Community lifting up former Crown Point volleyball star facing leukemia
CROWN POINT, Ind. — The community is rallying around a current college volleyball player and former Crown Point star facing a recent leukemia diagnosis.
Kendall Schara, 21, was wrapping up her spring season for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay when she went to the dentist to get her wisdom teeth removed.
She had some complications with antibiotics and ended up in urgent care up in Green Bay. She was tested for COVID-19, the flu and strep. It came back positive for Influenza A.
Her conditioned worsened and she ended up in the emergency room.
'Her team was playing Wisconsin and she stayed behind with abdominal pain,' mother Shelley Schara said. 'They thought she had to have her gallbladder removed but a test came back and it showed no blockage.'
Schara underwent a bone marrow biopsy on April 24 and the next day she received the news that she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
'You're heartbroken and you question how this could happen to your child,' Shelley said. 'Then you kick into survival and fight mode to keep her positive.'
Schara is a fighter who has been playing volleyball since she was a kid. She helped lead the Crown Point Bulldogs to a sectional championship and was named all-conference of the Duneland in 2020 and 2021.
'It's someone no one expects to go through at 21 and it's still something so hard to wrap my mind around, 'cancer,'' she told WGN News. 'But to be able to come home and lean back on people I haven't seen in awhile — they're always going to be here for me.'
Her Green Bay teammates and coach have also been in her corner.
'Kendall is a leader, a warrior, and a special young woman. I love coaching Kendall and I love who she is,' her coach Abby Geschke wrote on social media. 'Our team is devastated, but we know we have a role. We have the honor of supporting her, and we will do whatever we can do to help her fight and win.'
Schara is currently on a 24-hour drip of chemotherapy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where a steady stream of visitors have kept her company.
After chemotherapy, her next road will be a stem cell treatment. Without hesitancy, her two younger sisters volunteered to be tested and her mother said they will fight until they get a match.
A GoFundMe set up by Schara's high school coach has raised over $43,000 at this time for her medical bills.
'Crown Point has been absolutely amazing with the calls, texts, letters, visitors and food being delivered,' her mother said. 'But most importantly with prayers and it's amazing to see the community come together and help during a time like this.'
In the meantime, Schara is thankful for modern technology and being close to home during this time.
'I have visitors every single day. Green Bay people, Crown Point people. Having a Roku here is life saving,' Schara said with a laugh.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
13 minutes ago
- Medscape
Regulatory Challenges for NPs, PAs — How to Keep Up
A roadside rest stop isn't the typical place to meet up with your patient. But it worked for Johnny L. Rollins, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, a nurse practitioner (NP) and associate director of the Advanced Practice Provider Programs — survivorship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston — and his patient who lived in Louisiana. As a licensed provider in Texas, he can't practice medicine in another state unless licensed there as well. Rollins said his patient needed a telemedicine visit. 'A telemedicine visit is technically a billable clinic visit,' Rollins told Medscape Medical News, 'and compliance with state and federal telemedicine law is required.' As a result, he said, this patient and some others from Louisiana, have driven across the Louisiana-Texas state line, parked at a welcome area rest stop, and then started the video clinic visit to meet compliance requirements. Rollins' story illustrated how keeping up with regulations is necessary — but also a challenge, not only for physicians but also for the 280,140 NPs and the 152,103 physician assistants/associates (PAs) practicing in the US. Changes regulating both NP and PA practices, some said, have increased in recent years, sometimes spurred by COVID-related changes. Staying up to date is crucial, as not paying attention could jeopardize a healthcare worker's practice. Despite the challenge, many sources of information can help NPs and PAs stay up to date. Who Regulates? Beyond federal and state legislation regulating how NPs and PAs practice, healthcare organizations may have additional policies, so it's crucial to be aware of all of them, experts said. For PAs, while there is some variation in state law, 'the majority of states have abandoned the concept that a medical board or other regulatory agency should make decisions about scope of practice details for individual PAs,' according to the American Academy of Physician Associates, Alexandria, Virginia. Rather, most states allow the scope of practice details to be decided at the practice level. For NPs, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Austin, Texas, offered state-by-state practice information, with information on the regulatory structure (full practice, restricted, and reduced), regulatory agency, continuing education hours needed for licensure, signature authority, and other requirements. Changes, Fast and Varied Staying up to date on regulatory changes and requirements is more difficult these days, said Susan S. VanBeuge, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, a professor in residence at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a practicing NP. She cited more changes in requirements on both the state and national level in recent years than in the past. Deborah Busch, DNP, RN, CRNP, CPNP-PC, IBCLC, CNE, FAANP 'One of the biggest challenges for NPs is the variation in state law,' said Deborah Busch, DNP, RN, CRNP, CPNP-PC, IBCLC, CNE, FAANP, an NP and associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore. The regulatory environment has been 'more of a moving target the last 5 years or so,' she said. She cited COVID-19 as one reason, explaining it was accompanied by the expansion of some services, but now, as some are going away, close attention is needed to know what stays and what goes. 