“I had some unexplained bruising this past summer,” Kara shared. “But there were no other symptoms, and cancer never crossed my mind.”
That changed quickly.
Bloodwork raised concerns, and within days, Kara’s world shifted. What should have been an ordinary appointment became a moment that turned her life upside down.
“You don’t go into your yearly physical expecting to hear that. Everything happened so fast.”
Yet in the middle of fear and uncertainty, something else happened just as quickly — support.
The Lakewood team mobilized and Kara received phone calls from providers who walked her through what they knew, what they were still learning, and what the next steps would be. Soon, she had clarity, reassurance, and a plan.
“Within an hour and a half, I knew what path we were taking,” Kara said. “That alone was such a comfort.”
Kara was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia, a rare but treatable form of cancer. Just two weeks later, she began chemotherapy — five consecutive days of treatment, right here at Lakewood Health System in Staples.
“I didn’t have to leave home,” Kara said. “From diagnosis to treatment to follow-up, everything happened here … That meant everything to me.”
Kara remembers her first appointment with Dr. Wade Swenson, the oncologist who helped guide her through those early, uncertain days.
“As soon as he walked into the room, the whole energy changed,” Kara said. “We came in with so much fear, and he just had this calming presence. Every question we asked, he would say, ‘I’m not worried about that. We’re going to do this, and we’re going to be okay.’”
That reassurance stayed with Kara and her husband, Josh, long after the appointment ended.
“Before we left, Dr. Swenson asked if we had any other questions,” Kara recalled. “And my husband looked at me and said, ‘I don’t even remember what I was worried about when we came in.’ That’s the effect he had.”
Although much of Kara’s ongoing care was led by the oncology team and family practice physicians (Dr. Alex Hradsky and Dr. Chris Hughes), those early conversations with Dr. Swenson made a lasting impact.
“Hearing him explain how treatable this was — how we’d do five days of chemo and move forward — it made it feel manageable,” Kara said. “When your oncologist tells you, ‘We’re going to be okay,’ you believe it.”
Finding advanced care and normalcy
As a mother of four boys (ages 5, 8, 9, and 11), Kara was determined to keep life as normal as possible. Thanks to advances in modern medicine and the close monitoring of her oncology team, she missed just three weeks of work and experienced minimal side effects.
“I thought chemo would be awful. I had this image in my head from movies. But it wasn’t like that at all. I didn’t get sick. I didn’t have nausea. And the team checked on me constantly.”
One of those team members was Jessica Nybakken (pictured above with Kara), an advanced oncology nurse practitioner.
“My greatest privilege is walking alongside patients during some of the most challenging moments of their lives,” Nybakken said. “I want every person who comes here to know they are not alone, from the very beginning, there is someone here to listen, to guide, and to support them every step of the way.”
Nybakken met Kara early in her journey and worked closely with her through diagnosis, treatment planning, chemotherapy, and recovery.
“Kara’s approach was remarkable,” Nybakken said. “She found acceptance early, educated herself, and made plans for the future. She’s a working mom with a house full of kids and a supportive husband, and she never skipped a beat. She knew when to ask for help and leaned on others when needed … always with grace and humor.”
Just days into treatment, Kara met with Kali Pachan, an oncology social worker, who gently encouraged her to accept financial help through the Lakewood Health System Foundation Oncology Patient Fund — something Kara initially resisted.
“I kept saying, ‘I don’t need it. Someone else needs it more.’ I think everything was so fresh, my head was spinning and I wasn’t thinking all the way through,” Kara recalled.
Lakewood Foundation’s Oncology Patient Fund is designed to help patients and families manage the financial burdens that can come with a cancer diagnosis, like expenses that don’t pause for treatment, such as missed work, travel, and groceries.
Days later, the help was already in place for Kara and her family.
“The blessing was that it was just … there. It wasn’t something you apply for and wait on. It filled an immediate need before I even realized I needed it.”
As Kara managed the reality of reduced income during treatment, she began to fully understand the impact.
“I thought back to when Kali said, ‘My job is to know what you need before you need it,’” Kara recalled. “And she was right.”
Blessed beyond measure
Today, Kara feels strong and hopeful. She continues regular follow-ups and lab work and is grateful for how quickly her cancer was detected, thanks to a simple annual physical.
“I tell everyone now: Go get your yearly checkup,” she said.
When asked what she would say to someone else facing a cancer diagnosis, Kara doesn’t hesitate.
“It really is going to be okay. Medicine is so different now. The care, the protection, the way teams anticipate your needs … it’s incredible.”
And if she could say one thing to the team who walked beside her?
“What do you say to people who saved your life when you didn’t even know you were sick?” Kara said quietly. “I don’t think there are words big enough. All I can say is thank you.”
Nybakken echoed that sentiment from the other side of the journey.
“When someone comes to Lakewood Cancer Center, they are surrounded by a team with one shared purpose: to support them in every possible way,” she said. “While treating cancer is at the heart of what we do, caring for the person behind the diagnosis is just as important.”
For Kara, that care made all the difference. And it happened right where she needed it most. Close to home.
To learn more about the oncology team and Lakewood Cancer Center, go to: https://www.lakewoodhealthsystem.com/care-services/oncology-cancer-care/ or the Lakewood Health System Foundation, visit: https://www.lakewoodhealthsystem.com/patients-visitors/about-lakewood/foundation/
Photos 1, 3, 4 provided by Kara Kern.