Thank you for visiting Katie's site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated about our loved one. Get started by reading the introduction to our website, My Story.
Visit often to read the latest journal entries, visit the photo gallery, and write her a note in our guestbook.
As we all may know, life for Kate this past year has been a tremendous roller-coaster; we're climbing another hill now. After coming home to Minnesota from Timisoara Romania, Katie was accepted to the International Sustainable Development Masters Program at SIT Institute in Washington D.C. In the midst of fall semester, the director of her program invited Katie to go to Ahmedabad, Gujarat India for graduate research, set to leave January 5th.
The day after finals, December 23rd, her left arm began to swell and she was experiencing severe chest pains. Upon admittance to the E.R. at George Washington University Hospital in D.C., doctors discovered 3 blood clots in Katie’s neck and attributed them to her hormonal birth control; they prescribed blood thinners and sent her home. Kate subsequently cancelled her trip to India and decided to leave for Austin, Texas to visit our parents. On the plane ride she experienced a painful burning sensation again in her chest. Within an hour of arrival, Dec. 31st, she was back in the hospital where a CT scan revealed a large, 7x9 cm, mass in her chest. After a biopsy and 5 days in the ICU at Cedar Park Regional, Katie was discharged and immediately flown to Minnesota to get results and treatment at Mayo Clinic. The clots are thought to be a result of pressure the mass is putting on her Jugular Vein. We are currently at St.Mary’s-Mayo focusing on managing her pain, monitoring the fluid surrounding her heart, and WAITING for biopsy results from Texas…Although brief, I hope I answered a lot questions. Kate is immensely relieved to be back home near family and friends; thank you again for all your messages, thoughts, and well-wishes! I will leave updates as news comes.