'The rapid pace of regulatory change in the current environment can be complex,' agreed Todd Pickard, DMSc, PA-C, a PA at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, who cares for patients and also serves as executive director of Advanced Practice at the Cancer Center. As complex as these regulatory shifts can be, Jennifer Orozco-Kolb, DMSc, PA-C, chief medical officer at the American Acad emy of Physician Associates, pointed out that one of the core competencies for every PA is staying informed about evolving laws and regulations. 'The volume of regulatory changes impacts the entire healthcare team,' she said. So, a change in, for instance, a fee schedule will affect all providers who offer that care, she said. Primary Issues What regulatory issues most concern NPs and PAs? 'The primary issues concern reimbursement, patient eligibility, and care modalities, as well as assisting patients in navigating their coverage,' Pickard said. Regulatory compliance in telehealth was important, as Rollins, the NP who has had rest area telehealth visits, knew. In most cases, he said, other communication with the patient can be handled by HER platform messaging; it's the telehealth visit with an out-of-state resident that's the logistical challenge. Susan S. VanBeuge, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC Continuing education requirements could also change, as VanBuege knew. In Nevada, for instance, the state nursing board requirements for continuing education in cultural competency changed recently. 'It went from 2 hours at regular intervals to now 4 hours of continuing education [in cultural competency],' VanBeuge said. A delay in license renewal might occur if an NP applied for renewal without those required 4 hours included in the continuing education, she said. That's why it's so important to keep an eye on the legislative proceedings in the state that an NP or PA practices in, she said. 'Our legislature meets every 2 years,' she said of Nevada. 'During that time, anything can happen within those 2 years.' Changes often do occur that affect healthcare providers, she said. Changes in guidelines for the COVID vaccine, issued in late May, are another example of the need to stay current on policy changes, Orozco-Kolb said. Those changes are dramatic, going from recommending everyone 6 months or older get vaccinated to limiting access to those older than 65 years or younger people with a risk factor for severe COVID. It's important to know the policy of a hospital network, Busch said. For instance, 'a state board of nursing may allow [NPs] to do a certain procedure, but a hospital network may have an internal policy restricting it.' The limitation isn't always about ability, she added. Rather, a hospital may already have a team in place that provides that procedure, she said. Sources of Help Policy courses are part of the education, said George Zangaro, PhD, RN, associate director of the DNP Executive Track at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. So, he said, simulations of regulatory cases are to prepare for the real world. 'We put a heavy emphasis on clinical, ethical, and legal responsibilities that NPs have in practice.' How to keep current on regulations in the most efficient way? 'I turn to my practice leadership, financial teams, my colleagues, and, in many cases, professional associations such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO),' Pickard said. He acknowledged how time-consuming it is, taking time away from other responsibilities, but also noted how critical it is to both his patients and his practice. Likewise, Rollins said, he turns to colleagues and consults the legal and compliance teams at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. George Zangaro, PhD, RN 'Once out of school, to keep up, continuing education is important,' Zangaro said, beyond the required hours. He encourages graduates to attend conferences regularly. 'Most conferences have a regulatory session included in them, depending on the current hot issues.' Membership in the NP and PA organizations has built-in tools to help, the organizers pointed out. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners offers information on frequently asked questions about government policy, additional information on policy tracking, and a government affairs update newsletter that is for members only. The American Academy of Physician Associates offers insight on requirements, certification, state licensing, and maintaining certification. (While the organization, the American Academy of Physician Associates, uses only 'associates,' not 'assistants,' Oregon is so far the only state to adopt the title change to associate, effective June 6, 2024.) Turn to 'trusted sources,' Zangaro said, such as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and national associations such as the American Nurses Association. While many sources of help are available for staying current with regulations, VanBeuge emphasized that the responsibility is on the shoulders of the healthcare practitioner. 'It's on you as the license holder to be responsible to know what is happening, and not the regulatory body's responsibility to tell you.'
