Cancer – Page 3 – Kate Kohler

KlangFest

Cancer, Gratitude, News / By Kate Kohler

Hello Everyone,

LAST CHEMO! For real this time! We’re sitting here at UCLA and I waited until the blood work came back and they will start it shortly.

There’s a tradition amongst chemotherapy patients that they get to ring a bell at the end of the chemo treatments! I’ll be ringing that bell this afternoon!

Ring a bell for me this afternoon if you want! Or just think of me around 3:00…

FROM MY DEAR FRIEND LAUREL

On Friday, June 30 at 4 P.M. MDT (3 P.M. PDT), I invite all the Friends of Kate (FOK!) to Klangfest. To celebrate Kate’s last chemo (hopefully), all of us FOKs, wherever we are, will be ringing bells, chimes, cymbals, banging on pots and pans, etc. Let’s make a joyful noise together!! FOK, forever!

Thanks for joining together in celebration,

Laurel Yost (FOK)

If you’d like to send me video or audio of your personal noise making, I’d love to see/hear it later!

Ringing the Bell!

Love,

Kate

Thanks to all KlangFest participants!
Videos and Pictures: Laurel Yost, Kathy Wietlispach, Bridget Barrett, Christian Knudsen, Anna Kohler and Georgie, and Lee Kohler

Responders with more private Klanging: Rob Kohler, Marjorie Kohler, Ken Kohler, Maria Kohler, David Illions, Judy Herr, Suzanne Lunak, Carol Lord, Lois Knudsen, Bob and Jean Peterson, Maja and Nealon Jeffers, Lynn Knudsen, Marianna Curry, Tove and Frank Hoch, Kim Alley , Michael Sieverts, Denis Buckle, and Ian Le Cheminant

Last Chemo… NOT

Cancer, Gratitude, Musings / By Kate Kohler

Update 6/23/23: Yeah, so every chemotherapy begins with blood work that measures a bunch of things, and today was no different. Except for the fact that my immune system had not recovered as much as they want it to recover between chemo infusions. So close! But just far enough that they sent me home and I will go back next Friday, which, if all goes well, will be my actual LAST CHEMO!

Tomorrow (6/23/23) is my last chemotherapy session. I will go to UCLA Oncology center and get infused with toxic chemicals (cancer killers) one last time! I’m excited to be done with this part. So, in that way I’m excited to go to my last session tomorrow. In other ways, I’m not excited. Chemo is like volunteering for the flu for a week. It will be fine. It will be just like the others before it and it will take me a week to feel better and another 2 weeks to have my immune system in good shape. And after that, I will be able to return to normal… whatever normal is these days…

In 3 to 4 weeks I will start a maintenance drug called Nariparib (Zejula). It is a relatively new drug that is classified as a PARP inhibitor. Look it up if you’re interested in the science… Basically it inhibits cancer cells and causes them to die. Hopefully this drug will keep me cancer free for a very long time. I will be taking this drug for 2 to 3 years. I can’t say I’m excited to be on a cancer drug, but I am excited to be alive and to stay alive!

I don’t know when I’ll feel like going back to some of my things, like chorus and in person lessons and traveling, but I think this summer will be a time of transition for all of these things. I’m sure looking forward to seeing some folks that I haven’t seen in a long time!

Oh, and I am excited to wish you all a Happy Pride Month!

Chemo Swag: Rainbow Bracelet, Rainbow Apple Watch Face and band, Ovarian Cancer Bracelet, Another Ovarian Cancer Bracelet, and two Morse Code Bracelets (Ask me what they mean if you want to know…)

Cancer Journals

Cancer, Gratitude, Musings / By Kate Kohler

Ribbons we all know about, but did you know that butterflies are also a common symbol for cancer patients?

There is a different color ribbon for almost each kind of cancer. Teal is for ovarian and cervical cancers. Pink is for breast cancer and they get the most press! I just saw a table devoted to breast cancer awareness at Trader Joe’s today… I tipped my teal ribbon decorated cap at the person at the table.

Cancer is tough and one of the ways that I’ve found to help get through it is journaling. Now, I actually journal mostly on my iPad because it’s usually handy and has a keyboard connected, but I used to journal exclusively on paper and I still love holding a book and a pen in my hands and marking those pages with colorful ink. So, to help others journal, I’ve put out three cancer journals on amazon (and when I get my copies, they’ll also be on my kohlermusicpress.com site).

These are the covers. Links are to amazon: Pink – breast cancer. Rainbow – any cancer. Teal – ovarian cancer.

And just so you’re aware of some of the big ones, here’s a picture: