Karen Campbell has spent most of her life going with the flow and tapping into her expressive nature to find language for her unique experiences along the way.<\/p>\n
But in 2014, toward the end of her 30-year career working for Parks Canada, primarily in Waterton Park, Karen\u2019s path took an inexplicable turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just moved to a small town in southern Alberta to start a new job, but I had this terrible persistent cough and I just felt awful. I knew something was wrong, but for some reason, my body didn\u2019t present the problem well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In the months that followed, Karen had a battery of tests, X-rays, scopes, and scans, and while she was treated for pneumonia and other possible ailments, nothing made her well, and tests informed only that she had abnormal cells.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept working but I was so sick. All I wished for was any diagnosis so we could move forward with treatment. Waiting is so hard \u2013 you just want answers so you know what you\u2019re dealing with,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
More than nine months later, after a challenging lung biopsy, and a biopsy of a lump on her neck, Karen was diagnosed with Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis – a rare form of lymphoma. The first line of treatment offered was Interferon, delivered through a subcutaneous injection in the belly. \u201cI immediately went downhill so they had to stop this treatment. I had gone from 130 pounds to somewhere around 90 pounds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her parents, who live in BC and were nearly 80 at the time, came to stay and take care of her, both in her Lethbridge home, and later in required housing in Calgary, where she came for a bone marrow transplant.<\/p>\n
In the fall of 2015, Karen learned she was a candidate for stem cell transplant. She spent that Christmas with her brother in Calgary and went into hospital on December 30 to begin the procedure. After two harrowing stints in hospital, and with new cells to sustain her, she began the long process of rebuilding her immune system.<\/p>\n
The Wellspring Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n In 2016, Karen discovered Wellspring Calgary and began taking programs. \u201cI was actually told about Wellspring the same day I was told I had this rare lymphoma, but at that moment there was no room for that in my world. It was all I could do just to understand what was happening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A few months later, she was back in Calgary for radiation and was delighted to find a Wellspring community just down the hill from the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was perfect. I was seeking ways to keep some of the important healthy practices in my life and Wellspring provided this means in a way that was effortless and helpful. I participated in yoga, the sound bath was remarkable, meditation and visualization. I received Reiki, and the Money Matters program was amazing! All this was free – all I had to do was sign up and show up!<\/p>\n \u201cI told everyone I could about Wellspring. I met a woman and her sister in the waiting room for radiation and I told them about Wellspring. I said even if you don\u2019t take a program, you can just go, make a cup of tea and sit in the beautiful spaces. You can take your caregiver or go alone. You can talk or be silent. You can participate or not. I found out later, they went to Wellspring that day!\u201d<\/p>\n Karen tells the story about showing up at Wellspring for a Reiki treatment and finding a serendipitous surprise.<\/p>\n \u201cI walked in the door and announced myself and suddenly I\u2019m being embraced \u2026 I\u2019m being held so tightly by this tall woman, whose face I couldn\u2019t see, but she\u2019s saying \u2018Karen, Karen, how are you?\u2019 Here it was an old friend I had gone to college with \u2013 I was maid of honour at her wedding. We hadn\u2019t seen each other in years and here she was volunteering at Wellspring. Isn\u2019t that something? It was just so great!\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n Back in Lethbridge in 2018 and 2019, Karen was almost back to herself, reengaging with friends and returning to walking, biking, yoga and meditation. When the pandemic hit, she found Wellspring online and was able to safely join her community in her favourite programs once again, this time without leaving home.<\/p>\n Setback Eclipsed by Optimism<\/strong><\/p>\n Then in late 2020, Karen\u2019s blood counts started going down. \u201cI was diagnosed with MDS \u2013 a type of bone marrow cancer. There is a 1% chance of getting this \u2013 a side effect from the stem cell transplant,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is likely this will lead to acute myeloid leukemia \u2013 and there is no cure for that. So far though, it\u2019s not progressing too quickly, doctors are amazed,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Although this is a major setback, Karen is not sitting back waiting for the inevitable \u2013 she has things to do.<\/p>\n \u201cI garden when I can, and I do a bit of hiking. I recently got a dog and we walk a lot. I am trained as a visual artist so I do some of that. I enjoy Wellspring online, including iRest Yoga Nidra, Meditative Breathwork, Supportive Conversations, the Healing Journey program, and some speaker events,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n And when it comes to Wellspring extending its reach into communities across southern Alberta, Karen is an enthusiastic proponent; participating in programs piloted specifically in her area, and helping spread the Wellspring word.<\/p>\n ” I love that the Wellspring spirit is blossoming in our area. Last spring, after the Next Steps program wrapped up, I invited all the people from that group to keep on meeting on Zoom every other week. We did that all summer. There is also a walking group here whose participants met through Wellspring \u2013 \u2018The Lethbridge Go-Getters.\u2019 It started with four people, and one week, eight of us showed up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n As the seasons change, Karen harkens back to her practice of looking forward and going with the flow.<\/p>\n \u201cMy lung specialist calls me \u2018miracle woman.\u2019 Even though I have extensively damaged lungs \u2013 I can still do quite a bit,\u201d she said. \u201cFor me, I don\u2019t put energy toward fighting and antagonizing over the things I can\u2019t change in my path. I\u2019ve had wonderful doctors, excellent treatment, and though it hasn\u2019t been easy, now what\u2019s required of me is to use my tools \u2026 do my best to live life to the fullest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWellspring is a classic builder of community and connection. It offers a different kind of energy and way of being. People understand \u2026 they can relate. I\u2019ve met people who have been through what I have been through \u2013 even one who had a stem cell transplant \u2013 she knows the intensity of this procedure. I love that we have this support and I look forward to having a place where we can drop in.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2013 Karen Campbell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Karen Campbell was nearing the end of her 30-year career working for Parks Canada, and had ventured into a new job, when she developed a persistent cough. Read how her path took an inexplicable turn. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-member-story"],"yoast_head":"\n