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Novavax Stock (NVAX) Gets a Boost from ‘Robust Immune Responses'
Novavax (NVAX) stock jumped on Wednesday after the vaccine maker released results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of its COVID-19-Influenza Combination (CIC) and stand-alone flu vaccine. The initial cohort results from this study included 'robust immune responses' for the CIC and flu vaccine that were comparable to licensed rivals Nuvaxovid and Fluzone HD. Confident Investing Starts Here: Additionally, Novavax noted that the two vaccines were well tolerated. Almost all of the adverse events, greater than 98%, that were experienced by patients were mild or moderate in severity. The trial includes roughly 2,000 patients aged 65 or older. Novavax stated that it will continue to seek partners to further the development of its CIC and stand-alone flu vaccines. The results from this study provide it with the data it needs for discussions with potential partners. NVAX Stock Movement Today While NVAX stock had soared more than 2% in pre-market trading, the company couldn't maintain those gains. As a result, the stock is only up 0.56% as of Wednesday morning. Investors will also note that shares are down 8.83% year-to-date and 54.6% over the past 12 months. The Phase 3 clinical trial data also failed to attract investor interest today. Trading volume was muted at 1.38 million shares, compared to a three-month daily average of roughly 11.29 million units. Is Novavax Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Novavax is Hold, based on one Buy, two Hold, and a single Sell rating over the past three months. With that comes an average NVAX stock price target of $11.25, representing a potential 55.39% upside for the shares. Spark, TipRanks' AI analyst, highlighted 'strong revenue growth and profitability improvements' but warned of 'negative equity and cash flow challenges.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Editorial: Ax to the vax — RFK Jr. continues on his anti-vaccine warpath
It's time for President Donald Trump, despite his own casual relationship with the truth, to stop putting American lives at risk and get rid of his dangerous quack in chief, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In his latest broadside against science, Kennedy is removing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, the CDC's main advisory body, to ostensibly restore 'public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.' God protect us, as RFK won't. This is how a society becomes undone. Science and reason get stepped on by half-truths and conspiracy theories. Next comes preventable death and disease. The problem is that there is no anti-vaccine side in the legitimate practice of science and medicine. The department's accompanying press release denigrated 'public health ideology' as if the practice of public health wasn't the CDC's only function. Researchers and doctors should be biased in favor of evidence-based therapeutics that save lives. Railing against bias towards vaccines is like a politician condemning researchers biased in favor of seatbelts in cars or keeping lead out of household paint. It's idiotic. We understand that the Make America Healthy Again movement Kennedy leads is all about questioning medical and nutritional practice. On a really abstract level, we are in agreement that no scientific truisms should be entirely above questioning — such a perspective would be anti-science. But there is a specific and long-standing methodology for actually answering those questions, and it is not debate club or who can most incite crowds of followers. It is the scientific method, under which hypotheses can be rigorously tested in ways that are replicable and based on clear and clearly laid out evidence. In that arena — really the only arena that actually matters when it comes to public health — the safety and efficacy of vaccines has been conclusively established. There is no additional discussion necessary or appropriate, particularly when it comes to immunizations that have now been standard-issue for decades and have by all measures radically decreased illness and mortality where they've been successfully deployed. The measles vaccine will always be better for individuals and public health than getting the measles. The same is true for polio, tetanus, COVID and all else. Preying on public skepticism of the pharmaceutical and health industries to hawk alternative approaches that are often unregulated and don't work is damaging it enough. Yet a true believer like RFK is more dangerous, especially now that he stands at the pinnacle of our nation's public health bureaucracy, a position that allows him to substantively impose his own anti-science view on an unsuspecting public and take the choice away from the American people. If RFK's new picks for ACIP — which the secretary falsely promised Sen. Bill Cassidy he wouldn't touch during his confirmation process — step back from recommending various crucial vaccines, this could substantially prevent even those who want to make the informed decision to receive inoculations or have their children vaccinated from being able to do so. As much as Kennedy and his followers emphasize the need for people to be able to make individual choices about their health, they seem hell-bent on taking that choice away entirely, especially given that insurance is not required to cover vaccines that are not CDC-recommended. We wonder what RFK will have to say for himself as once-eradicated diseases begin cutting through the U.S. population again. Is there anything that will get him to veer off this disastrous course? If the answer is no, and we suspect it is, then he must be removed before he can further damage public health. _____
