1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis
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Remembering KateMN - losing a virtual friend hurts too

Posted by Colleen Young, Connect Director @colleenyoung, Aug 11, 2017

On August 4th our dear mentor, Katherine left us. Her son, Scott, sends this message that she wanted to share with you.

I HAVE A PAINTING .. IT SAYS .. “TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE”. THE FUN OF RESEARCHING .. PLANNING .. TRAVELING IS GONE FOREVER FROM MY LIFE. HOWEVER I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO TRAVEL SINCE MY 50’S TO ALL THE CONTINENTS BUT ANTARCTICA .. MY FAVORITE COUNTRIES .. MANY TIMES. IF MY FUTURE HELD GAZING OUT AT THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA FROM OUR BELOVED ITALIAN AMALFI COAST .. YES! I WOULD GRAB IT WITH BOTH HANDS!

MY SPIRITUALITY AND BELIEF SYSTEM .. NONE OF US KNOW WHAT IS ON THE “OTHER SIDE” BE WE CHRISTIAN, BUDDHIST, JEW, HINDU, MUSLIM OR WHATEVER FAITH .. UNTIL WE “PASS OVER”. THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL WE TRULY KNOW WHAT IS ON THE “OTHER SIDE” .. DESPITE THE DESTRUCTION RELIGION HAS WROUGHT ON PLANET EARTH. BUT I HAVE EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT AS I “PASS OVER” I AM GOING TO BE MET BY GRANDMOTHER BENNETT AND GRANDMOTHER HUNNICUTT WITH THEIR LOVING HANDS TO HELP ME “PASS OVER”. THIS I BELIEVE.

*I WAS TOLD MANY YEARS AGO THAT IN REALITY “EACH OF US IS THE STAR OF OUR OWN SHOW” .. MEANING THAT EACH OF US GO ON IN TIME WITH OUR OWN LIVES .. SO I WANT EACH OF YOU TO QUICKLY BE ” THE STAR OF OUR OWN SHOW” .. LIVING YOUR LIFE AS WELL AS I DID WILL BE YOUR BEST TRIBUTE TO ME!

I HAVE HAD A FULL LIFE. I HAVE A LIFE I CAN FEEL PROUD OF. I HAVE LIVED LIFE ETHICALLY .. LOVINGLY. I RAISED ONE SON THAT I AM VERY PROUD OF AND ONE SON THAT HAS RISEN ABOVE MANY DIFFICULTIES IN HIS LIFE THAT I AM ALSO PROUD OF. I HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN AN ERA IN WHICH IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR WOMEN TO SUCCEED .. ALLOWING ME TO ACCUMULATE A PORTFOLIO SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH A SCHOLARSHIP AT THE U OF MONTANA IN A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT FOR GIRLS FROM MY BACKGROUND. I TRAVEL EVERY CONTINENT BUT ANTARCTICA .. FAVORITE COUNTRIES MANY TIMES OVER .. ONE OF MY FAVORITE PIECES OF ART SAYS “TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE” .. THAT SAYS IT ALL! THIS SAID .. I HAVE LIVED WELL .. LOVED WELL. IT IS NOW TIME. GOOD BYE.

KATHERINE

KateMN

Katherine -- Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Mentor

Back in 2011 @katemn posted a simple message on Connect with “I am new to Mayo online .. I was hoping to find others…” That single post has grown to establish an incredibly supportive and knowledge community of people helping each other live well with MAC and bronchiectasis. Katherine’s relentless trumpeting of the message “knowledge is learning to advocate for yourself. Knowledge is taking back the power over your health care” will forever remain with all the members of the MAC group and continue to echo throughout Connect. Her presence and words will continue to comfort, educate and strengthen to the community.

Thank you forever, Katherine.

Dear members, I invite you to share your thoughts about Katherine here. How did she support you?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

ling123 | @ling123 | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @ling123 "@heathert Good point. I didn't have a chance to look further into the two super bugs..." + (show)
@ling123

@heathert Good point. I didn't have a chance to look further into the two super bugs that Terri listed in her posting when I first read it. Now that you have mentioned it, I did more reading. Now it's getting scary. When I first learned that the bacteria that cause MAC do not coexist with the bacteria that produce pink slime, I was relieved. But now it seems that we could be getting both into our body and one or both could become lethal. It seems to me that both of these are ubiquitous. It is probably impossible to avoid coming in contact with them.

