When Karen arrived at the Quest for Life Centre, she had no idea that the support and healing she received would empower her to give so much more in return. After decades of navigating illness, loss, and exhaustion, she found at Quest not only a sanctuary for her spirit, but a springboard for the powerful healing work she continues to do for others. 🌿
“I was at my knees”
Karen arrived at her first Quest for Life program in a state of profound depletion. It was shortly after her second diagnosis of gallbladder cancer—an incurable, terminal form of cholangiocarcinoma. “I’d just come off 15 months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy,” she shares. “I was exhausted from treatment, from grief, from losing the people I mentored, and from the finalisation of my 30-year marriage.”
She had hit rock bottom, navigating grief, illness, and burnout with little support. “I was broken,” she says. “I was scared but still hopeful.”
A gift of sanctuary
Karen’s place at Quest was gifted to her by Rare Cancers Australia—one of only two spots they fund per year. Though a natural giver, Karen chose for once to receive. “It was like a big cuddle,” she recalls. “Normally I’d say no. But I thought—no, I need this. I want this.”
“I’ve learnt to feed myself first, rather than feed others first… I deserve support, and I will be asking for it.”
Despite decades of managing health challenges and supporting others, Karen found herself at a threshold—a “liminal space”, as she puts it—between who she had been and who she might yet become.
Singing, stories, and self-discovery
What she found at Quest was more than she ever imagined.
“The singing really moved me,” she reflects. “And Petrea’s story was so similar to mine. It gave me faith and hope for a bright future.” But it was the authenticity and courage of the facilitators that stayed with her most: “They shared their own wounds. It was a place of collective healing, not a hierarchy. That changed me.”
“Quest was a safe space of collective and individual healing… not a hierarchy—just people walking the journey together.”
Karen embraced the tools and techniques offered—many of which she was familiar with, having studied postgraduate counselling herself—but at Quest, she didn’t have to be the helper. “It was my turn to be helped,” she says. “To rest. To reset. To remember who I was before all the trauma.” 💖
“I stepped into the woman I was always meant to be”
By the end of the program, Karen felt different—empowered, focused, and calm. “I didn’t get to live before because I was always ill,” she says. “Quest helped me step back into the woman I was always meant to be. I walked out excited about who I was becoming.”
“I’ll accept what’s on offer, but I’ll also turn up for myself every day in between now and then—and live life every moment.”
She left with more than memories—she left with new friendships, a sense of community, and a renewed commitment to self-care. Since the program, she’s implemented everything from technology boundaries to gentle exercise to daily rituals for wellbeing. “I even started doing Parkrun every Saturday. I’m also in training for the City2Surf!”
A ripple effect of healing
Karen’s transformation didn’t stop with her. The woman who once struggled to ask for help now runs cancer survivorship programs, writes a column on cancer and wellbeing, and speaks on national and international platforms and is the face of a GI Cancer campaign. She’s personally raised over $22,500 for cancer research and will be jumping out of a plane with a fellow advocate to raise more funds!
“I’m not just surviving,” she says. “I’m elevating everything I touch.”
Karen is a passionate cancer advocate for the GI Cancer Institute, Rare Cancer Australia, a support volunteer and committee member at Royal North Shore Hospital and Hornsby Relay for Life-NSW Cancer Council and is the founder of her own initiatives including Socks4Cancer, The Cholangio Queen and Karen Humphries Elevation Mentor. She’s also writing a book, Chronic Wisdom: The 7 Key Wisdoms That Changed My Life—a memoir and toolkit forged from her lived experience of illness, near-death, healing, and resilience.
“Someone gifted me that experience—and I’m now helping thousands”
Karen’s story illustrates the profound ripple effect of a single act of generosity. “Someone donated so I could attend Quest,” she says. “And because of that, I was able to walk through a door into a new life. That healing has flowed on to thousands—maybe hundreds of thousands—through my advocacy, my mentoring, and my writing.”
Every person who donates to Quest is not just supporting an individual—they are kindling a spark of transformation that spreads out through families, communities, and across the country.
When asked what she would say to someone considering Quest, Karen’s response is simple: “Just go. Be open. You might surprise yourself with who you become.”
And to those who support programs like Quest? “You are saving lives. You saved mine. And I’m saving others now because of it.”
Help transform more lives like Karen’s
Karen’s healing became her calling. Your donation can make that kind of impact for someone else—someone who may be on their knees today, ready to find hope and healing at Quest. Give before June 30 to support our End-of-Financial-Year Appeal and help more people walk into the life they were always meant to live.
The Quest for Life Foundation is a registered charity with the ACNC. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible. Please join us in giving the gift of hope, strength, and healing:
- 📞 Call us on 1300 941 488
- 💳 Direct Debit Remit to: National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB)
BSB: 082476 Account: 573751856 Account name: Quest for Life Foundation
* Please include your name as reference and contact us so we can issue a tax-deductible receipt - 🌐 Online here.
By supporting Quest for Life, you can help people like Karen embrace their true potential and navigate life’s challenges with courage and confidence. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and empower individuals to live their lives to the fullest. 🌈
Warmest regards and gratitude,
Petrea King
CEO & Founder
