12/02/2025
In 2020, Karyn C.’s world suddenly shifted. She and her husband were living their dream — traveling the world, exploring new cultures, and savoring every moment together. Then, one morning in September, while getting ready for the day, she felt something unexpected. “It was not supposed to be there,” she recalls. Tests soon confirmed the diagnosis: stage 3A hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.
“I was young, healthy, and it didn’t make sense,” Karyn says. “It just derailed everything.”
At City of Hope, Karyn found what she calls “the gold standard of care.” From her medical oncologist to her nutritionist, naturopath, and radiation team, every expert collaborated seamlessly to design her treatment. “Everything was there. You didn’t have to wait around for results — all the doctors talked to each other. That level of personalized care was just amazing.”
With the love and support of her family — her husband, sister, parents, and friends — Karyn made it through chemotherapy, radiation, and recovery. Today, she honors that care by giving back through Walk for Hope, where she walks in celebration of her caregivers and the community that stood by her.
“The first time I walked onto the grounds, I stopped in awe,” she remembers. “All those people — so full of energy, walking because they believe in hope.”
Each visit to City of Hope brings Karyn back to the Celebrate Life tree, where the names of five-year survivors hang like leaves of gratitude. “I walk to honor those who can’t, and to make other people’s lives better,” she says.
Because of you, Karyn — hope lives on. 💛
Your courage inspires others to believe in the power of community, compassion, and care that transforms lives.
If you’re inspired to help make more stories like Karyn’s possible, support City of Hope this Giving Tuesday.
Make a gift here: https://www.cityofhope.org/gt2025
