The Biggest Mountain Still to Climb

Good Evening Everyone,

Technically it is 12:11 AM and I am dutifully typing up the most difficult post I've had to write in quite a while. To begin with I would like to say that my dad is not doing well. At all... It never ceases to amaze me at how quickly things can change. After the benefit my dad starting feeling a bit more under the weather than usual. It got progressively worse until he was admitted back into the hospital this past Saturday (20th). He went in with a fever that spiked over 101 degrees. He has been down at Mayo ever since with these fevers, and severe nausea. He also hasn't been eating very well because of the nausea so his potassium levels are not doing great either. Besides these symptoms he is also having trouble with infusions of red blood cells and platelets. The doctors believe that because of numerous and frequent transfusions his body has developed antibodies to combat any blood or platelets they give him. This is not good. His life has been saved over and over by these transfusions and without them I don't care to think about what could happen. Another major issue, one that could also be linked to the blood products, is his insanely high fevers. This is mostly just a hypothesis given out by the head of the Oncology department at Mayo, but for now it is the only explanation we have.

As for my dads spirits, its challenging for me to put them into words. I know my dad very well and through this he has been relatively good at vocalizing his fears and his hope. As you can imagine though, the hospital turns even the most respectful and kind person into a bit of a grump.  That would be accurate in describing my dad right now. Things are very very serious and I personally think that he has every right to be mad at the situation. The only bright spot during this week was my dad's 51st birthday. Thank you to everyone who mailed him a card! It was so awesome to open the mail box and see it filled to the top with birthday wishes!

I will continue to keep you updated on this situation. I have to warn all of you that it could get progressively worse so any prayers, thoughts, or words of love you have to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. A big thank you to those of you who donate blood as well. You save lives every day. Remember to give someone you love a hug today.

Laura Katchmark

He always has and he always will...

A Heartfelt Thank you

Good Afternoon Everyone, 

Sometimes I start out a blog post by saying, “where do I begin?”, but today I know exactly where to start! Wow! What a fabulous party this past Sunday was! I was simply thrilled to see and meet everyone, and to see my family so happy! My dad keeps walking around the house saying how blessed his is to have so many people in his life who are so incredibly supportive.  He loved seeing familiar faces, and meeting people who were complete strangers. It was a truly humbling experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

To make this benefit happen, many hours of hard work had to be dedicated and I’d like to recognize and thank some of the people who really outdid themselves. Firstly, I would like to thank my dad’s siblings (and families) and my grandma. Uncle Dean, uncle Kevin, uncle Steve, uncle John, aunt Brenda, aunt Cheryl, and my grandma Bena. These people took on the responsibility of planning, collected donations, and ultimately put together absolutely everything! Throughout the entire benefit, they worked the different tables, and made the event flow smoothly. I would also like to thank everyone who donated something for the silent auction or for the bake sale. Both events were extremely successful. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who came, donated money, or sent their thoughts our way. I am so grateful to all of you. The burden of paying for medical bills, and gas (especially) was greatly eased. All that is left is for my dad to get well!

Again, we are so humbled, so grateful, and so touched that so many people care about what my family is going through. It was such a good day and hopefully we can celebrate my dad’s recovery all together sometime soon. Thank you. 

Laura Katchmark

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.