Help support Cat’s road to recovery

As many of you know my sister Catherine has been sick for many years. She’s had an ongoing battle with ulcerative colitis since she was 21, she is now 33. If you are unfamiliar with ulcerative colitis, it is an auto-immune disease in which ones own body persistently attacks the lining of its large intestine or colon, causing terrible pain and internal bleeding. If left untreated, the condition can lead to tissue necrosis (tissue decay) and life threatening intestinal wall perforation. Most people with ulcerative colitis respond favorably to the usual, more conservative treatments. Cat’s case is severe enough that no treatment has been fully effective, leaving her to suffer from increasingly frequent, intense pain and internal bleeding. Consequently, the disease has altered her quality of life, and more significantly in the last year. She continues to work through the pain, fatigue, and emotional distress the disease has caused her. Cat has exhausted all of her treatment options and has elected to undergo a total colectomy (removal of the large intestine). Due to Cat’s current physical condition, three surgeries will be required to complete the process of removal and reconstruction of the bowel, done from a portion of the small intestine. The procedures are to span over approximately 9 months, if all goes well. Hospitalization, treatments and procedures are costly and not completely covered by insurance. 

My sister is an amazing person, who puts her family and friends above herself in spite of her illness. Many of you worked with her, went to school with her, or participated in sports together. Cat would never reach out and ask for assistance, and friends and family have asked how they can help. I have started this GoFundMe to give friends and family the opprotunity to do so.  Not only does my sister need assistance, but the support of family and friends as she undergoes surgery at OHSU. Whether you're family, friend or feel like paying it forward, please consider donating to my sister’s GoFundMe. The smallest amount will make a difference in alleviating the financial burden this has continued to cause her. If the surgeries go as planned, she will be able to live the life she forgot existed.




To learn more about Ulcerative Colitis visit www.ccfa.org




Help support Cat’s road to recovery.