Kindness for Kate
Donation protected
I want to introduce you to Kate Van Order. I have known Kate for over 40 years. She was my sister-in-law when I was married to her sister but I still consider her part of the family and a friend.
Kate is a single mom, artist, lover of life and the outdoors, AND BREAST CANCER
SURVIVOR. I use survivor loosely because Kate is still surviving even though she has never been in remission. So essentially Kate has been dying for 10 years.
She was diagnosed 10 years ago. In that 10 years there have been many treatments of chemo and radiation; reconstructive surgery and then removal because of radiation damage; chemo leakage through her capillaries which caused friction burns on her extremities; new forms of chemo which also had side effects like joint pain, back and neck pain and headaches and
exhaustion.
Cancer has now spread throughout Kate’s body but is being controlled by the
treatments. It will never go away and it will never stop growing. The treatments are only managing to slow down the process.
During this whole time, Kate was still continuing to work at her housecleaning business (with the help of friends during times of treatment or severe illness).
Eventually, she was unable to keep her condo and she moved in with her elderly mother. She is now living with her daughter but may not have that as a long-term option.
It was during the time that she was living with her mother that she learned about becoming a volunteer as a camp host at a state park in Florida. Her friends would pick up her housekeeping business while she was gone and she was able to live in the campground free for 4 months of the year with minimal physical exertion. That time gave her body a much-needed rest from the physical exertion of cleaning. She did that for four years. Then last year she decided that she
could not continue the treatment anymore because of all the side effects.
I have never had to make a decision to live or die. Not many people have to do that during their lives but Kate does. Every day when she wakes up in pain, she has to make that decision. When she returned to Wisconsin last year from Florida, she told her doctor her decision. He gave her 4-6 months to live without the treatment. But he told her of a new treatment they could try. She decided to live.
The new treatment has different side effects but one of them is still extreme pain which she is trying to control with medication. The other thing is that she is now no longer able to work at all. She gave up her housecleaning business.
That’s why I am asking for your help. We want to help Kate continue to make the choice to live but she can’t continue without some sort of financial help. Even without having to work, and even with continuing treatment, Kate realizes that barring a miracle she does not have a lot of years ahead of her. But we can help alleviate some of her burdens and give her a better quality
of life now so she can concentrate on living and not dying.
Lovingly written by Steve Trampe
Kate is a single mom, artist, lover of life and the outdoors, AND BREAST CANCER
SURVIVOR. I use survivor loosely because Kate is still surviving even though she has never been in remission. So essentially Kate has been dying for 10 years.
She was diagnosed 10 years ago. In that 10 years there have been many treatments of chemo and radiation; reconstructive surgery and then removal because of radiation damage; chemo leakage through her capillaries which caused friction burns on her extremities; new forms of chemo which also had side effects like joint pain, back and neck pain and headaches and
exhaustion.
Cancer has now spread throughout Kate’s body but is being controlled by the
treatments. It will never go away and it will never stop growing. The treatments are only managing to slow down the process.
During this whole time, Kate was still continuing to work at her housecleaning business (with the help of friends during times of treatment or severe illness).
Eventually, she was unable to keep her condo and she moved in with her elderly mother. She is now living with her daughter but may not have that as a long-term option.
It was during the time that she was living with her mother that she learned about becoming a volunteer as a camp host at a state park in Florida. Her friends would pick up her housekeeping business while she was gone and she was able to live in the campground free for 4 months of the year with minimal physical exertion. That time gave her body a much-needed rest from the physical exertion of cleaning. She did that for four years. Then last year she decided that she
could not continue the treatment anymore because of all the side effects.
I have never had to make a decision to live or die. Not many people have to do that during their lives but Kate does. Every day when she wakes up in pain, she has to make that decision. When she returned to Wisconsin last year from Florida, she told her doctor her decision. He gave her 4-6 months to live without the treatment. But he told her of a new treatment they could try. She decided to live.
The new treatment has different side effects but one of them is still extreme pain which she is trying to control with medication. The other thing is that she is now no longer able to work at all. She gave up her housecleaning business.
That’s why I am asking for your help. We want to help Kate continue to make the choice to live but she can’t continue without some sort of financial help. Even without having to work, and even with continuing treatment, Kate realizes that barring a miracle she does not have a lot of years ahead of her. But we can help alleviate some of her burdens and give her a better quality
of life now so she can concentrate on living and not dying.
Lovingly written by Steve Trampe
Co-organizers (2)
Marcia Vanderhei Schlei
Organizer
Stoughton, WI
Kate VanOrder
Beneficiary
Ronnie Baird
Co-organizer