A Ticket to Breaktown

"I can’t do this much longer," Kara said at 7:50 a.m. on Monday morning, after a brutal weekend of fatigue, restlessness, pain, and nonstop nausea. I’ve been trying to reserve my breaking points for a later date, but those words, in that moment, felt like swallowing a golf ball. Deep breath. Be where your feet are.

We called the doctor’s office right at 8 a.m., desperate for guidance. As we waited for the return call, it became more and more apparent—this wasn’t something we could manage at home anymore. Off to the ER we go.

It’s packed. No parking spaces available. I drop Kara and Mom off at the door. When I enter, I find them at reception—Kara dry-heaving in a primal way. I feel for everyone in the waiting room, but I also silently pray that her condition fast-tracks her into a room. We have to wait for someone to be discharged before they can take us back. Thirty minutes feels like an eternity as Kara’s legs shake uncontrollably and she keeps asking, "When is it my turn?"

The team at Genesis ER in DeWitt are so compassionate and we've received some great care from them lately. Really grateful that we have that quality of care available to us.

They run the gamut of tests—bloodwork, chest X-ray, CT of her abdomen, urine test, COVID and flu swabs. Negative for COVID and flu. Good. X-ray looks clear. CT doesn’t show a blockage. Whew. Bloodwork doesn’t reveal anything alarming, signs of dehydration which we suspected.

They load her up with two bags of fluids, Compazine, and Lorazepam—then send us home with instructions to keep her hydrated. Easier said than done.

I drive home feeling grateful for the test results, but with a deep pit of anxiety over the night ahead.

She’s weak. We take shifts monitoring her because she gets up often, and someone needs to be there to keep her from falling. When she’s awake, we scramble to meet all her needs in the short window before exhaustion pulls her back under.

We’ve fallen into a system:

• She stirs awake → I help her up to the bathroom.

• Dad preps food.

• Mom feeds her.

• I prep and give her meds.

• Dad crushes a Pedialyte pop.

• I’m on popsicle consumption duty—when she wants one, she says "Ice, ice, baby."

• We all attempt to get her to drink something, dad has been most successful.

• Mom and I help her settle back to sleep.

Systems are good. I like my assignment.

Kara's trying so hard to comply and keep herself out of the hospital. She will say, I'm trying all the things. She will tell us she's feeling better as if she's trying to will her way to better health. I admire her, she's such a trooper.

When she wakes, she asks where I am if I’m not in the room. I never want to be anywhere else when she opens her eyes. But this morning, she asked me to leave her alone for a bit. I don’t take it personally—I just want her to feel better. So here I am, stepping away for a moment to update this blog, because I know so many of you are wondering how she’s doing.

We celebrated a bowel movement this morning, but we’re holding our breath for a bigger turnaround. We’ll call her oncologist today and see if there’s anything more we can do for her dry heaving and restlessness.

I can’t imagine how she’ll be ready for Day 8 treatment, and honestly, none of us want to go through it. We’re all in agreement to hit the pause button on chemo—which brings a whole new set of overwhelming emotions.

I’ll report back when I know more. But for now, please keep sending prayers that our sweet girl can get some rest and feel better soon. 💛

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If You're New Here

Hi, I’m Alisha, Kara’s sister and biggest advocate. Kara was diagnosed with Stage 4 Triple-Negative Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (TNBC) in December 2024. Her cancer has spread to her bones, liver, and other areas, making this an incredibly difficult and uncertain journey.

Despite it all, Kara’s light still shines so brightly—she’s full of love, giggles, and endless positivity. This blog is where I share updates on her fight, the highs and lows, and the incredible community rallying around her.

Thank you for being here, for your love, support, and prayers. We need them more than ever. 💛 And of course, Go Hawks!