An online fundraiser has been set up to help a local woman battling terminal brain cancer.
Forty-five-year-old Kari Hubert is originally from the Kootenanys but moved to Smithers before having to temporarily relocate to Vancouver. Her husband still lives in Smithers but she stays in Vancouver for a couple of weeks every month because she seeks treatment in the United States on a regular basis. Her husband Rick is a teacher in Smithers, making it hard for him to get time off to go with her.
She has been battling non-hodgkin’s lymphoma for the past 14 years but it has progressed to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) grade 4. Four years ago, the doctors gave Hubert six months to a year to live. GBM is an aggressive form of brain cancer that has no known cure. It is located in Hubert’s brain stem, making it inoperable.
“The biggest challenge is that it isn’t something that is treatable,” said Hubert. “In B.C. they don’t have the treatment I need, normal radiation doesn’t work. I have to go to Seattle to get treatments.”
Her radiosurgery attacks and aims to shrink the tumour. Unfortunately, the cost and the drugs that go along with it aren’t covered by MSP. She has gotten some funding, reducing the monthly costs from $43,000 to $5,000. However, it is still a lot of money, and that doesn’t include her travel costs.
While she is grateful for the fundraiser, she’d rather be volunteering and giving to others.
“I wasn’t a happy camper about this, I don’t broadcast my illness tons. I try to keep it low-key because I don’t like being the centre of attention.”
The person who organized the online fundraiser wants to give back to Hubert for saving her life. Hubert gave Cindi Moritz bone marrow over 10 years ago.
“If not for Kari, I would not be here walking this Earth today. I would not have had the chance to reach the age of 28, receive a university degree and follow my dreams of love, marriage and starting a family,” wrote Moritz on the go fund me page.
“This woman donated her bone marrow without a second thought when we found her through the blood donor database of her listed blood type. She wasn’t even on the bone marrow donor list but she took only 10 hours to say those four wonderful words, ‘I will do it.’ ”
Family friend Meghan Hidber is helping to raise awareness of the fundraiser locally because she feels Hubert deserves it.
“She has such perseverance and a positive attitude,” said Hidber. “She is just an incredible woman.”
Hidber added that Hubert inspires those around her.
“Recently, my mom went through her own cancer journey. When she was going through her stuff, she used Kari as an inspiration,” she said. “Kari is just an amazing person and she inspires people.”
The next steps for Hubert include a consultation with a doctor from Mexico.
“Once he gets my charts, he’s pretty sure that I will qualify and I’ll have to do down there for three weeks for treatment,” said Hubert.
“It is classified as terminal; I’ll never be in remission but we watch and wait and maintain it. I’m working towards only needing treatments once or twice a year. And I’m hoping Prince George gets more advancements so I don’t have to travel so far,” she added.
Organizers have made a goal of $60,000, about a year’s worth of treatment. There is currently about $7,000 raised.
To donate to the cause, visit gofundme.com/lets-do-it-for-kari.