Corrections...

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I have a slight alteration to make to the information about donating through Wells Fargo. If you choose to donate, the account name is as follows...

The Tim Katchmark Donation Trust

This error was made on the flyer as well and I do apologize for any hassle. We are also looking for just a few volunteers to bring an item for the bake sale. This item can be either baked at home or store bought. If you could, please bring it the day of the event. 

A note from Laura...

Thank you so much for everything. My heart is simply overflowing with gratitude and joy!I don't believe that the words needed to express myself and my family's appreciation even exist. Everything that has been done will help with medical expenses and such things necessary for my dad to recover completely. I look forward to posting after the benefit. 

Laura Katchmark

Benefit Information

THIS POST CONTAINS ALL INFORMATION REGARDING THE BENEFIT

     Tim Katchmark, age 50, has been married to his wife Beth for 27 years, and has two daughters named Laura and Sarah. He was diagnosed with MDS/Leukemia in Nover 2012. He spent 9 weeks in the hospital undergoing 2 rounds of chemotherapy to achieve remission. He recovered for 3 months at home once in remission and had a Stem Cell Transplant on April 5th after 7 days of intense chemotherapy. He stayed at the Gift of Life House in Rochester and was monitored daily. Because he was doing so well, he was able to go home early in May which was ahead of schedule. At 100 days, his bone marrow came back cancer free. At the end of July, he had a central line infection, and his counts dropped and didn't recover. In October 2013 his bone marrow showed more than 5 % of cancerous blast cells and he endured an assortment of chemotherapy treatments. He felt good for 3 months but the bone marrow in March showed that the cancer had grown significantly. He was admitted back into the hospital on March 24th to undergo the most intense round of chemo yet. 

     Throughout this journey Tim has been the happiest and most determined person to face down this disease. He has a strong spirit and a fire to live and stay in the lives of those he loves and cherishes. All we can do is hope and pray for the best. Thank you for your support. 

Turkey Hunting Spring 2014

When: Sunday, June 29^th

What Time: 1:00-5:00pm

Hosted at the Crystal VFW Knable Post #494

Address: 5222 56^th Ave. No

Crystal, MN 55429

Events: Spaghetti meal offered along with raffle, silent auction, and bake sale.

*Donations are also accepted at Wells Fargo Bank under the Tim Katchmark Benefit Fund. * 

Special DJ Guest

Turn ‘n’ Heads Productions

The Greatest Graduation Gift Ever

Good Morning Everyone,

What a good morning it is!! I am graduating from Champlin Park High School today and I am so thrilled! High school has been a truly wonderful experience for me but it has also been a part of the greatest sadness I have ever known. Half of my high school career was spent wondering how much time my dad would have left here in the world. Today however, marks a great accomplishment for both of us... all of us actually. It symbolizes the determination that we have to reach one common goal, and it proves that time is truly what you make of it. Today I am the luckiest girl in the world! 

I would like to give you an update about how my dad is doing. Last time I posted, my dad had received the stem cells from his brother John and he was doing alright. Currently, he is still doing okay but is suffering from either a cold, or allergies. The stem cells aren't doing much for him either so the question that is now developing is, when will the next stem cell transplant be. The doctors haven't really given us too much of a plan yet but what I do know is that my dad will be getting the rest of John's stem cells on Thursday the 12th. After the 12th we are "winging it" until further notice. Thank you so much for you endless amounts of love and support! Go out and enjoy the sunshine and give someone you love a hug with both arms:) 

Laura Katchmark

Once in a great while...

Good morning Everyone,

There has been a long period of time where nothing has happened, but just recently we got really hopeful news! I can't help but feel a little excited! So as you can remember, my dad got a bone marrow test done and the results came back as follows...The blast cells are under 5%! Just before his chemo, they were above 15% but this type of chemo was so aggressive that it really cut the cancer back. After we got those results, we had to wait for a treatment plan. The doctors have decided that John will once again donate stem cells and as soon as the cells are collected my dad will be waiting to receive them. Hopefully, because the cells are still fresh things will go more smoothly than in previous trials. My uncle has already started the donation process. Next Friday, if on schedule, my dad will have a new set of stem cells in his blood stream busy with killing the leukemia once and for all!!  If things do go really well, my dad asked me to mention that he is looking forward to attending the June 29th benefit put together by my aunt and uncles! As for the title of this blog post, once in a great while... the doctors found neutrophils in my dad's blood! Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that help mediate an immune response when there is an infection in the body. This is soooo good because he hasn't had these in over a year! I do need to mention what will happen just in case things won't go well. If after four weeks, the stem cells haven't worked, my dad will need a whole knew transplant. By that I mean a new donor will be chosen and he will go through intensive chemotherapy and then 100 days where he has the new cells in his body. We are all crossing our fingers for Johns cells to work so he never has to endure another extended hospital stay. Ever.

