Please Help Katie, Tucker, and Their Family During an Ongoing and Unexpected Medical Emergency

For those who know Katie, you know how hard this is for her. She is strong, fiercely independent, and never one to ask for help. She is an incredible, hands-on mom to her beautiful kids, deeply cares for her patients in her career, and is also continuing her education as a dedicated student. Katie is always the first person to show up for others, offering help, love, and support without hesitation. Now, after multiple surgeries and continued complications, Katie and her family truly need our help.

In 2019, Katie was hospitalized due to a blood clot in her portal vein, which led to the diagnosis of a rare genetic condition called a JAK2 mutation. At the time, the long-term impact of the clot was unclear, but over the past six years Katie has continued to advocate for herself while building a beautiful life, all while battling ongoing pain and symptoms and navigating a medical system that often struggled to understand how to help.

In October 2025, after worsening stomach pain and extensive testing, doctors discovered that Katie’s portal vein was no longer functioning properly, severely impacting her liver. Her spleen had also grown to more than twice its normal size.

On December 31st, Katie underwent a major liver procedure known as a TIPS procedure in Denver, Colorado, intended to restore blood flow and relieve pressure caused by the damaged portal vein. Initially, she felt hopeful. Like she was finally getting her life back.

Less than two weeks later, Katie returned to the ER with severe pain, only to learn that the TIPS procedure had complications, and completely clotted off. She was life-flighted to Denver and underwent another emergency surgery on January 18th to redo the procedure.

Just two days later, further complications led to another surgery in an effort to reduce the size of her spleen. Katie made it home that Friday, hopeful and ready to recover.

Sadly, only days later, she was rushed back to the emergency room and is once again being life-flighted to Denver after doctors discovered that the second TIPS procedure has also clotted. At this time, we are awaiting next steps and are unsure how long her recovery will take or when she will be able to return home. She is trying to stay positive, but the unknown and stress of not being able to be with her kids, her job, and know when she will be able to get back to every day life is taking a toll.

Throughout all of this, her fiancé, Tucker, has not left her side. Traveling back and forth, staying with her through emergency room visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, and recovery, while also helping to arrange support and care for their children during this incredibly uncertain time.

Due to the severity and frequency of these medical emergencies, both Katie and Tucker have been unable to work, and the financial strain will just continue to grow.

We created this fund with humility and hope, knowing how quickly a medical emergency can turn life upside down. Donations will help offset the very real costs of this journey. Including out-of-pocket medical expenses, continuous travel between Wyoming and Colorado, missed work, household bills, and day-to-day needs for Katie, Tucker, and the kids.

We ask from the bottom of our hearts that if you are able, please consider donating. Every contribution, no matter the size, will be used to directly help ease the financial burden Katie and Tucker are carrying so they can focus on what matters most: Katie’s health and their family. If you’re unable to donate, we completely understand, and sharing this page makes a meaningful difference and helps reach others who may be able to help. Your support, prayers, and messages of encouragement are so deeply appreciated and truly felt by all. We are truly grateful for our incredible Casper community, the place that Katie has called home all of her life.