Hello, my name is Katherine. I’m a 50-year-old woman living in Brooklyn, New York, and while I’ve always tried to be the one who keeps going — with a smile on my face and hope in my heart — life has humbled me more than I ever expected in the past few years.
I’ve been through a divorce and a couple of heartbreaking breakups that left me questioning not just love, but myself. On top of that, I’ve dealt with lingering medical complications from a surgery I had years ago — complications that led to ongoing inflammation, pain, and recently, a revision surgery. I’m doing my best to heal, both physically and emotionally, but truthfully, it’s been hard. My optimism still shows up, but lately, it’s been running on fumes.
What I need now isn’t luxury. It’s not escape in the superficial sense. What I need is a reset — a chance to breathe again, to listen to my heart without the noise of daily survival. And for me, that reset looks like walking the Camino de Santiago — a pilgrimage across Spain that stretches over 500 miles. I’ve done a small section before, just a week, and even that short time brought me moments of clarity and peace I hadn’t felt in years.
Now, I’m longing to walk the entire route — a 5-to-6-week journey, one step at a time, toward healing, presence, and personal transformation.
The only thing standing in my way is the cost.
I’m currently managing personal debt — debt that this fundraiser will not go toward. I will continue to handle that responsibility on my own, slowly and steadily, from my own resources. But because of that, I simply can’t afford to fund this journey myself right now, and asking for help — especially from people who don’t even know me — is not something I take lightly.
This fundraiser is solely to help cover the costs of this pilgrimage: airfare, modest accommodations, meals, and necessary travel insurance. Nothing extravagant — just the essentials to make this deeply spiritual and personal journey possible.
If you feel moved to donate, please know I would carry your kindness with me every step of the way. And if you’d like, I’d be honored to carry your prayer, your wish, your hope — and leave it along the Camino in a sacred spot. It would mean the world to me to walk not just for myself, but for others too.
Sometimes, the strongest thing we can do is admit we need help. This is me doing that — not because I’ve given up, but because I believe in second chances, in starting fresh, in the healing power of walking toward something meaningful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for seeing me. And thank you, from the deepest part of my heart, for any way you might choose to support this journey — through a donation, a share, or simply holding a good thought for me.
With all my gratitude,
Katherine
#healingjourney
