ALS Care Fund for Katie

Hi, my name is Rachel Anderson and I’m setting up a Go-Fund-Me for my friend Katie Berghoef.

For those of you who don’t know Katie (39), she has been a positive ray of sunshine in the Lowell community for a long time. Through her tenure at the Flat River Grill and Main Street Barbeque, she has connected with people in Lowell in a way not many of us are able to in our daily lives.

Katie is a full-time single mom with two amazing kids: Mason and Madison (Maddie), who are both in high school. Katie’s life centers around her kids and she’s constantly running them to and from sports, friends’ houses, or to whatever other activities they’re involved in at the moment. The thing is, I can honestly say she loves it. So many times, she is bragging to me about her kids’ achievements or how big of a bass Mason caught.

In July, Katie was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Katie began experiencing weakness in her left hand in May and after scheduling visits with doctors and specialists, she received the most devastating news of having a diagnosis of ALS. As you can imagine, an ALS prognosis is a difficult one for anyone to embrace. The average life expectancy from this diagnosis is three to five years, with rapidly deteriorating motor neurons causing severe muscle atrophy, loss of speech, compromised ability to eat without intervention and ultimately death due to severely compromised ability to breathe without assistance. Aside from two minimally effective drugs (Riluzole and Edaravone), there are no treatments for this disease. Many clinical trials and studies are happening, but the most significant challenge faced in finding new treatments and therapies, outside of getting them approved by governmental organizations, is the speed at which the disease progresses. Oftentimes trial participants do not survive long enough to signal meaningful data on the efficacy of treatments.

Because of this, our community, friends, and family have chosen to rally behind Katie and her children by providing support financially via a Go-Fund-Me account. ALS is an expensive disease due to the level of care that is needed.

The initial focus is to get Katie’s house modified to accommodate her new reality and help her live as independently as she can for as long as she can. The bathroom in their home needs to be remodeled / expanded to fit a motorized wheelchair and lift. A ramp needs to be added to the front of the house to allow access. Throughout the house, railings, grab bars, and wheelchair friendly flooring need to be installed. Aside from the medications she needs and the ongoing therapy to relieve muscle cramping, she will eventually need an electric bed, motorized wheelchair, feeding tube surgery, and 24/7 care from nursing staff. Medical expenses aside, there are still the necessities that go with raising 2 teenagers: house payments, utility bills, food, clothes, other miscellaneous expenses still need to be covered.

We’re thankful for any amount you’re able to donate to help keep her comfortable and the kids supported throughout this illness.

I would also invite you to visit Katie’s Caring Bridge page, which goes beyond the financial needs and keeps you up to date on other ways you can help.

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katieberghoef

One additional request from you is to attend her care fundraiser at Main Street Barbeque on October 24. Proceeds of any purchased food will go straight to Katie’s ALS care fund. There will also be a silent auction, games, and other activities planned to help raise money for Katie’s care. Please mark your calendars, and if you have any items or services you would like to donate for this event or the silent auction, please contact Main Street Barbeque and ask for Erin.