Karrie Higgins

My name is Karrie Higgins. I’m a writer, Intermedia artist, and disability activist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa — and I need to ask my community for help.

When I wake up in the morning, I’m optimistic about the day ahead, but intention isn’t everything, and I have to see how much I’m really able to do that day.

I live with several serious, interconnected conditions. I have Chiari-Syringomyelia, which causes chronic neurological pain, a gait disorder, and severe headaches. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which has led to an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm that is slowly expanding — every millimeter of growth brings me closer to open-heart surgery. And I have Lynch Syndrome, a genetic mutation that dramatically raises my risk for multiple cancers and requires annual screenings across my entire body. I’ve already had a preventive hysterectomy and mastectomy to reduce that risk.

In spring 2026, with a wetter than normal spring my home had a lot of water penetration into the basement. Mold and mildew exacerbate my conditions. I need to put in a sump pump and have a partial finish in the basement that became water logged to be removed.

I’m not someone who finds asking for help easy. My go-to is to research and figure it out on my own, but what I’m facing is more than I can do alone. Thanks to people like you, I’ve already come further than I could have by myself: two surgeries, physical therapy and neuro-rehab, a wheelchair, a home ramp, and access to pain management care. You made that possible. This next step matters just as much.

My work has always been about bearing witness, and it has received recognition. My writing has been recognized as “notable” by Best American Essays and earned the Schiff Award for Prose. I received an NEA-Iowa Arts Council grant for The Log Project, which uses logs from trees felled by Cedar Rapids’ 2020 Derecho to tell the story of what our community lost and survived. For me, writing and making art provide opportunities to investigate and unpack complex relationships and meanings, engaging with and understanding the world.

I became recognized for advocating for others. Now I’m asking you to advocate for me through shares, comments of support, and, if you are able, a donation in my name to Help Hope Live.

Every donation is handled through Help Hope Live, a verified 501(c)(3). No funds are released without receipts — your gift goes directly to my care, and it is tax-deductible.

If you can give — even a little — it makes a real difference. And if you can share this page, that matters just as much.

Thank you for being here.

Donations will fund healthcare.

Help Hope Live verified Karrie’s medical conditions and needs. No funds are dispersed without a receipt.

For Checks:

Make checks payable to: Help Hope Live
Note in memo section: In honor of Karrie Higgins

Please send to: Help Hope Live
2 Radnor Corporate Center
100 Matsonford Road
Suite 100, Radnor, PA 19087

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your Support!