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@heathert Yes, can't wait to hear what Terri brings back to us on this topic.

REPLY
Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @windwalker "By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed..." + (show)
@windwalker

By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed away. I feel certain this news has rocked the world of many of you; as it did mine. Some people have private messaged me wondering if she had succmbed finally to her bronchicstasis or MAC or pseudomonas. NO, she did not. Our condition is manageable. She contracted two more particularly nasty bugs of which were resistant to all antibiotics. I have been in touch with her son, Scott. He and I both believe she picked those bugs up when she was spending nights in the ICU with her husband and on many other trips with him in the hospital. These two particular ones are mostly acquired from hospital settings. They are super-bugs. When you hear of hospitalized people dying from pneumonia; this is what this super-bug is. I will give you the names of the bacteria for those of you that want to look it up. They are: Klebsiella pneumonia and Serratia Marcescens. These two are especially dangerous to people like us that are immunocompromised and have weakened or damaged lungs. We are the types that it likes to attack. People like us rarely survive this kind of infection. For the most part, they are antibiotic resistant. I am sharing this with you so that you know to avoid hospitals and convalescent homes whenever possible. Those can be dangerous places for us. I have a rule: I do not visit people in the hospital. I politely explain to them why I can't. We all thought the world of Katherine and prayed that she went peacefully. Her son confirmed that she did, she went in her sleep. Her interment and ceremony to celebrate her life will be on Sept. 2 at 2:00. If you can, I'd like for all of us to take pause at that time and honor her. I will post a reminder as that date gets closer. Hugs to all of you, Terri M.

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@heathert Heather, if I had the pink slime in my bathroom, I'd keep a spray bottle handy with water/bleach combo and keep those surfaces treated.

REPLY
Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @windwalker "By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed..." + (show)
@windwalker

By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed away. I feel certain this news has rocked the world of many of you; as it did mine. Some people have private messaged me wondering if she had succmbed finally to her bronchicstasis or MAC or pseudomonas. NO, she did not. Our condition is manageable. She contracted two more particularly nasty bugs of which were resistant to all antibiotics. I have been in touch with her son, Scott. He and I both believe she picked those bugs up when she was spending nights in the ICU with her husband and on many other trips with him in the hospital. These two particular ones are mostly acquired from hospital settings. They are super-bugs. When you hear of hospitalized people dying from pneumonia; this is what this super-bug is. I will give you the names of the bacteria for those of you that want to look it up. They are: Klebsiella pneumonia and Serratia Marcescens. These two are especially dangerous to people like us that are immunocompromised and have weakened or damaged lungs. We are the types that it likes to attack. People like us rarely survive this kind of infection. For the most part, they are antibiotic resistant. I am sharing this with you so that you know to avoid hospitals and convalescent homes whenever possible. Those can be dangerous places for us. I have a rule: I do not visit people in the hospital. I politely explain to them why I can't. We all thought the world of Katherine and prayed that she went peacefully. Her son confirmed that she did, she went in her sleep. Her interment and ceremony to celebrate her life will be on Sept. 2 at 2:00. If you can, I'd like for all of us to take pause at that time and honor her. I will post a reminder as that date gets closer. Hugs to all of you, Terri M.

Jump to this post

@ling123, @heathert, The e-mail went out to Dr. Falkinham this morning. Will let you know what I learn.

REPLY
Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @johnbishop "I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into..." + (show)
@johnbishop

I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into other health concerns hoping to learn and do a better job in my mentoring area. Reading Katherine's posts and seeing her impact on the people she helped was amazing to me. All I can say is that she will be missed by all, including me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who were touched by Katherine.

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@johnbishop, John, your finch photo is whole. What a lovely work environment you have! What kind of work do you do?

