Please help Kathy's family with funeral expenses.

My name is Molly (Fjetland) Rogue, for those who don't know me, I grew up with the Juutilainen kids and we shared a back yard in Lino Lakes. Kathy is an amazing mom, grandma, aunt, sister, cousin and friend to so many. She is the glue to their family and she is loved by all.

I want to help raise money for Kathy and the family as they have been going through this terrible time. If you have been following Kathy's story over this last week, you will see much of this on the Caring Bridge site the family has created and that Jack has been graciously been updating.

Below is from https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kathyjuutilainen

Where do I begin?

I never thought that I would be creating a caring bridge, or that this would come to this. Our mom, Kathy, who like most people are the glue that holds their family together. Mom was diagnosed many years ago with COPD due to many years of smoking. (The thing to do, back in the day.) Around 2015, mom was given the chance of life, and was considered to be a recipient on the transplant list for a double lung transplant.

Unfortunately, not long after she was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Thankfully, she underwent a full removal of her bladder, and configured a new bladder pouch, by using 2 feet of her large intestine. This then booted her off of the list, due to her having cancer, and needing to be in remission for 5 years.

During the time of her recovery, our father, and her husband began to decline in health as well. She became his caregiver, and in through sickness and in health took care of him all the way to the end, when he passed in March of ‘21.

A new life began, and mom took this time to focus on her own health. Going through endless amounts of testing, poking, bruising… you name it. She was put on and off of the recipient list multiple times due to infections and other complications like being diagnosed with CVID. A low immunoglobulin deficiency, making her risk of infections high after a transplant. After much consideration, despite this, on May 18, they placed her back on the list.

We did not anticipate a call for a donor so quick, as many wait years. Monday, May 22nd at 6:00 am we received the best call anyone can receive. The gift of life. With surgery scheduled for midnight.

We packed a bag and headed to the University of Minnesota, where this would be taking place. After waiting anxiously, and not hearing anything, the transplant coordinator called that night around 10pm. Surgery would take place the following afternoon due to a delay, to which the could not tell why.

Understanding, we remained hopeful. Mom even said over and over again, “Holy shit, I think this is actually going to happen.”