Katie | "Angel" Jessica
| Gretchen
Katie's Story
written by mom Michele
Katie was born on May 25th, 1994 but we were lucky enough to actually become
her parents on October 11th, 1996. Katie was adopted and it was the happiest
day of all of our lives when she moved in. She was a happy, healthy toddler
and we spent the next three years just enjoying our new family.
In August 1999, Katie developed several symptoms including fatigue, weight
loss, huge fevers, and a strange limp. On October 1st, 1999, Katie was
diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. She had a large tumor in her abdomen
that was wrapping around her spine and aorta. She had metastasis in all
of her long bones, and her bone marrow was completely filled with cancer.
She was a very, very sick little girl.
Katie began chemotherapy immediately and it actually improved her life.
The tumor started to shrink, and she felt more like herself. After three rounds
of chemo, her tumor had shrunk by 60% and her bone marrow was completely clear. She had another round of chemo, then her stem cells were taken to
preserve for her later transplant. She had surgery in January 2000 to remove the tumor, her right adrenal gland, and several lymph nodes. Katie
developed pneumonia after surgery and lost the use of half of her right kidney, but eventually recovered and headed for more chemo and radiation.
In March 2000, Katie had an Autologous stem cell transplant. She spent
almost 30 days in the hospital, and then dealt with somnolence syndrome
(she slept all the time!) for most of that summer. She also began taking
accutane - the last part of her treatment.
Katie began back to school in August 2000 in first grade, without skipping
a beat. We were able to take a trip to Hawaii in December 2000 with the
Make-A-Wish Foundation, and it was great. Katie consistently tested
clean for cancer since she finished treatment in December 2000, something
that made us all very happy. In August 2001, Katie started second grade,
her hair and her energy were back, and best of all - she got a brand new
sister. Erika moved in with us in May 2001, and also through the incredible
experience of adoption.
On February 22nd, 2006, Katie came home and complained that her arm hurt. It
was very strange. She has been completely healthy, in fact, wonderfully so -
and she never complains. Three weeks later the diagnosis was confirmed –
relapsed Neuroblastoma. She had a small tumor in her right lower arm, and
some bone marrow disease.
For much of 2006, she received chemotherapy at our home hospital, then she
began an experimental chemotherapy at the NIH (National Institutes of
Health) in Bethesda, MD. Her cancer was the easy part to deal with. She had
many infections, pneumonia, and problems during this time, but around
Christmas 2006, things started to even out and she was doing fantastically
well.
In February 2007, we believe Katie has progressed again with more tumors in
her armpit (lymph nodes) and a new spot on her skull. Still, she has a zest
for life that few people without cancer have. We are looking for another
treatment option, but know that God will guide us to what will be right for
Katie and our family.
Katie has inspired many people, most of all her parents, to enjoy life. She
is truly a gift from God.
Abilities:
See: Yes.
Hear: Yes.
Talk: Yes.
Walk: Yes.
Read: Yes.
Use hands: Yes.
Siblings:
sister Erika, age 10
Child's Interests:
Katie loves to read, do crafts, watch TV; she loves WWF wrestling,
playing outside, dancing and singing, and the color BLUE.
Sibling's Interests:
Erika adores puzzles, reading, and playing outside. She is very active, and
what she loves most is her sister.
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