Updated 7/2/09

Helping Other People in Emergencies

Kate's HOPE was founded in 2008 to help people facing life threatening illnesses get the financial help they need to continue treatment. The organization was named for and founded to help Kate O'Connor, a 37-year old single mom battling Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. It is Kate's dream that she will survive her fight with cancer and see her organization grow to help others in similar circumstances. In fact, HOPE stands for Helping Other People in Emergencies.

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Kate's Story

Up until a few years ago Kate O'Connor was an active mom, businesswoman and community volunteer. Raising her daughter, Shannon, by herself, Kate wanted to teach her daughter two things: to be self-sufficient and to give unselfishly, values Kate lives by herself.

When Kate was first diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare cancer usually found in adolescent males, she never thought she would still be fighting the disease five years later. In fact, her first round of treatment was so successful that the cancer was declared in remission and Kate returned to her job as a mortgage broker.

However, when the cancer returned it came back in a much more virulent form. Since then Kate has undergone chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and radical surgery – culminating in the removal of two-thirds of her left lung in September 2008.

With less than a year to live, Kate's doctors at the Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida recommended she undergo a stem cell rescue transplant. Although there was a good chance the treatment would successfully rid Kate of the cancer, her insurance company considered it an experimental treatment and would not cover the over $200,000 cost.

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Fortunately, the Moffit Cancer Center pledged a $100,000 matching grant to help cover the procedure. Friends of Kate, many of whom had worked with her at various community charities and fundraisers over the years, formed Kate's HOPE to raise money to pay for the procedure and hep with Kate and Shannon's living costs.

For the next few months community support poured out for Kate and Shannon. Although the group had not quite raised the full amount needed to pay for the procedure, in late November 2008 the Moffit Cancer Center agreed to move forward with the procedure. On December 8, 2008, Kate received a lifesaving stem cell rescue treatment.

Life did not immediately get easier for Kate after the treatment. She has been in constant pain since her surgery last September, and the intensive chemotherapy that is part of the stem cell rescue has caused chronic nausea. Already a petite woman, she lost more than forty pounds in two months. Many days, unable to get out of bed or even move without being consumed by nausea, she wondered if it was time to give up.

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Then in February of 2009 doctors found an antidote for the nausea. A steroid treatment has halted the nausea, restored her appetite, and even started to bring back her sense of taste. Pain medication has reduced the pain of her surgeries. She proudly reports that she has gained nine pounds. Most importantly, her will to fight is back and stronger than ever.

Most days Kate is up at five or six in the morning, making breakfast and getting Shannon ready for school. "I love getting up and doing things with her becasue I know we have that time now," she says. She also talks of getting back to work and volunteering again. "I'm ready to go back and make a difference," she says.

Of course there are many hurdles before Kate can return to the active life she once took for granted. Her body is severely weakened by the months of confinement to her bed. Her immune system is still drastically depleted, making even routine travel a dangerous risk. She isn't allowed to drive and doesn't have the energy to work. There are still over $50,000 in bills to be paid for treatment associated with the transplant.

Still, Kate O'Connor has something now that she did not have before – the hope of one day calling herself a cancer survivor, and the knowledge that with the help of you and Kate's HOPE money will never stand in the way of that dream.

You are Kate's HOPE

Your donation helps Kate and Shannon pay for medical treatment and living expenses, so Kate can share her hope with others,

• Donate in person to the "Kate O'Connor Trust Fund" at any branch of Seacoast National Bank

• Mail a check to the "Kate O'Connor Trust Fund" in care of:
  Miller Insurance, LLC
  8505 S. Federal Highway
  Port St. Lucie, FL 34952
  
  
• Donate online through Pay Pal:

• Shop online at Shoptoearn.net/shopforkate. A portion of your purchases from the Apple iTunes Store, Target.com, Walmart.com and many other online retailers will be donated to Kate's HOPE.
  
  
• Attend a Kate's HOPE event. Click here for a complete schedule.

Learn More

• Read Kate's News
  
  
• Subscribe to our mailing list at news@kateshope.com
  
  
• Contact Michelle Miller-Morris
  Michelle Miller - Morris
  Miller Insurance, LLC
  8505 S. Federal Hwy.
  Port St. Lucie, FL. 34952
  Phone - 772-873-3225
  Fax- 772-873-3078
  Cell - 772-370-5288
  trustee@kateshope.com