Katherine Westervelt

Kathy,

 our prayers and thoughts are with you.  We have added you to our prayer list.

Kathye,

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Owen Dunsdon

I was very sorry to learn of your battle with cancer but, now that I know, will definitely be keeping you in my prayers for a speedy and full recovery.

God bless!

Mark Thompson

December 10, 2009

Kathy's husband Andy sent the following update.

Friends,
 
Kathy and I are in Orlando where she has been admitted to the MD Anderson Center for a compression fracture of one of her vertebrae.  While she is resting comfortably, she has been in quite a bit of pain.  We were here to complete her chemo treatment before the holidays and that's when they discovered the fracture.
 
We are weighing options - surgery/radiation - to avoid comprimising the spinal cord.  No real good news from any of the scans or MRI's, so the road is no shorter.  Tough to go through the holidays like this - but we know there is a plan.
 
We thank each and every one for all the positive thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming!!  We believe in miracles and the Lord has one headed our way.  As Jim Valvano once pledged - we will never give up!
 
God Bless you and your families during this holiday season!
 
Andy

Kathy....you have so many people thinking and praying for you.  I too am thinking of you and your family.  Andy is a terrific support, and you have a terrific attitude.  Continue to stay positive, uplifted and WARM....It certainly is cold in our corner of the world!  Merry Christmas and a Blessed New year!  Paula

Andy sent the following message on December 20, 2009

Re: Kathy

Bonnie,

Thanks for you call the other day and the beautiful flowers that were sent.  Ican't tell you how much they meant to Kathy.  As I told you, we have good days and some not so good, but we remain positive and focused on getting better.

We are hoping to have her out of the hospital tomorrow and back to our son's home in Orlando.  We are having Christmas here and the whole family will be here.  There will be a decision made after the first as to whether surgery will be required to correct a compression fracture in her back.  After that we hope to return home to Arkansas.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers!

Andy

The following message was sent on the 26th of December by Kathy's husband, Andy.

Friends,
 
Kathy and I hope each of you and your family had a joyous holiday season. 
 
We did everything we could to get Kath home for Christmas and she made it home to Chris' on the 23rd.  She had a couple of good days until early Christmas morning when she had a relapse of severe pain in her back and abdomen which required a trip back to the hospital.  She has been admitted and the doctors are doing what they can to provide her pain relief.
 
Unfortunately, I have little good news to report from the most recent scans and we keep praying for that miracle.  We are blessed to have our family here for the holidays - Chris, Sarah, Randy (Kathy's brother), and my Dad and Mom. Kathy's other brother - Russell will be here tomorrow.
 
Please continue to keep Kath in your prayers, she has more fight in her than anyone I have ever known.  She continues to amaze me every day with her strength and faith.
 
Take care and God Bless,
 
Andy
 

it is wonderful you have everyone with you during the holidays...

cannot describe how sorry we are & hope you continue to be strong  & beat this visious beast, cancer ...it has touched us all in 1 way or another....i have been involved with the "relay for life " here in grand junction & years back in rifle. i will continue that support & you are at the top of our prayer list....    i'm sure  that everyone would agree that nothing would make us happier than to see you & andy at our next event...

hooray for "the jimmy v foundation "

be strong

denis olshove & family

Kathy and family,

My prayers continue to be with you through this ordeal. You have so many people pulling and praying for you. I remember you as such a spunky person full of fire and life so I know that you can beat this thing. 

God bless you and be with you through this. We love you!

Kathy (Hougland) Trauger

Kathy's husband Andy sent the following e-mail this morning, January 1, 2010

Friends,
 
We have placed Kathy in a Hospice Care facility nearby.  Her condition continues to worsen as the cancer has become quite aggessive.  Pain management has become our top priority.  She rests comfortably most of the time, but must be kept on pain meds consistently.
 
This is a difficult time and we are thankful for our many friends and the support and love that we have experienced over the past months.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers.
 
God Bless,
 
Andy

The following is a poem that Kathy had sent me a while back.  I put it on the site for a while but she didn't want people to feel sorry for her or get the wrong idea so I took it off.  I am putting it back on now because I really think that it fits Kathy's attitude and fight.

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given
 three months to live. So she was getting her things "in order." She contacted her pastor
 and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her formal wishes. She told
 him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and
 what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her
 favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the
 woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing,"
 she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the
 woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood
 looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?"
the woman said. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," responded the pastor.
The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I
always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone
would inevitably lean over and say, 'keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I
 knew that something better was coming; like velvety chocolate cake or a dish of apple
pie.  Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in
the casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?"
Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep Your Fork ---the best is yet to come.'" The pastor's
eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew this would
be one of the last times he would see her before her death. He also knew that the woman
had a solid grasp on life that is yet to be. She KNEW that something wonderful was
coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress
she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork in her right hand. Over and over the
pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" Repeatedly he smiled. During his funeral
meditation he told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before
she had died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The
pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and suggested that
they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you, oh so gently, that the
best is yet to come. 
 

Kathy

Great story I am so glad you shared it with us.

Betty Gregg

Great message.  I love it!

Kohler

Kathy - I just wanted you to know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.  I went through cancer with my father and it is a tough journey.  I admire your strength and I know you have fought the fight with dignity.  May God hold you tight in his arms and give you peace.

Bonnie Wheeler Settle

We received the following message from Andy on January 3, 2010

Thanks for your note. Please send cards to our home in Batesville, Ar - 50 Liberty Lane 72501. Our daughter forwards the mail and I will get it here. As for the charity, Kathy has always been very supportive of our Battered Women's Shelter and the Humane Society. She would certainly appreciate support of these types of organizations.

Thanks so much for your concern and prayers,

Andy

January 4, 2010

It is with very deep sorrow that I have to post this last note that came from Andy this morning.

Dear Friends,
 
This is the hardest message I will ever convey - Kathy passed away this morning in a deep peaceful sleep.  She fought a magnificent battle and never gave up the fight.  She is the most beautiful person I will ever know.  She loved life and lived it to the fullest.  God has gained a wonderful angel.
 
I want to thank each and every one of you for all the love and support you have shown throughout the past months and I will be forever grateful.  We could never have fought the battle in the way we did without the the help of so many.
 
She lived her last months in her most special place - on the beach.  It's where our marriage began 33 years ago and always had a special place in our hearts.
 
As you can imagine, I miss her terribly and life will never be the same - but she is finally without pain.
 
Love to all and I will forward Batesville service arrangements as soon as I can.
 
Andy