💛Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Kaytie’s life on Monday, February 24, 2020, at Sandy Run Country Club, 200 East Valley Green Road, Oreland, Pa. A visitation from 9:00 – 11:30 am will be followed by a memorial service from 11:30 – 12:30[...]

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal.

We could not be sadder to let you all know of Kayties passing yesterday afternoon. It was peaceful and she was surrounded by family and friends. She is now out of pain and singing with the angels in heaven.[...]

It's been a long time since we last posted but it has been an extremely difficult and challenging 9 months. A lot has transpired and most times it was too difficult to update and when times were good we were all trying to soak up every minute. [...]

First of all we want to give a long over due Thank you! To each and every person that sends love and support our way. We are so grateful and thankful and we could not have gotten thru this past 6 months without your support.
Now, we are unfortunately requesting a different kind of support. At this time Kaytie has been diagnosed with Acute amyloid Leukemia and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. To our heartbreak and dissapointment, we found out earlier this week that Tim and I, her siblings, are not a match for her transplant. We are reaching out to everyone we know and requesting If you feel so inclined to help in anyway to please go on bethematch.com website and register to get a kit to be tested. It’s a painless and easy mouth swab kit and they even provide a prepaid envelope to return it. If by chance you are a match the donation process is much easier and less invasive than it used to be. There is a great FAQ page on bethematch.com that explains a lot. As always thank you for all the prayers and support❤️ We are always amazed by the kindness and love around us. Keep the light. Xx[...]

Hi Friends and Fam.   

Yesterday I finished my 6th and final day of chemo to treat the leukemia. The effects will continue to act on the cancer cells for the next few days, and then we hope to see my blood cell count rising on its own. I'm exhausted, but not in a lot of pain. They tell me I will really be feeling the effects of the chemo over the next few days before I start to feel better. Overall, the treatments have been going as well as can be expected and my nursing staff, doctors, and family have been nothing short of incredible as a support team. [...]

Hi dear ones,

I've owed you an update for several months and this is was not the one i was hoping to give you. It is with sadness and a heavy heart that I want to inform you that a few days ago I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. What led to all of the testing was (THANK GOD) picking up the flu for a few days, quickly followed by strep throat and an ear infection that was not responding to antibiotics. I felt somewhat better but could not shake the complete exhaustion, which my GP ( reasonably) chalked up to Mono. She ran the normal mono test and due to my history and additionally ran the panel that my oncologist would normally run. This led to a phone call at midnight on Tuesday to get to the Emergency Room ASAP and thus began my journey back to Penn Oncology, although not for the reconstruction that I had been so hopeful to begin this Spring.[...]

Hi team,

It's been a little over a month since my lung surgery and I'm sorry for not filling you in sooner. Surgery itself went well and I was able to come home after just a few days in the hospital. The recovery has been a long and painful one, which they warned me about. I'm still in a bit of discomfort and can't really lift my left arm but more than anything I'm tired. So, so tired. Again, I was told this would be a significant side effect but man oh man, they were not joking.[...]

Hi friends and fam.

Just wanted to a drop a quick note to loop you in a bit. It's been a while since I've written and a lot has happened over the last few weeks.
As some of you know, I’ve been gearing up for my facial reconstruction and working hard (lots of therapy, y'all) to get to a place where I feel like I can emotionally handle what will likely be a pretty intense physical process. Two weeks ago I had a battery of scans and imaging as part of the pre-op planning and it seems we have run into a road block.
The scans are showing 3 nodules on my left lung that, due to size, location and calcification, are rather worrisome. Obviously nothing can officially be determined until the nodules are removed and biopsied so I am doing my best to stay positive. My doctors believe that right now surgery is the solution, regardless of whether or not this is cancer rearing it's head again. They will take them out and we will all be pleasantly surprised if it’s nothing but also be prepared if it is something.
My oncologist feels that if it has indeed metastasized the surgery will likely be enough and chemo will not be be necessary, which is a huge relief (🙌🏼) Regardless, I will begin to get scans every 12 weeks and they will be watching me like a hawk. All of my doctors feel very confident that this is a treatable situation and I take great comfort in that.
Things are moving quickly and I will be having surgery tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10am at Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. The surgery (a walk in the park compared to the others!) is only about 45 minutes long and results in a 5" incision down the back and 3-5 days in the hospital, but the overall recovery is 6 weeks which is pretty significant.
I once again feel like I’m in an alternate universe but also am keenly aware that this could be a much worse situation so I’m grateful they found it and grateful to have amazing doctors that are compassionate and kind and as smart as they come. I also continue to have an incredible support system in my family and friends and have already been bombarded with love and support in just the past 48 hours alone.
Overall, I’m doing ok. I think. Kind of depends on the moment. It's been an insane 2 weeks. Some moments I feel level headed and other moments I feel like I could punch a wall. I'm frustrated and annoyed. I'm TIRED. The kind of tired that leaves me snappy and irritable and weepy and just not the most pleasant person to be around. I'm tired of appointments and scans and bloodwork that leaves me with painful bruises on my arms. I'm tired of the insurance company denying my PET scan because they don't think it's "medically necessary." And I'm already in the process of retaining a healthcare attorney because I've been informed that my facial reconstruction is "elective dental" and therefore will not be covered (can you EVEN?!?!?!). So it kind of feels like I'm fighting a lot and I don't like that. It doesn't resonate with my spirit and I'm trying to find a balance so I'm just doing my best day by day, moment by moment...as we all are.[...]

Wow. 2 years. That sure is hard to believe. The initial diagnosis came more than 3 years ago, but 2 years ago today, after a recurrence of the cancer, I had THE defining surgery that would alter my life in ways I never could have imagined. It has been two years of struggle, joy, deep grief, courage, humility and a plethora of feelings I have yet to put a name to but I can feel swirling around my chest as I write this. I’m writing you from a rehearsal room at Carnegie Hall during a break as I prepare with my choir to sing with the New York Pops for their famous holiday concert. It’s snowing out. It’s Carnegie Hall. We’re singing Christmas music. It’s perfect. I walked through the stage door at 1:00 this afternoon and two years ago I was wheeled into the OR at 1:30 for a 10 hour surgery. Crazy. I don’t mean to dwell but I have found it really important to acknowledge anniversaries and all of the feelings, both joyful and difficult, that come along with that.[...]

Hey there, Tribe. 

Well, I'm not going to make this very long but I wanted to let you know that tomorrow I'm heading into a rather unexpected surgery and even though I am confident it will all be fine it is nonetheless a significant procedure. I have an infection under the titanium plates in my face and they need to be removed. Remember how they put my leg in my face? It's being held in there with nuts and bolts and plates. This was all done to keep the leg bone in place so it would grow into what was left of my jaw and that has happened, so that's good news. Technically the plates do their job but are just left in there unless a problem arises, in which case they are removed.  So that's what's happening tomorrow morning around 7 am. I'm pretty sick to my stomach about this and haven't slept very much but I know I'm in good hands. [...]