Hey gang o' mine, I hope this finds you all well and that you had a wonderful holiday surrounded by loved ones. Our holiday did not look the way we had imagined it, but it was most definitely filled with love and that's really all that matters as far as I'm concerned. Surgery on 12/15 went well and we just received word yesterday from the surgeon that the pathology results are back and there are healthy margins around the tumor which is SPECTACULAR news! We still don't know exactly what that means as far as further treatment goes, but the fact that they got everything out is a huge relief. We will find out more about the next course of treatment over the next few weeks. The results of the surgery have left us optimistic about my appearance, as well. I think that everyone that has seen me would agree that I look significantly better then expected. I guess an entire bone from my leg (and10 hours) gave my magician of a plastic surgeon all that he needed to completely re-create my upper jaw. There will be quite a few surgeries ahead but the ground work has been done and I am grateful and relieved. There is still lots of swelling and 2 incisions on my face that need to heal (as well as an incision that runs knee to ankle on my left leg) but I am feeling really good about the direction we're heading. I was able to come home on 12/23 after 8 days in the hospital (which involved a struggle to manage pain, a difficult tracheotomy, precious nurses, a room with a stunning view of Philly and strands of white twinkle lights, Christmas music and an extra bed where I was lucky enough to find a loved one every single night). It has been a challenge, but Nurse Nancy Pants (NNP) and I are finally settling into a schedule here at home. We have a hospital bed set up downstairs and are managing the feeding tube and meds every few hours. The first few days we were like Lucy and Ethel in the chocolate factory but we have found our way with the support of each other and others, especially my sister (who has been an absolute rockstar from day 1). Ok, im about to crash so I will sign off. Thank you for your cards, gifts, meal trains, jokes and funny you tube videos. You continue to support me in ways I never could have imagined. Happy New Year to all. Xoxo, Kaytie

Hello, this is Kaytie's sister Colleen, and mother Nancy. After a very long 10 hour surgery yesterday, both surgeons felt the surgery went as well as possible. With the common issues of pain and nausea now more under control, she's on the road to recovery. Today she had physical therapy ( my favorite😉) and got out of bed and up in a chair for an hour. There are lots of tubes and lines to manage and they are monitoring the skin and bone graft very closely this week to assure success. We are all very greatful for such an amazing medical team and for the continuous outpouring of love and support from so many. We couldn't do it without you! This is going to be a long recovery so keep it coming! Xoxo C & NNP ( nurse nancy pants)

Hi friends,

I want to let you all know that I had surgery last week to biopsy a tumor growth in my mouth that I felt the day before Thanksgiving (and literally EXACTLY a year to the day of my first surgery, which is totally insane).  The results confirmed a recurrence of the cancer and I will be going into surgery tomorrow morning to remove another tumor in the maxilla. My head surgeon will be removing the other half of my upper jaw and some bone that supports the nose, so I will only have one molar left on either side. The plastic surgeon will then jump in and remove the fibula bone from my leg and from that reconstruct the jaw (I don't fully understand how, but I know titanium plates will somehow connect it to my cheek bones and they will eventually grow together). There is a chance of a facial deformity due to the removal of the bone under the nose, but hopefully they can fix that somewhere down the line. The entire surgery will take about 10 hours and I will be at HUP (Hosp of the Univ. of Penn) for 6-7 days. I'll have a feeding tube for a little while and God knows what else is involved that I don't even know about.[...]