HELP KATHI FIGHT BREAST CANCER

On March 24, 2016 (not long after her 44th birthday), one of our beloved “Regina Besties”, Kathi Gudenau Olechowski, was given the news every woman dreads to hear...”You have Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.”  To make matters worse, it was Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which means it was the most aggressive form of breast cancer with very limited treatment options.  This was on top of the Lupus that Kathi has been dealing with since her 20’s. 

     One would think that this devastating news, after twenty years of struggling with the symptoms of Lupus, would have defeated her; but Kathi is a warrior....and we are her warrior friends making this plea on behalf of our girl.  The ten of us have been best friends for 32 years (some even longer), since meeting in ninth grade at Regina High School.  Through the years, we have remained extremely close—-celebrating our weddings together, raising families and most recently, sending our babies off to college. Kathi is typically the one who organizes our annual Girls’  Weekend or fun get-togethers.  She loves life and is always laughing and smiling....and what a beautiful smile she has. She is an amazing wife to her beloved husband, Steve, and a doting mom to her sweet daughter, Kristyn, who followed in her mama’s footsteps and just graduated from Regina.  Kathi is extremely proud of her as she heads to Oakland University in the fall.

     Kathi’s battle with breast cancer has been an ongoing ordeal throughout the last three years.  When she was first diagnosed, it came as a devastating blow to her, yet she remained optimistic as it was only in early Stage One. Being the warrior that she is, she was determined to beat this. Her treatment began with eight rounds of chemotherapy infusions, making the next four months extremely challenging for her emotionally and physically as the chemo resulted in the classic effects of extreme fatigue, hair loss, nausea and weight loss.  However, she put her faith in God and her spirit always remained positive and upbeat.  The chemo was followed by a unilateral mastectomy on September 14, 2016.  She had reconstructive surgery on January of 2017 and her mammogram showed no sign of cancer.  The relief was short-lived, however, because at the end of July she found another lump where the original one was first detected. In August, the doctor performed an ultrasound and said it was “fat necrosis” and that they would keep an eye on it.  This new lump weighed heavily on her mind and she was very concerned about it.  She wasn’t completely satisfied with the results of the first reconstructive surgery so she elected to have a second one for appearances sake in September of 2017,  and the lump was removed and tested.  She may not have been with us today had she not elected to have that second surgery because sadly, her intuition was right—-the tumor was cancerous. She endured yet another surgery in November to remove more cells that may have been surrounding the tumor, followed by radiation. After a six week round of radiation ending in January of 2018, she began experiencing “room-spinning”, double vision and light-headedness. Throughout the next several months, she underwent various scans and tests as she continued to suffer with a spinning sensation and dizziness.  She began to consult a neurologist in June of 2018. Throughout the summer and into the fall, she began to experience increasing shaky/double vision.  Around this time, she also began to experience severe back pain when she sneezed or coughed. This concerned her oncologist and on October 31, 2018, she had a PET scan to determine the cause.  Kathi’s optimistic spirit was tested once again as the scan detected six nodules in her lungs, which showed active disease.  A biopsy confirmed what we all feared:  the cancer had spread.  She started a chemo pill in December and the effects were brutal this time.  In addition to exhaustion, nausea and trouble with taste/appetite, she developed Hand and Foot Syndrome.  This resulted in severe burning and peeling of her hands and feet, rendering her unable to walk or use her hands.   As a result, they had to give her a different chemo drug.  Adding to her hardship, in February 2019, she had to undergo yet another surgical procedure to implant a MediPort so she could receive iron infusions and to facilitate blood draws.  As if that wasn’t enough, she also suffered the effects of Raynaud’s Disease, resulting in tingling and numbness of her fingers and limbs.  On February 11, 2019, she had a CT scan to check the growth of the nodules in her lungs.  Although she received promising results that the growths in her lungs were stable, the cancer had metastasized to her bones.  Kathi constantly faced (and continues to face) uphill battles with amazing strength.   On March 5, 2019, she had to undergo ANOTHER surgery, this time to fix a “kink” in her port, which wasn’t working properly.  

     Throughout this battle, Kathi has remained cheerful and hopeful.  She has demonstrated unbelievable  courage and perseverance, refusing to give up.  She has an amazing spirit and a will to beat this relentless illness.  This past April, despite her increasing pain, she enjoyed a family vacation with Steve, Kristyn and some family and friends.  When she returned from this trip, things began to worsen.  
     This month of June has proven to be incredibly difficult for her.  On June 5, 2019, she suffered a seizure at home.  A few hours later, she suffered a grand mal seizure while in the ER.  After many tests and another hospital stay, she was allowed to return home for Kristyn’s graduation party.  A few days later, due to malnutrition because she couldn’t tolerate food, she had another surgery to put in a TPN line so she could receive much-needed nutrients.  However, due to the extensive use of opioid pain medication, she developed gastroparesis which required another surgery to insert a “G/J tube”....she can no longer eat through the mouth.  Since then, the pain in her back, neck and head have become unbearable for her and she ended up back in the hospital this past Monday afternoon (June 24, 2019), where she continues to be treated for her increasing pain.  She is due for a spinal tap next week to determine if the cancer cells have spread to her spinal fluid, which may be causing her excruciating headaches.  

     Kathi is our girl....our best friend....one of the “Besties”.   This has been a long and arduous journey for her and her family and we truly wish to help her.  Her medical treatment is extremely expensive and she has no short- or long-term disability coverage.  Through this fundraiser, we are hoping to ease the burden of the escalating out-of-pocket expenses for hospital stays, numerous surgeries, medical procedures, scans, tests, as well as the costly treatment options that are being employed to try to ease her pain and keep her as comfortable as possible as she bravely fights against this cancer.  Throughout this ordeal, Kathi and Steve also consulted 2nd and 3rd opinions from various places, including trips to Cleveland Clinic.  We humbly ask your help with this effort, which will in turn allow Steve to spend more time taking care of Kathi.  He is out of paid sick days and any FMLA leave would also be unpaid.  They are also battling with the insurance company to cover certain expenses.  It has been physically, mentally and emotionally draining for them. 

     From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for loving and supporting our girl.  If you are so inclined, please say a prayer to Fr. Solanus Casey as we petition him for a miracle!  Also, please share this with everyone you know!   Thank you!!!!!

——Kathi’s Besties (Stacy, Laina, Christie, Paula, Laurie, Jodie, Jennifer, Bev and Michele)