Hey, I’m Kristin, Katelynn’s Aunt. I started this LFEBridge to help Katelynn and her family with everyday expenses as she fights her ongoing battle with brain cancer. Because of Katelynn's state of health, inability to drive, numerous doctors’ appointments and upcoming inpatient chemotherapy treatments, Josh has become the caretaker for their family. Thankfully, Katelynn's insurance covers her medical costs, but with Josh unable to work, they are relying on their savings and help from family and friends to pay for everyday expenses. Katelynn has also applied for disability but was denied and is in the process of re-applying. If you feel led, I know they would appreciate your support! And for those of you who have already donated, please know you are so appreciated! Here is Katelynn's story. If you didn’t believe in miracles before, you will now! October 2017: Katelynn and her partner, Josh, have been together for over 10 years. They are the parents of 2 beautiful children – Jaelynn (9) and Kash (2). In October 2017, Katelynn was diagnosed with what was thought to be a benign meningioma. She underwent stereotactic radiosurgery to shrink the tumor and inhibit its growth. Despite this aggressive treatment, Katelynn continued to have issues resulting from the tumor pressing on several cranial nerves including severe facial nerve pain, permanent double vision, loss of control of eye movement, eyelid ptosis (drooping), and eventually the inability to open her eye. For the next several years, Katelynn sought advice from several doctors – she was seen at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL, Emory in Atlanta, GA and Semmes Murphey in Memphis, TN. Each physician told her the same thing – because of the dangerous location of the tumor and it being entangled around her carotid artery and several cranial nerves, the risks of a stroke that could cause paralysis and even death were too high. Surgery was not an option. Katelynn was followed by a neuro-ophthalmologist and had regular imaging done to monitor the progression of her tumor. In 2024, an MRI showed that her tumor had doubled in size from the previous scan. Still, because of the risks of surgery, it wasn’t safe to operate. September 2024 – December 2024 In September 2024, Katelynn contracted COVID and during her illness, she lost complete vision in her left eye and continued to suffer from severe facial nerve pain. She had repeat imaging that showed her tumor had again aggressively grown in size. Now, surgery was the ONLY option. The surgeon did not feel that the entire tumor could be safely removed so the plan was to debulk the tumor and remove as much as they could. They would also perform a biopsy to confirm that the tumor was benign. In October 2024, Katelynn had a craniotomy and the surgeons were able to remove about 50% of her tumor. The operation took several hours. Her family waited several more hours before they were allowed to see her. She wasn’t recovering from her anesthesia so she was rushed back for a stat MRI which revealed she had suffered a stroke. It would take Katelynn several weeks to recover. In November 2024, Katelynn met with the doctors for her follow-up appointment. They set up an appointment for January 2024 to have an MRI and to go over the pathology results. January 2024: In January 2024, Katelynn received devastating news. What was thought to be a benign tumor was mesenchymal chondrosarcoma – a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. The once inoperable benign tumor where complete removal was not an option was actually an aggressive, malignant tumor with complete removal as the only option for her survival. Over the next couple of months, Katelynn would meet with a team of surgeons – a neurosurgeon, a cerebral vascular neurosurgeon, a neuro-ophthalmologist, and an otolaryngologist (ENT). She would also have a PET scan to determine if the cancer had spread to other areas in her body. Through prayers and the grace of God, her scans came back clear! Katelynn’s team of surgeons met to come up with a plan and scheduled her surgery for March 7. At her pre-op appointment, she had another MRI to check the progress and location of her tumor. The MRI revealed that in the past 2 months, the tumor had grown, spreading to the right side of her face. Because of this, the surgeons had to change their approach as the surgery would be even more complicated than they initially thought. Her surgery would be split into two operations. March 2024 Her first surgery was on March 7th. It was a 9-hour-long case with surgeons from 5 different specialties. During this procedure, the team of doctors went through her nose to remove a portion of the tumor and her left eye. She did very well! The second part of her surgery was on March 9th. Again, she would have surgeons from 5 different specialties. This surgery was FOURTEEN hours long. Surgeons performed a second craniotomy. Her carotid artery was removed and they were able to do a complete removal of the tumor! They did a tissue transfer from her thigh to her brain to keep cerebral spinal fluid from leaking. Her room had to be kept at 85 degrees for the tissue to remain healthy. Unfortunately, she suffered another stroke during her surgery which has led to a difficult recovery. With that said, words can't even describe how grateful we are that she survived this incredible surgery! Katelynn remained in the hospital for 3 weeks, where she spent her 30th birthday, and transferred to an inpatient rehab facility where she was thankfully able to gain back most of her strength. Katelynn continues to have trouble with her speech, chewing, and numbness in her mouth. While at home, she received speech, occupational and physical therapy. After being home for 3 days, Katelynn had a seizure. She was evaluated and given medication to help control her seizures. She has had a total of four seizures but hopes to be able to discontinue the medication when she has been seizure free for 2 years. She continues to have facial nerve pain which is being treated with gabapentin. Katelynn met with doctors to determine what the next steps would be. She knew that radiation and chemotherapy were possible treatments she would need, but hoped and prayed she would not. Unfortunately, she found out that she would undergo 6 weeks of intense radiation followed by 6 months of inpatient chemotherapy that will require her to be hospitalized for 1 week out of each of the 6 months. Katelynn and her family rented an Airbnb so that they could be close to the hospital where she would receive daily radiation. She endured some harsh side effects from her radiation including nausea, trouble sleeping, ear and nose bleeds, hair loss, fatigue, and severe pain and swelling to her face. She is relieved to have completed her radiation and “rang the bell” on Friday, July 14th. July 2024: Katelynn and her family recently moved home to Georgia where she will receive her chemotherapy beginning this September. Needless to say, she is thrilled that she will be surrounded by her family and friends. She has a tough road ahead but with your prayers and the grace of God, she will persevere. Six months after completing her chemo, Katelynn will be a candidate for a prosthetic eye. She is very anxious to get past this time in her life and to live life to the fullest. She is so thankful for every one of her doctors, nurses, Father Phillip, Father Gabriel and her entire support system. Katelynn gives all glory to God. Katelynn feels extremely blessed to have support from friends, family, and people she has never met. We know that you have been praying for her and through your prayers and God’s great mercy, Katelynn survived an incredibly difficult and complicated surgery. Please feel free to share with others that might be inspired by Katelynn’s story which, mercifully, is TO BE CONTINUED… Katelynn has her appointment with Oncology at the end of this month. I will keep everyone updated.
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