Unbreakable Katie Mac

Prior to February 8th, Katie was typical 24 year old. Busy, active, energetic, dancing, singing, marathon running,  spunky young woman. But on February 8th, Katie suffered a severe cardiac arrest which led to her coding 4 times. She underwent emergency procedures and was placed into a medically-induced coma for several days.


It's been months since that event and while Katie is no longer on a ventilator, she still needs the assistance of a tracheostomy to help her breath. Katie has overcome many medical complications  in the last few months. She's battled GI bleeding, sepsis, multiple lung infections, E-coli, seizures, pancreatitis, fungal infection in her bloodstream, and thyroid issues.  Her kidneys had shut down which required her to live on dialysis but in the last few weeks, Katie’s kidneys have, incredibly, 'woken up' and are functioning pretty well with diuretics. Currently, she lives on a BI-VAD machine which is helping her heart to function properly. Unfortunately, there is evidence that Katie suffered an "anoxic injury," which means her brain went without oxygen.  While we don't know the extent of her brain damage, we do know that Katie is a fighter and that small victories will most certainly lead to bigger ones.


Katie has been in Cardiovascular Intensive Care at Florida Hospital in Orlando for months. Plans are for her to undergo surgery to place an L-Vad (a pump) in her heart. Rehab would then be the next step where she will receive intense cognitive, physical, occupational and speech therapy.

(some of Katie’s biggest smiles are for her older brother, Ryan, who visits Katie often and entertains her by singing Disney songs)

Bonnie and John, Katie's parents, live in North Carolina and have been in Orlando with Katie since the day of her event. Costs of lodging and travel (for John) have been manageable thus far.  Unfortunately, healthcare costs for Katie are enormous.  Many have reached out and asked how they could help.  Donations of any amount would be so appreciated and would help reduce some of the stress that comes with this type of tragic financial burden.

If you can't donate, prayers and positive thoughts are always welcomed too. We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from everyone!