was never to make her landlord feel bad.  We can't ask him to rearrange the apartment into a single level configuration.  That is beyond his control.  Likewise, it is next to impossible to find housing when you can't go looking for it.  Renting in a small town like Malone is easy- word of mouth would likely find us something safe and reasonable, but downstate is another ball of wax.  My hope is that someone downstate can help us locate a safe rental (To rent until Regis & Kelly award them a dream home- I have faith that it will happen).  Safe in this context means safe for Kari.  Her current apartment is safe for the rest of us, just not for her.  Kari needs an open floor plan, single story apartment with 2 bedrooms.  A bathtub or large shower stall to allow her to use a shower chair.  Kari needs a place that has very few stairs and hopefully none at all.  She has a long recovery ahead of her.  I hope that we can all network and spread their story with the hope that we can find them a rental that will meet their needs. 

A Message from Kari and an update

Kari wanted me to share a post she wrote on The Care 4 Kari &Barry Facebook age.

Thank you all for your love and support. Our families on both sides have had many sad and challenging times this year (mixed with happy moments such as marrying my amazing husband). When they say someone is battling cancer, think UFC title bout, as we've unfortunately found out to many times in our family (and one my... dearest friends family). It is a horrible disease I hope they find a cure for soon. I can't imagine how you would do it without the amazing friends and family we have at our side. 

Adding dermatomyositis has complicated the situation in many ways, as it is extremely rare, especially when paired with cancer. I have felt like an episode of House as my body began to fail me and dr.'s struggled to figure out what was hap...pening and how to stop it. A fall and my first ambulance ride ever sent us on the road to finding a way to stop my muscles from being attacked. On Tuesday we start a new treatment we pray will finally allow some healing to begin. The comments from friends, family, and strangers have brought tears to my eyes many times over the past few days. Words cannot express our thanks.

 

Tomorrow 2/8, Kari will start a new therapy that has good success in stopping the progression of Dermatomyositis and this should allow her to begin therapy to build her muscles up following the onset of Dermatomyositis.  Kari will not be able to take many calls, send many texts, or write many emails over the next week, but she loves to get texts, emails, cards and support.  Please join me in sending her silly emails, text messages, and warm fuzzies to make some of her time fly by a little faster.

 

We love you Kari!  You are one in a million and you will get over this new hurdle soon! 

Thank You! 24 Productive hours!

Thank you to everyone who has dropped a line to Kari & Barry today.  So many of you have reached out with encouraging words.  Many thanks for the donations that have poured in.  Mission #1 and Mission #2 are in full swing.  Please consider nominating Kari & Barry for an appearance on the Nate Berkus show.  They are so deserving and I am sure Nate could help in our quest to lift some burdens.

Regis and Kelly are giving away a dream home and I think that Kari & Barry are perfect for that kind of contest.  Links to both are in the "Mission" department.

In anticipation of superbowl here is a little treat- a sneak peek at the Chevy Commercials set to air.  One of them may generate a survey or trip off as a prize winner.  Several will only be aired in overtime.  Just a little perk for showering the Conklins with love and support!

Check back tomorrow for another batch of commercials, a contest, and a new mission.

Live With Regis and Kelly Dream Home Give Away- Mission #2

Regis & Kelly are hosting a contest for a dream home.  Perfect for Kari & Barry.  A new home, designed to meet their needs, would meet their need for safe and accessible housing.  Please join me in nominating Kari & Barry for this contest.

Game Plan:

• CLICK HERE to read about the contest.
• Please feel free to send your nomination using this link.
• I would also like to send in a complete packet of nominations and a video for added oomph.  I would love to use parts of your letters in an application video as well.
• Please be as descriptive as possible. Why do they deserve the home? What have they done to make the lives of others better? 
• Please consider writing me an email: carriescoupons@aol.com or fax your letter to me at 518-207-0694.
• I also need pictures for a video and would love music suggestions. 

This contest is an opportunity for us to give Kari a safe place to rest and relax.  Thank you for helping!!

Welcome

Thank you for all of the love and support.  Please follow along and help us in our quest to lift Kari & Barry up.  Life has certainly been rough lately, but together we can make a big difference and make their days a bit brighter!