Honoring Katy's Dream
Donation protected
Katy Straalsund was a beautiful, intelligent and caring daughter, sister and friend with a bright future ahead of her. She was to graduate with honors in Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington this summer and had been recently accepted into a teaching abroad program in Barcelona, Spain. Upon returning from Spain, Katy had a goal of completing graduate studies in Speech/Language Pathology. She had a passion for the science of the brain, and planned to further her studies in order to explore neurological communication disorders.
On the first day of Spring 2016, Katy was brutally beaten and strangled in a senseless act of domestic violence, which resulted in a severe brain injury. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center to where she received the best care possible by an incredible talented and compassionate team of professionals. Our entire family was with her in the hospital and despite our prayers, tears, and hope, Katy was pronounced brain dead on March 22, 2016. She was only 22 years old. It seems impossible and we are all devastated by our loss.
Even in passing Katy was a helpful soul and in accordance with her wishes, Katy’s organs were donated so that others will have hope and a new life. We are grateful for this gift and we are thankful to the police, emergency response units, and healthcare professionals who gave us two last days with Katy to celebrate her life and try to find some meaning in such a tragedy. We are committed to honoring her and helping her change lives and realize her dreams.
This site was created by her family, including her parents and siblings. We hope this site will allow Katy to continue on to her next adventure. This fall, we are planning a family memorial to take some of Katy’s remains to spread across the mountains in Spain, a place where she was drawn to both physically and spiritually. If funds in excess of our goal are received, we will make a donation in Katy’s name to the Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence to help prevent and support victims and families who have suffered at the hands of domestic violence. We are also pursuing establishing a scholarship in her name at the University of Washington.
On the first day of Spring 2016, Katy was brutally beaten and strangled in a senseless act of domestic violence, which resulted in a severe brain injury. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center to where she received the best care possible by an incredible talented and compassionate team of professionals. Our entire family was with her in the hospital and despite our prayers, tears, and hope, Katy was pronounced brain dead on March 22, 2016. She was only 22 years old. It seems impossible and we are all devastated by our loss.
Even in passing Katy was a helpful soul and in accordance with her wishes, Katy’s organs were donated so that others will have hope and a new life. We are grateful for this gift and we are thankful to the police, emergency response units, and healthcare professionals who gave us two last days with Katy to celebrate her life and try to find some meaning in such a tragedy. We are committed to honoring her and helping her change lives and realize her dreams.
This site was created by her family, including her parents and siblings. We hope this site will allow Katy to continue on to her next adventure. This fall, we are planning a family memorial to take some of Katy’s remains to spread across the mountains in Spain, a place where she was drawn to both physically and spiritually. If funds in excess of our goal are received, we will make a donation in Katy’s name to the Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence to help prevent and support victims and families who have suffered at the hands of domestic violence. We are also pursuing establishing a scholarship in her name at the University of Washington.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tracie Straalsund
Organizer
Richland, WA
Erin Anderson
Beneficiary