I would like to thank you all once again for everything that you have done. Before this happened in my life, it was easy to critique my surroundings and focus on the negatives in life, but those who have been with us for the entirety of this event have changed my perspective completely. I am able to count my blessings every night and I can say a prayer for each person who has helped me and my family out.

Laura Katchmark

Drillin' Holes

Good Morning Everyone,

The rain has stopped (for now) and spring is here! Everything seems happier in the spring. I've always loved watching the earth go from white, to a nasty brown, to a beautiful electrifying green! Anyways...school has kept me so busy and I know that has been one of my frequent excuses for not posting regularly but seriously...I'm in the international baccalaureate program and we have HUGE tests at the end of our senior year that we can get college credit for! Life has also been busy for my family. My dad has been doing alright besides the fact that his platelet counts are not replenishing themselves and he has been very tired. This could be for multiple reasons, but the doctors still think that the chemo is playing into that even though that was over a month ago! This afternoon he will get another bone marrow test. I can't even tell you how many holes and samples they have taken from him! This will once again tell use just how much cancer is left. Once the results are back we will go from there. Day by day, hour by hour. On a bit of a side note, I am asking you to offer my dad your sense of humor and words of encouragement. Spending a lot of time in a hospital is heartbreaking especially when the weather is turning for the better. As for posting, I can't promise I will have time to update the blog right away but I will let you know what the results are one way or another:) Thank you for your everlasting love and support.

Spring

Spring is a time for love, for joy

for rekindled hope

and the heart of a boy

to become healed again, just as before,

and for life to start a new once more. 

Special Announcement:

My family has planned a benefit for my dad and It will be held at the Crystal VFW on Sunday June 29th I will post more information soon. 

Wanna Play a Guessing Game?

Good Evening Everyone,

Tonight will be purely information. More information will come when we know more ourselves. 

        I will start with what we do know and I'd like to keep it as brief as possible. To begin with, my dad isn't in the best of conditions and that is putting things relatively lightly. Last week he went through another bone marrow test to see how effective the chemo was but the results were inconclusive. This means that they couldn't get an accurate count on the different types of cells that were in his bone marrow. Normally they separate the white blood cells, the red blood cells, and in my dads case, the cancerous cells. This test didn't work that way because the cells were clumped together and because of this they needed to perform another test to give us a correct treatment plan.  After his bone marrow he developed some sort of infection and he was put on many different antibiotics and anti-fungals. He experienced splitting headaches and he also ran a fever.  
       Now lets speed up to today...The doctors still don't know exactly what is wrong but his fever was gone (for today) and his headache has lessened significantly. He received another bone marrow test this morning and the results should be back sometime late next week. He really REALLY needs visitors. Even if it is just for a little while it makes such a difference for his spirits. Once again, thank you thank you THANK YOU! For all that you do and all the love that you offer. It truly makes a difference.

Laura Katchmark

Three's Company

Good Evening Everyone,

My Auntie Cheryl, and I drove down to Rochester to visit my dad today and what a nice day we've had so far. The weather is warming up and the drive down was very pleasant because (for once) there was no snow or ice! When we arrived at the Mayo we went up to his room and we were delighted to see a few of our relatives who had come down to visit! After they had left I made the mistake of complementing him on how well he looked, and I think I literally saw his head swell three sizes. His response was, "Good?! I look great! I always look great!" I love my dad:) 

Today is the last day that my dad will be receiving chemotherapy. He had a few rough days in the beginning of the week because this chemo has A LOT of side effects, but he is doing well now. It took a few tries for them to figure out the right combination of medicine. After today, he will spend 14 days in the hospital while the chemo passes out of his system. This is the period of time where nausea, and other problems such as mouth soars and skin irritation can occur. He is already experiencing some skin irritation on his hands. On day 14 he will get another bone marrow biopsy and all fingers are crossed that it will come back clean (less than 5% blast cells). From there things get a bit hazy so I won't post anything until I know for sure what the treatment will be. 

I know I addressed the topic of visiting last time I posted and I can only encourage more of that! I know it is a long drive for most and it might be hard to find time in your busy schedules. If you are interested or could possibly come down, I will post his room number. You can also call the hospital and they can give you his room phone number. It truly truly TRULY brightens his day and brings his spirits back up! 

As always, thank you so much for you endless love and support and your thoughtful prayers and thoughts. It is so comforting to know that we have so many people who care! Stay tuned:) 

Room Number: 7-416
Translation...Seventh floor, room 416

***If you are going to visit especially next week, please call because he might not be feeling very well***