{"id":12374,"date":"2013-03-24T23:57:25","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T03:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviepropcollectors.com\/magazine\/?p=12374"},"modified":"2013-03-25T02:49:38","modified_gmt":"2013-03-25T06:49:38","slug":"karen-black-opens-up-about-cancer-in-a-bid-to-save-her-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviepropcollectors.com\/magazine\/karen-black-opens-up-about-cancer-in-a-bid-to-save-her-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Karen Black opens up about Cancer in a bid to save her life."},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"KarenPicThumb\"<\/a>Award winning Actress, singer, songwriter, & screen writer, Karen Black<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>, is in the most important role she has ever faced in her vast career. Not a film role, but her role in life.<\/p>\n

She is fighting cancer.<\/p>\n

Her husband, filmmaker, Stephen Eckelberry<\/em><\/strong><\/span> posted today on Facebook<\/em><\/strong><\/a> this emotional and honest please for help. As anyone with a loved one or friend fighting this horrible disease knows, every second counts. The earlier intervention takes place the better chance someone has in winning the fight.<\/p>\n

Please read Stephen’s<\/em> letter and go to: HELP KAREN BLACK BEAT CANCER<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to help any way you can.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

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Some of you may remember my wife, Karen Black<\/span>.\u00a0 She contributed tremendous work as an actress in movies of the seventies and eighties. If you\u2019ve ever enjoyed her work, now is your chance to reach back to Karen \u2013 because Karen needs your help.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Karen has waging a battle for over two years with cancer.\u00a0 She has not talked about this publicly because she was hoping it would be cured and she could call herself a cancer survivor.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Karen was diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November of 2010. She immediately had the \u201cWhipple,\u201d one of the most serious operations that is performed at the Mayo clinic were she had it done\u2013 a third of her pancreas was removed.\u00a0 This was followed by extensive chemo and radiation back home at UCLA in the Spring and Summer of 2011.\u00a0 After suffering through nausea, fainting and losing over thirty pounds, she was finally declared NED \u2013 No Evidence of Disease in July.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But by December 2011 a small tumor developed and another surgery was in order, which left her completely bed-ridden.\u00a0 Her cancer seemed conquered though.\u00a0 By spring 2012 she was doing a lot better and could walk around and was almost normal.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But in June 2012, the cancer came back \u2013 and it started spreading \u2013 one near her lungs and one in her lower back.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We started trying different things \u2013 through hit and miss we found some alternative treatments that seem to help, and she went to Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles and had two operations in January and February to freeze the tumor in her lower back that by then had grown to be four pounds.\u00a0\u00a0 Even though the operation was a success, Karen was completely debilitated \u2013 even now she can hardly move around and is mostly bed-bound.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The cancer is minimized, but we know from past experience that it won\u2019t be long before it comes back.\u00a0 Her oncologist in Los Angeles has recommended that she do chemo therapy, but the problem is that she is skin and bones – before starting on this journey she weighed 156 pounds, she now weighs 96 pounds.\u00a0 That\u2019s a third of her body weight!\u00a0 Part of the problem is that missing a pancreas she doesn\u2019t digest food, and also chemo makes it very difficult to eat.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Karen has been confronting the fact that she would die soon if she didn\u2019t do something.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

BUT THERE IS HOPE<\/span>.\u00a0 Karen\u2019s family physician of many years called us two weeks ago and told us of success she has had with several of her patients doing a treatment in Europe as part of a clinical study there.\u00a0 I cannot go into more details now, but I promise I will in the future as we get involved.\u00a0 I will say that this is a medically supervised program and it targets Karen\u2019s kind of cancer.\u00a0 In fact, we personally know two of the patients that have had remarkable recoveries from cancer there.\u00a0 So we know it works, and right now it is her best and only shot.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But we have to move fast, Karen needs to go in the next few weeks, otherwise she might be to weak to go at all.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Karen will be there for two months.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So here is the big question; why would someone like Karen need money?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, she was an actress in movies, but most of the high-paying work dwindled out many years ago.\u00a0 She has a modest pension and medical insurance (thank goodness), but as anyone knows who has fought cancer, that is not enough.\u00a0 In the last two years we have used up all of our savings keeping Karen alive \u2013 traveling \u2013 treatments, getting people to help her.\u00a0\u00a0 We have nothing left.\u00a0 And the European treatment is not covered by insurance.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Your contribution will cover travel, living and treatment expenses for two months and will give Karen a chance.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Please help anyway you can, we humbly accept it.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Stephen Eckelberry<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n