A New Meaning of Enduring Through Faith

As I (Kim, Karri's sister) write this posting, Karri is undergoing her first chemotherapy treatment. Due to the nature of the drugs she is being treated with, it will be a long infusion time - at least four hours, and we'll post a blog entry later today to update you on how that went. But in the meantime I wanted to pay tribute to how Karri has endured and continues to endure a very challenging situation with dignity, grace, humor, and perseverance -- all based in an awe-inspiring faith commitment. Many of the so-called side effects of chemotherapy have already been making Karri's life miserable for well over a month. To see her handle this situation with unwavering faith and acceptance and stoicism is almost beyond our ability to comprehend. All of the qualities that I have always admired in Karri, including her incisive ability to size up the heart of the situation and respond with intelligence and compassion have been on exemplary display in this time period when she might just as easily have chosen to respond otherwise with self absorption and self pity. With gentle but witty irony she has met hellish developments head on, commenting wryly at each new turn, 'There is a new evil in my life,' and then tackling it. Enduring physical suffering in a way that defies our experience, always with a gritty determination not to let it get the best of her, she has been courageous and uncomplaining. Her caregivers, both family and professional have all been moved by her gratitude to them for their help and her cooperation as a patient, even in the hospital when separation from her family was an agony for her beyond all the physical suffering put together. During a family priesthood blessing last night Karri typically focused on the few silver linings that can be wrung from the hardest experience of her life, expressing gratitude for and to her family and for all the prayers from all of her many friends at church and school and in every area of her life. We love and appreciate all of you for your support, which continues to be very sustaining to her and to each of us as we struggle forward without knowing exactly what to expect at each new turning in the road.