I'm Karen, and I am blessed to live with my wonderful husband in a house on the ocean in Florida. I have been suffering inner ear and balance problems for 4 years. In my former, healthy life, I used to travel extensively with my husband in our insurance business. I also had run the Chicago, Los Angeles, and London Marathons, and also was competing in triathlons.

I, like everyone else here, have tried a multitude of things to try to overcome our condition, including the endolymphatic shunt surgery here at Mayo Clinic. It's been a life-changing, humbling journey to deal with this every single day, and I cannot express how much I miss my "old life". But I persevere, and believe that one day all this will be behind me, and I will be a better person for it. I treasure our Board and all the insight, information and support I receive from it.