ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando police are hosting a fundraiser cookout on Friday to send an officer who has been fighting breast cancer for 4 years to Germany for experimental treatment.
Officer Karen Long's life changed forever in 2007. At the age of 33 she was blindsided by a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis. Long has had a double mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. But after almost five years of being in remission, the cancer has returned even more aggressively than before.
Since the diagnosis, Orlando Police Department has supported Long with various fundraisers.
"I was kind of overwhelmed at the support," Long told Local 6 in October 2011. "There is no way I will ever be able to repay it," Long said.
Now those officers are stepping in again to raise money to send Long to Germany for an experimental treatment. It's not FDA approved yet but she said she can't afford to wait. Now she just needs help to get there.
Friday's cookout started at 10:30 a.m. and runs through 1 p.m at the Orlando Police Department headquarters at 100 South Hughey Avenue.
Long said she appreciates the support of her community and her coworkers.
"If you look around you can see why I have a smile on my face," she said. "It's because I have the support of family, friends and all my coworkers."