On April 28, 2020 our dear friend and colleague, Katy Amirtash lost her husband, Tavana (Tav) to pancreatic cancer. Katy and Tav have been married 24 years and have a wonderful son, Ashkon who is in his first year of college. Tavana is also survived by his parents and two sisters.

Tav battled pancreatic  cancer for 2 years and 2 months. In the beginning stages, doctors told them he had a rare tumor and surgery was not an option. Katy, being the strong woman she is, was not having that. She fought hard to find the right doctor willing to perform the risky surgery to give Tav a better chance at life. 

The surgery was a success and chemo began. He had a long bout with the chemo and it made him sick, weak and frustrated, but it also seemed to help. His bloodwork and PET Scan showed improvement and they did their best to have some normalcy in their life. Unfortunately, over time things took a turn for the worse and doctors were saying there wasn’t much more they could do.

Again, Katy researched and spoke with as many doctors as she could and looked into clinical  trials because she wasn’t taking no for an answer. They tried many holistic measures and also ended up driving to Mexico where Tav received immune building treatments for a 7 weeks. His immune system was getting stronger and things were looking up. 

Sadly, as many of us are aware, there is no cure for pancreatic cancer and so Tav was struck again with the bad news that the cancer had spread within his stomach region. He then became ill with a fungal infection and spent the last month or so in the hospital. He came home for a few days and had to go right back in. And because of COVID-19 Katy and the family were not allowed to visit him in the hospital for most of that month. Between the cancer and the fungal infection his body finally gave out. Thankfully Katy, Ashkon and Tav’s mother and sister were able to see him a few days before he passed. Katy was at his side during his passing. May 10th would have been his 60th Birthday. 

Throughout this heartbreaking endeavor Tav was unable to work as a General Manager for a property management company. Katy did all she could to teach and continue to take care of her family. This was not an easy task, but those that know Katy, know she is strong, never gave up hope, never quit and still put on a smile. 

Their son Ashkon was working at Beleaf to help with finances, but like many people he lost his job due to COVID-19. As if it’s not enough for the family to deal with the lost of a husband and father, we are in the middle of a pandemic that is causing some other issues and hardships as well. 

Many have asked how they can help Katy and her family during this time. She has suffered a tremendous financial loss through all this and funeral costs are outrageous. Instead of sending flowers, gift cards or food, setting up this GoFundMe will help her in so many ways.

Pease join me in helping Katy and Ashkon in their time of need. I, along with Katy are grateful and appreciative for any support.