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.

Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Oct 3, 2017

@Paula_MAC2007, Hi Paula. So good to hear from you. I hope you are recovering nicely from your surgery. I also hope your lungs are behaving. I sure that Katherine's passing came as quite a shock to you as it was to the rest of us. We all miss her so much. She was the kindest, most generous person. To me, she will always be the eternal flame to our MAC community. Blessings to you as well, Terri M.

Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Nov 23, 2018

In reply to @ling123 "@windwalker But Terri, the Wikipedia seems to suggest that Serratia Marcescens is the pink slime: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serratia_marcescens" + (show)

@margiebanks Hi Margie. Per our conversation earlier about pink slime. Her is a link to some that IS dangerous. This particular one is mainly found in hospitals, but I wouldn't rule out the pink in our own bathrooms being safe. Just keep the areas where you see pinkish bacteria growing in your bathroom sprayed with bleach. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serratia_marcescens

zoelife | @zoelife | Jul 1, 2021

In reply to @heathert "thanks Terri M, these superbugs are just awful! I feel for Kates husband, so sad. Thank..." + (show)

Sorry to hear about KateMN. I didn’t know her. Does anyone know how long she had klebsiella for before she passed away?

I am believing God for miraculous healing of Klebsiella infection ASAP myself. Last December I accidentally aspirated 2x (never happens) and as a result bacteria got into my lungs. I went to be seen at the ER & then the Pulmonologist, who at first thought it was asthma and I insisted IT IS NOT.

Finally in March this year I had a bronchoscopy and the Pulmonologist found klebsiella bacteria in my lungs. She prescribed me a strong antibiotic that has a black box warning which I declined and asked for a different antibiotic. So she provided me an alternative which I took for 10 days in April.

2.5 months later and I just started feeling like symptoms suddenly became more intensified so I will have pulmonologist set me up for another CT scan of my chest and maybe with contrast this time (since it’s been over 6 months since the last CT scan). That would be a lot better than another bronchoscopy. Although I must say I also accidentally aspirated 2 times in April also when I accidentally choked (which is rare for me).

Is it not a good sign that the pulmonologist I saw hasn’t reached out to check in outside of one call in June to see if I was going to schedule a follow up Appt soon. I had asked a few months back if she thought it good to give me a second dose of antibiotics if I didn’t see much improvement after the first dose but she declined. Is that the correct route a Doctor should take?

Question: does anyone know of the breakthrough antibiotic or microbe that has been found to get past Klebsiella’s resistance?

God’s got me. This bacteria is about to see who is more powerful - definitely not the bacteria. With God all things are possible. 🙏🏼 by His stripes we were healed.

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