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Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Aug 15, 2017

@pamelasc1 Hi Pam. I sent you my number via private message. I hope that you are traveling for pleasure, and that your daughter and the twins are all doing well. hugs, Terri

REPLY
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @johnbishop "I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into..." + (show)
@johnbishop

I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into other health concerns hoping to learn and do a better job in my mentoring area. Reading Katherine's posts and seeing her impact on the people she helped was amazing to me. All I can say is that she will be missed by all, including me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who were touched by Katherine.

Jump to this post

I'm the Internet helpdesk for the local telephone company. Also create, maintain websites for them.

REPLY
ling123 | @ling123 | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @johnbishop "I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into..." + (show)
@johnbishop

I only know Katherine through her posts and words. I am a mentor that lurks into other health concerns hoping to learn and do a better job in my mentoring area. Reading Katherine's posts and seeing her impact on the people she helped was amazing to me. All I can say is that she will be missed by all, including me. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and all who were touched by Katherine.

Jump to this post

Wow, that is a great picture of a gorgeous bird. Thanks for sharing.

REPLY
ling123 | @ling123 | Aug 15, 2017
In reply to @windwalker "By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed..." + (show)
@windwalker

By now, most of you have received the news that our fearless mentor, Katherine has passed away. I feel certain this news has rocked the world of many of you; as it did mine. Some people have private messaged me wondering if she had succmbed finally to her bronchicstasis or MAC or pseudomonas. NO, she did not. Our condition is manageable. She contracted two more particularly nasty bugs of which were resistant to all antibiotics. I have been in touch with her son, Scott. He and I both believe she picked those bugs up when she was spending nights in the ICU with her husband and on many other trips with him in the hospital. These two particular ones are mostly acquired from hospital settings. They are super-bugs. When you hear of hospitalized people dying from pneumonia; this is what this super-bug is. I will give you the names of the bacteria for those of you that want to look it up. They are: Klebsiella pneumonia and Serratia Marcescens. These two are especially dangerous to people like us that are immunocompromised and have weakened or damaged lungs. We are the types that it likes to attack. People like us rarely survive this kind of infection. For the most part, they are antibiotic resistant. I am sharing this with you so that you know to avoid hospitals and convalescent homes whenever possible. Those can be dangerous places for us. I have a rule: I do not visit people in the hospital. I politely explain to them why I can't. We all thought the world of Katherine and prayed that she went peacefully. Her son confirmed that she did, she went in her sleep. Her interment and ceremony to celebrate her life will be on Sept. 2 at 2:00. If you can, I'd like for all of us to take pause at that time and honor her. I will post a reminder as that date gets closer. Hugs to all of you, Terri M.

Jump to this post

@windwalker So the bacteria is not in the water, but in the residue on surfaces?

REPLY
tdrell | @tdrell | Aug 16, 2017

Dear Windwalker Terri and everyone else....I have been reading in toto all of the postings/tributes ....in order...for our dearest departed Katherine.( I really do not have a focused system for accessing the connect site and only saw a brief posting when Katherine left us...not the tributes nor cause of death. So now all the pieces are put together re the loss) and all the wonderful comments left about Katherine are PERFECT.
The group needs to know....it is obvious that Katherine ( and no doubt Colleen) chose the perfect person as her sucessor in Terri Windwalker.
Example:Here she is...in pain from banging her body thanks to a bifocal caused misstep, she continues to be meticulous , compassionate, and articulate with all of us.
So....as we struggle with all the evils in our bodies, we forge ahead ...as Katherine and now Terri inspire and encourage us to do.
A reminder that I will be attending NJH NTM annual workshop for Patients/families on October 21 in Denver. Get questions ready as you think of them...so I can ask the experts. Last I checked speakers were not listed.
Dearest Katherine....your legacy continues.
Tdrell aka Terri

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6 replies
ling123 | @ling123 | Aug 16, 2017

@tdrell Terri, thanks for reminding us, while we are mourning the departure of beloved Katherine, we should not forget how much contribution her successor @windwalker Terri has already made to this group and the forum in the short time that she has taken over the mentoring role despite having to fight a valiant fight against her own illnesses. I, for one, am eternally grateful for all of the mentors and coordinators on this site who have selflessly and tirelessly made themselves available to all of us whenever we need them. Many hugs from me.

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