Karina Zeviani came close to dying in January.
She wants people to know that – and she needs their help.
The Brazilian singer, who appeared on The Voice Brasil in 2020, has spent two years fighting liver cancer.
In April, a liver biopsy complication caused internal bleeding that required emergency surgery.
She was hospitalised for more than three weeks. She left unable to stand without assistance.
“Not long ago I really had a very serious systemic crisis, in which I came very close to losing my life,” she told her followers.
“I am very grateful to be alive.”
A body under siege
The physical toll has been severe. Karina’s weight has swung between 82kg – driven by swelling – and 54kg following significant muscle loss.
She is now on a new chemotherapy protocol, described by her doctors as a fresh attempt to bring the disease under control after it worsened sharply at the start of the year.
She remains, by her own description, fragile. Recovery is ongoing and slow.
Her treatment demands are considerable: regular appointments with an oncologist, nutrologist, oncology nutritionist and psychiatrist, plus sessions with a personal trainer and therapist.
She travels over 300 miles to São Paulo for treatment. Monthly costs average around £1,176.
‘It’s not a scam’
Karina has launched a crowdfunding appeal to cover those costs – medication, chemotherapy support drugs, specialist nutrition formula, vitamins and supplements – and felt compelled to address scepticism directly.
“It’s not a scam,” she told followers. “I am really going through this.”
Her family manages the finances, with a full breakdown of expenses available to anyone who looks.
The crowdfunding link is pinned to her Instagram.
She is not asking for sympathy. “I am very willing and ready to overcome this disease,” she said.
“I already consider myself a winner.”
Who Karina is
Before illness, she had a career that took her far.
She opened shows for Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and performed as a vocalist for US duo Thievery Corporation.
On The Voice Brasil, she turned heads in the blind auditions with her performance of Sonhos, joining coach Carlinhos Brown’s team before being eliminated in the battle rounds.
Why it matters
Karina’s situation puts a sharp point on something the creator economy often skirts around: for artists without institutional backing or private healthcare, a serious illness doesn’t just threaten your life – it threatens everything you’ve built.
Crowdfunding medical costs has become increasingly common among independent musicians and creators, particularly in countries where specialist cancer treatment carries steep out-of-pocket expenses.
The visibility that comes from a television profile helps.
It shouldn’t be the thing that determines whether someone can afford to stay alive.
Watch for updates on her recovery via her Instagram, where she has been documenting the process with considerable openness and courage.
