Team Katie-O

Kaitlyn's Story

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For the first 11 years of her life, Kaitlyn Rose Okolita was a typical healthy girl.  She lived a normal life like any other 11-year-old child.  She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, going to school, playing softball and above all enjoyed life. This all changed when Kaitlyn started experiencing headaches, dizziness and a seizure in November 2013 resulting in an emergency room visit and follow ups with a pediatric neurologist.  During the next two weeks Kaitlyn continued to have headaches, dizziness and fatigue, while undergoing more testing. After an MRI revealed a mass legion in her head she was immediately admitted to the hospital for further evaluation and testing, and then the most unimaginable words came out of the Doctors mouth… "Your 11-year-old daughter has Brain Cancer"

Kaitlyn was diagnosed with a very rare type of brain cancer, Gliomatosis Cerebri (GC), and though inoperable due to the diffuse nature of the tumor, she bravely underwent aggressive therapy consisting of full brain radiation for over a month along with chemotherapy each day, followed by several cycles of chemotherapy.  She responded well to early treatment but later a solid mass developed in her brain, diagnosed as Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), eventually requiring surgery to alleviate her worsening symptoms and frequent seizures. 

After a yearlong battle and with much sadness, Kaitlyn lost her fight in November 2014.  Though no longer here on earth in person, her loving memory lives strong in every person whose life she has touched.