Karen and Bill Hoppe are shown at their home in Lehigh. Karen has cancer and a quilt has been crafted to raffle off to help her pay high medical bills for a reoccurrence of breast cancer. Photo by Mel Toadvine

A Lehigh Acres woman with reoccurrence of breast cancer will be the recipient of proceeds from a raffle for a specially made quilt in Lehigh, one that is unique and one that has seen a labor of love of more than 40 hours, with many of those hours spent just for embroidering.

Judy Carter-Stephenson has been making quilts for five years and in that time she has managed to make quilts for four grandchildren, her daughter-in-law, her step-daughter, her step son, her husband’s niece and her best friend.

But that’s not all, she has also made quilts or “quilted” a half dozen intricate Christmas tree skirts and has given them away.

But probably the biggest and most important quilt she has ever made is one to be raffled off at the Lehigh Spring Festival with all the proceeds going to help Karen Hoppe, 48, of Lehigh Acres, who doctors have told her that her cancer has reappeared and that she is in Stage 4.

Karen is the wife of Bill Hoppe and both are known throughout the community for all the good they have done for others.

Karen Hoppe explains her second bout with breast cancer within five years. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Her husband, known almost to everyone simply as “Hoppe” can be directly credited for putting the Spring Festival together, physically at least. But he will tell you that it is not he who has done most of the work, but those who help him, but Hoppe is the driving force and every member of the Spring Festival acknowledges it.

Judy Stephenson made a special quilt for the Spring Festival and included as she calls them, “the two heads” which are the official logo of the festival, which begins March 18 and continues to March 26.

It’s called the Lehigh Spring Festival 2011 quilt and is done in pinks and green with a complimentary green backing. After she finished the quilt, she told her husband and Spring Festival board member and Festival Emcee, Danny Stephenson, that she wanted the quilt to go to the Festival Board of Directors and allow them to decide how to best use it to raise money for some special project.

It was a no brainer to members of the board who all have learned that Bill Hoppe’s wife is battling for her life.

Judy said she had met Karen Hoppe through the festival and was elated when she heard that the board had decided to raffle off the quilt with proceeds going to help pay Karen Hoppe’s staggering medical bills.

“The raffle proceeds can’t go to a more deserving individual. Karen and her husband Hoppe do so much for this community that it is an honor to be part of doing something for them for a change,” Judy said.

“They not only spend undo hours at the festival grounds doing set up, maintaining the grounds during the festival and restoring the grounds back to normal after the festival, they also are equally active with the Lehigh Community Services and the Medieval Fair that now is held at Lakes Park, but was held at Veterans Park for a short time.

Tickets for the quilt raffle can be purchased now at Home for All The Holidays or through any of the festival board members and will be sold for a dollar each of six for $5.

Karen Hoppe and her husband, Hoppe, sat down a few days ago and expressed their gratitude for what the Spring Festival is doing for them.

“Yes, we are in financial straits,” Judy Hoppe said. “Having cancer can be very expensive when you don’t have any insurance,” she said. She had just returned from treatment and it was evident she was weak and somewhat tired.

Karen said she had breast cancer once before a few years ago and had had a mastectomy. With no insurance after leaving a job with Lee County, she wasn’t able to completely take all the medications meant to contain the cancer, but her health returned.

But just a few months ago, she has learned that the cancer, she says, has returned with a vengeance and has spread to the bones throughout her body and also has attacked her liver.

Money problems are not uncommon for anyone who faces such a situation and Karen is no exception.

“But we’re getting through; we just are not able to pay these high bills. We really appreciate all the help our friends have given us … it means so much,” Karen said.

A new drug known s Tykerb is being used as a trial basis and Karen and her husband are hoping and praying that it will help in some way.

Tykerb, also known as Lapatinib, is used with capecitabine (Xeloda) to treat a certain type of advanced breast cancer in people who have already been treated with other chemotherapy medications.

But Karen says she is aware that cancer can take her life, but she wants to fight the disease for as long as she can. Karen and Hoppe live on Chemstrand St., just off Milwaukee Blvd., where they are helping to raise their grandchildren. Hoppe also works on web design.

Karen said her meds that she is taking now cost several thousand dollars a month. She said they are getting some help for the drug but when asked, said they were more than $120,000 in debt and don’t how they are going to pay it off.

Her first bout with breast cancer was in 2005 and it was then that they went through much of their savings. But she went off medications costing $750 a month and wonders if that is why it has come back.

In addition to proceeds received for the quilt, those in the community who may want to help Karen Hoppe should contact members of the Spring Festival Committee. Vicki Culver who has tickets for the raffle is one contact for those who want to give.