Stage Actress Karen Walsh, Who Used Her Creativity to Help Fight Cancer, Passes Away

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Karen Walsh Rullman, actress, colon cancer advocate, wife and mother, has passed away after a fight against cancer.

"We will always remember Karen's rockstar, vibrant self--coaxing friends to a show, calling her loved ones to share funny stories, riding her bike along the Hudson, picking up her kids at school, and inspiring others to live life with joy and zest," reads a tribute on Karen's YouCaring page.

(Note: What follows is an edited version of the full statement.)

In September 2015, Karen, wife to Todd and mother of Zoe and Tate, was diagnosed with inoperable Stage IV colon cancer, just one week after her 40th birthday. When Karen learned this life-changing news, she was in the midst of producing her second Broadway benefit for the American Cancer Society. Karen continued with the benefit, raising thousands of dollars for cancer research just six weeks after receiving her own diagnosis.

Soon after, Karen turned lemons into lemonade by transforming her bi-weekly chemo treatments into hilarious, creative photo shoots. She invited family, friends, and fellow actors to recreate movie scenes, such as Star Wars and Forrest Gump. When her circle started sharing these jaw-droppingly inspirational images, she began to receive a flood of comments from strangers who were heartened by her joie de vivre in the face of cancer. The images are documented on Instagram, @kwrandthebigwin.

Her approach to chemo caught the attention of media outlets all over the world, including the Huffington Post, Playbill, Daily Mail, and Cosmopolitan.

Karen explained to a journalist: "You have to find forward motion, to have hope, empowerment, something, something that lifts us in some way because this is a fight."

During her hardest moments, Karen's energy, creativity, and drive to help others was been nothing short of inspirational. As American Cancer Society's 80/20 Ambassador, she attended countless events to help raise awareness and ensure that 80% of the eligible population is screened by 2020. Last October, the ACS honored her with their Mother of the Year award. At Karen's urging, several friends and family members got early screenings that detected pre-cancerous polyps, which could have turned into cancer.

In these last months, Karen hit some significant bumps in the road that required surgery and extended hospital stays, incurring significant expenses. Insurance did not come close to covering the cost of quality care that Karen needed. To help Karen's family cover the substantial medical costs incurred during her battle against cancer, along with the childcare and other related costs that are essential to raising Zoe and Tate, click here.

Karen last appeared on Broadway as an understudy for HEISENBERG. Before that, she appeared in Broadway's MACHINAL, THE ROAD TO MECCA, OTHER DESERT CITIES, ACCENT ON YOUTH, PYGMALION and PRELUDE TO A KISS. She also took the stage Off-Broadway in SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER.