As she battles cancer, a community provides support

Kristi Garino — a junior Science, Technology, and Society major — was doing all the right things. She’d been drinking enough water, eating all her fruits and vegetables, and getting a fair amount of sleep. But this past January, she was suddenly afflicted with unusual headaches. Not the common tension headaches felt after a night of no sleep or stress over a midterm exam, but a different kind of headache.

“I haven’t had a migraine before, so I just assumed that that is what it was,” she said. But after a month of taking over-the-counter medicine, sleeping more and stressing less, the pain had only worsened. It was clear that her symptoms were different from those of a migraine, but she didn’t know what was affecting her. What she knew for sure was that “something wasn’t right.”

Her boyfriend urged her to seek the help of a neurologist, and Garino agreed. She traveled back to her hometown to meet with a doctor, who wondered if her headaches resulted from stress.

“I mean, I live a kind of fast-paced life, so I’m always doing a million things,” she said. “I thought about how I just became President of Alpha Phi, about how senior year was coming up, what I was going to do over the summer, and all that. He told me that it was probably just stress migraines.”

To allay some worries, the neurologist offered an MRI to Garino, which she accepted. She underwent a few hours of brain scanning before heading back home. The next day, her doctor called with some concerns.

“I was at work, and I was told that I had a tumor in my head about the size of 3 centimeters by 4 centimeters. The neurologist said I should go to the hospital.”

Rushed back to the hospital, Garino received another MRI where it was confirmed that she had a tumor in her head and that it had been causing the unwanted pain. The tumor, which had positioned itself in the back-right portion of her cerebellum, was considered “superficial,” meaning that it was in the lining of her head and didn’t require surgery into the skull to remove.

Presented with this news, Garino and her family were unsure what to do. “When the neurologist came into the room and told us what was going on, we didn’t know what was next. My dad asked the neurologist, ‘So, what do we do with her?’ The surgeon said, ‘She has brain cancer. We have to take the tumor out now.’”

In early March, Garino received surgery to remove the tumor. A few days ago, she received a spinal tap to confirm that the cancer hadn’t spread at all, and yes, it should all be gone.

Throughout this harrowing experience, Garino had to take a medical leave — withdrawing from all her classes, except for one class that is online. She had to step down from her leadership roles on campus and take time to heal and improve her health. Her friends, sorority sisters, and peers noticed what Garino was going through and wanted to help.

On March 26, Briana Cheng — Garino’s little in Alpha Phi — created an online fundraiser through GoFundMe to help with the extreme costs of healthcare. Garino was touched. “[Briana] told me, ‘You know, you have other things to focus on right now, like your health. Finances should be the last thing on your mind.’” After 15 days, 311 people have contributed over $15,588 to the GoFundMe. Even now, it continues to see donations from her fellow undergraduates, parents, and people who want to help with her recovery.

Outside of the GoFundMe, a long list of campus organizations have held events to support Garino. Fraternities and sororities have raised several thousand dollars through events like philanthropy brunches, chicken nuggets sales, and pizza fundraisers, and student organizations, too, have contributed several hundred dollars to assist with costs.

Garino still has a few months of recovery ahead of her. Soon, she will start radiation, which will last six weeks. She’ll have a month without treatment, which will happen in June, and then chemo will begin. Lately, Garino has been public about her diagnosis, mostly to thank the people around her who have offered love, support, and assistance.

“The amount of love and support I have received over the past few weeks has honestly been unreal,” she wrote in an Instagram post on March 31. “I cannot say thank you enough to all of the people and organizations that have supported me so far throughout this journey.”

“Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fighter, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will beat this. Thank you again to everyone. I have so much love for you all.”

To assist with Garino’s recovery, please support the GoFundMe here.