LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — A community is coming together to grieve a Columbine shooting survivor who passed away following a 10-year battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. According to her friends, who started a GoFundMe for her husband, 40-year-old Karissa Rund died on March 3.
Along with her battle with cancer and surviving the Columbine High School mass shooting, Rund was also a war widow. Her high school sweetheart, whom she had married, was killed in action.
Sarah Beth Buck of Littleton, Colorado, said Karissa was a super survivor, and she inspired all who knew her with her courage and unshakable belief in God and in bringing light to dark places.
“It wasn’t something that was ever pridefully spoken about, but she knew the power of her story,” Buck said. “So, she used it. She used it to relate with people, to encourage people to sit in their own suffering and say, ‘I’ve been there, I know what that feels like.'”
She then got engaged to Doug Rund, who was also her former husband’s brother, and it was during that time that she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Doug was Karissa’s rock and was always by her side, caring for her with unwavering devotion, according to friends.
“I think one of the most beautiful stories of Karissa in the last several years that we got to witness was the relationship between Karissa and Doug, just how tender he was to her,” Buck said.
Kellie Miller, who got to know Karissa through their church, said in those final days, he never left her side.
“Doug is just a magnificent human being,” Miller said. “He remained positive, but also, like, dignified her in making her medical decisions. Never once, like, forced her to do anything that she didn’t want to do.”
As Karissa became sicker, her love for people and desire to help only grew stronger as she became an end-of-life doula to other people in the hospital.
“She was so sick when she started to pursue this, but was so passionate about walking end of life with other people, even while she was walking her own end of life,” Buck said.
Her passion and care for others came eventually to the forefront when she showed concern for Doug, hoping he would be cared for after she was gone.
“She intentionally cushioned Doug with, really, our community, our friend group, and we just assured her over and over and over again, Doug is never going to be alone,” Miller said.
Never could Karrisa have imagined then the community that has come forth to rally around Doug and provide him help, love, and support following her death.
Through the fundraiser, Buck and Miller said the goal is to provide support to Doug, but also to share the light and life to more people across Colorado that Karissa shared with those around her. All funds raised will go to Doug to help with the cost of funeral expenses and end-of-life costs.
The death toll in the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School recently rose following the death of Anne Marie Hochhalter, who suffered two gunshot wounds during the massacre. Hochhalter had been in a wheelchair for 25 years since the shooting, and the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office reported that she had died of “sepsis due to Streptococcus pyogenes.”
“Complications of paraplegia due to two remote gunshot wounds are a significant contributing factor,” the report stated. “The manner of death is best classified as homicide.”
Hochhalter’s family previously said that they suspected she died of natural causes stemming from her injuries in the shooting.
A dozen students and a teacher were killed by two seniors who then killed themselves at Columbine. More than 20 other students were injured by the gunfire.