A mother’s inspirational skin cancer battle
Katie was a beautiful young mother of the three in the UK who died in late February of Melanoma. When I saw the story below, I tracked down her blog “Katies Fight” and it was truly devastating, sad, beautiful, and inspiring to read. She documents the short two years of her battle with unbelievable grace and wit. It was very scary to read how she went from Stage III in July 2008 to Stage IV in October 2009, and so quickly to her death last month. For me, her story was somewhat comforting because she accepted death so bravely and I really admire that.
I hesitate when posting these stories. It is the outcome we fear the most and it is very hard to read something that doesn’t have a happy ending – especially for those battling Melanoma. I am sorry for that. But I do it to show people that this cancer can affect anyone. I do it to make people understand. And I do it because we can all learn from her journey – it is one we all will face in some way or another.
Article was from the BBC:
Doctors never discovered the mole that led to 37-year-old Katie Pratt’s skin cancer.
The first the mother-of-three knew about it was when she had developed malignant lumps in her neck.
Friends and family were inspired by her courageous fight with the disease, which she chronicled in a regular blog.
But two years later Katie was dead…read the rest
Katie’s Blog – “Katies Fight”
Em and Michael's Blog 
this was so hard for me to read. one month ago marcus was fine-you wouldn’t have even known he had melanoma…..today, he can barely breathe and needs a walker to walk…..melanoma sucks beyond words.
March 20, 2010 at 5:16 am
I know…I am so sorry. What saddens and frusterates me the most is the delay you have experienced getting the BRAF medicine. I have heard so many stories about how it helps people turn around so quickly within a week or two. I know it would help him feel so much better. Tell him to hold on and not to give up.
March 22, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Cancer is a hard journey to go through, one of the hardest thing is no-one has any answers, I take solace now that there seems to be some huge leaps being taken in medical science to combat this devastating disease. I went through breast cancer two years ago and found the only way to get through it is to find your own answers, that is not easy and takes time.
Tracey
October 26, 2010 at 8:13 am
Dear Family,
I have just keyed in my daughter’s name ‘Katie Pratt’ and found a lead to your blog. I am so sorry that you are also affected by this terrible life-threatening disease and want you to know that we, all our family, will be praying for you.
Katie was and still is, our darling oldest daughter: we are blessed to have two sons and our youngest daughter Jane, who is ten years younger than Katie. We have always been a strong family but this experience and the love that has grown through Katie’s inspirational fight and its documentation, have brought is even closer together. We were all there together at the end to say goodbye and Katie’s three children saw her after she was laid out. She looked like the Sleeping Beauty and we had a fantastic send- off for her at her THanksgiving Service followed by a super party that Katie had organinsed (although she had been hoping to be there).
What I want to say to you is that thoughts and prayers can come from all over the world and be a tremendous help. Katie derived so much of her strength through the comments made by strangers as well as family and friends. Also, never give up hope: you are in the best country in the world for research into melanoma; there are drug trials to prolong life which even then might have helped Katie to live a little longer.
As I used to say to Katie if ever she was ‘down’, none of us knows what tomorrow will bring so live life to the full each and every day. She did, but she also knew what she was going to miss.
Sophie, Sam and Evie are doing well. I am looking after them and Giles mother will also do her share from tomorrow. They are well-adjusted and were very well prepared by Katie, Giles and all our family, THey are loved so much and life continues as normal every day BUT we never stop talking about their Mummy, sharing photos and films of her with them. They say ‘goodnight’ to Mummy every night when they go to bed and if you ask Evie, now 2 years old, where her Mummy is she says ‘in the sky!’
They all have Memory trunks containing hand-prints, photos special things and a copy each of the blog that one of our sons, Tom, transferred to a ‘word’ document.
At the end of the month we are all running the Bupa 10k run in London to support the Hospice where Katie died: Katie herself had been training to try to emulate her brothers who ran the London marathon last year. HSe will be with us in spirit and on our T-shirts.
All the very best with your fight- keep positive and live life to the full!
Love Marian(Katie’s Mum)
May 9, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Dear Marian
Thank you so much for your note. Your daughter was such an inspiration and I think of her often as she faced her battle with such grace. I see where she got that from! She was lucky to have you and such a strong family and network of friends. That is so important. I am glad the children are doing well. We are taking your advice and trying to live every day to the fullest. As someone who has recently lost a loved one to this horrible disease, I hope you can also send a note to Mindy who lost her husband Marcus last month. She read Katie’s story. Maybe you have some advice for her as she struggles with her loss . Her blog is http://melanomawife.blogspot.com/ . Sharing with others who are experiencing the same pain is very healing. That’s why I have this blog.
Love,
Emily
May 10, 2010 at 4:37 pm