Help Kati Get Needed Targeted Cancer Treatments

Hi, I’m Todd. My wife, Kati, and I enjoy nature photography. Every time we’re out with our cameras we’re looking for that rare photo of one of God’s creatures doing something unique. In 2019 we found out that “rare” isn’t always something desirable.

 

In June of that year, Kati was diagnosed with angiosarcoma. It’s a rare and aggressive cancer that was a highly uncommon side effect of the radiation therapy she had for previous breast cancer. How rare is it? According to her oncologist, who specializes in sarcomas, only 7 to 9 people a year are diagnosed with it in the U.S.

 

Because so few people get the disease, not much research has been done on it and the list of medically approved treatments is short. The first and best option was surgery, and Kati had two major surgeries to try to remove it all. Afterwards her oncologist kept an eye on things through CT scans. For 8 months all was well. But then the cancer metastasized to her lymph nodes. It was a gut punch.

 

Kati had surgery to remove the nodes and we started moving down the list of treatment options. The first chemo didn’t work at all. The next chemo helped for a couple months but then stopped working. Since then, she’s had more surgery to remove more cancer-filled nodes, plus two more chemos. The cancer has continued to advance, with small areas on her kidney and liver, in more lymph nodes, and between her heart and lung. It’s been a wild emotional roller coaster with monstrous hills and plummets along the way.

 

If you’ve ever met Kati you know that she exudes grace and extends love to everyone around her. It hurts my heart to see her not only battling an aggressive disease, but also fighting through the side effects of treatments—trying to find enough energy to enjoy our five kids and 13 grandkids (with number 14 on the way) and serving at the Christian ministry where we both work. Through God’s grace she continues to live life to the fullest.

 

Kati’s most recent scan on December 27, 2021 showed the small tumors in her abdomen had only slight increases. But the one between her heart and lung doubled in size. This means her current chemo is no longer effective. Her oncologist suggested it’s time to have a complete change in protocol.

 

The tumor near her heart will require precision-targeted radiation to try and stop its growth. This will happen in February, 2022. The oncologist suggests we then go to immunotherapy, even though the only immunotherapy with a chance of being approved by insurance doesn’t have a great track record for angiosarcoma. He said if he could, he’d want to combine two immunotherapies to improve the chance of success. But FDA rules and insurance companies prevent that except through clinical trials, and we haven’t found one that Kati qualifies for.

 

Kati and I believe that God orders our steps. Immediately after talking to the oncologist about switching strategies, we “happened” to run into friends who told us about a medical clinic in Arizona. We contacted the faith-based clinic and learned their doctors use a variety of high-tech and innovative treatments. These treatments are built on extensive genetic analysis of the patient’s unique cancer and include simultaneously administered immunotherapies, which is precisely what her oncologist would want to do if he could.

 

After a lot of time in prayer, plus conversation with trusted friends, Kati and I have a strong sense from God that we are to explore this option further. This means after Kati’s radiation treatments, we will travel to Arizona for a consultation and testing. If the clinic believes their protocol can help, they’ll develop a customized treatment plan for Kati and she’ll have to relocate to Arizona for up to 3 months.

 

Unfortunately, no insurance company will cover the cost of the testing or the treatments. There would also be travel expenses and some lost wages for Kati. The total projected cost is $175,000.

 

We need your financial help. Thank you.

 

If you’d like to hear more of Kati’s story in her own words, visit: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katiswisher