News – Page 5 – Kate Kohler

KlangFest

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

KlangFest Read More »

My Wig!

Cancer, Christian, Creative Process, Gratitude, Musings, News, Photos / Kate Kohler

Caring And Comfort (Savvy Wigs) sent me my wig in May after a little delay. One of the main wig makers just had a little delay, I mean, a baby! I’m excited for her and still waiting for those pictures… I’m so grateful to Caring and Comfort, Christian and my Mom for helping me obtain this wig. It’s made from my hair and made to look exactly like I used to look…

I do feel ambivalent about wearing it. I love it AND it makes me cry.

It’s all very interesting to have it arrive when the hair on my head was starting to grow back in earnest. Of course, now, it’s falling out again from this second batch of chemo rounds. When I got diagnosed and cut off all my hair, I felt empowered and I didn’t really mourn much about the loss of my hair for that first part of chemotherapy. Cutting it off was a way I could take control of this out-of-control situation. But now, having my wig, and having my hair fall out a second time… I am mourning, more than I expected.

Here’s my journal entry from the day I received my wig (edited for language):

I got my wig. My hair. My hair all tied up in knots on lace that fits over my bald head. It’s emotionally very strange to suddenly have my hair back, but it’s not actually attached to my head. It does look uncannily like me. Or at least how I used to look. I’m not sure I look like that anymore. Which is maybe why it’s emotional. Why my hair got to be this symbol of something bigger, some letting go. Some mourning of a past self that will never exist again, cancer free and ignorant of the possibility of cancer. I am forever changed. It seems like a cliche, but it’s also a truth. I will never be the same again, cancer changed me. Physically, some of which I will recover from and the visible scars will be few. Emotionally, most of which will follow me until I’m gone. I want to travel and see my family more, I want to do the things I’ve dreamed of and never acted on. I want to do more of the same things I’m doing anyway, because I do love music, writing music, teaching music, performing music. My hair. My identity. My look. My sexuality. My quirk. My recognizable trait. My hair.

Picture of Kate looking uncannily like her old pre-cancer self with long wavy hair. Yes, this is my wig!

I am grateful and I am healing and I am hopeful…

My Wig! Read More »

Recovery

Creative Process, Gratitude, Musings, News, Teaching / Kate Kohler

It’s been 4 weeks since my major abdominal surgery. I can say that I am recovering well and getting stronger each day. I knew it would be hard, but I really had no idea how hard. Not being able to move like I’m used to has got me feeling frustrated, but determined and maybe a little bit sad. I can say overall though, I am completely relieved to be done with the surgery portion of my treatments and grateful to be recovering as my doctors expected. Now I just get to be nervous about the rest of chemotherapy…

Since surgery, each day had its milestones. Walking is the most obvious indicator of my progress… The first week, or most of it anyway, I was in the hospital. I was able to get up and stand late the same day of surgery, but I was unable to walk anywhere as I was dizzy and nauseous, but the second day I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom leaning on my hospital wheels, on the third day I was able to walk to the bathroom without wheels, and the days after that I was taking a lap or two around the nurses station after every bathroom journey. The first week home from surgery had me even more responsible for getting up and out of bed for various reasons. After a couple of days home, I walked around my short block once and after a few more days I walked around my long block. Now, though I’m still slow, I’m making daily trips to the coffee shop and around the block a couple of times a day, increasing speed incrementally.

Apple Watch keeping track of my steps, relatively steadily increasing from April 17th (I didn’t wear my Watch in the hospital).

Some Random thoughts:

Roxy has been my constant companion, willing to nap with me anytime of the day! Kitty Cats are the best… My bed has become my office away from my office, so I’m sitting in bed right now and Roxy is lying next to me as I write this, vaguely annoyed by the tapping of the keys, but happy to be snuggled up by my side.

Started teaching my piano students (virtually still) on May 1st. I have to be careful how I sit, but I seem to have enough energy and focus, and I do enjoy helping students move through their difficulties and into the music!

I watched a lot of TV (still am, so send those light and funny recommendations)… I watched all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I recommend it to everyone! Although it’s technically a kids show, it’s very deep and lovely in it’s idealism, and since I saw most of it years ago, it was the perfect show to have on while resting in bed and dozing off and on.

Well, that’s all for now, but I will report more soon!

❤️ Kate

Recovery Read More »