In 2004, Kaitlyn Dane was a junior in high school. While attending a class retreat, she developed a bad cough that lingered for a long time. Then it became painful to raise her arm over her head. About to leave for spring break, Kaitlyn’s parents took her to urgent care.
“That changed the course of my life,” explained Kaitlyn. “An X-ray showed a mass in my chest. My parents took me to my pediatrician the next day, who sent me to Advocate Children’s Hospital – Park Ridge for a biopsy.”
Once admitted, Kaitlyn and her family met with pediatric hematologist-oncologists Dr. William Goodell and Dr. Jong-Hyo Kwon. The test results came back, and the family received devastating news: Kaitlyn had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
She had to stay in the hospital for 10 days while undergoing her first rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, which aimed to shrink the tumor. The first round lasted a month and required weekly visits to the hospital after her initial stay.
“Advocate Children’s Hospital quickly began to feel like my home away from home. Everyone who cared for me was incredible.”
The first round of chemotherapy was a success, but it was not the end of Kaitlyn’s journey. In the months to follow, she needed a blood transfusion, which required an overnight stay at the hospital. She also had to have daily radiation treatments.
“It was extremely difficult to endure, especially because I started my senior year of high school, but at the same time, I was so that I had an amazing support system of family, friends and educators,” she shared. “Through it all, I was able to keep up with my classes, play volleyball, finish my senior year and graduate.”
As a cancer survivor, Kaitlyn knew she would need to navigate a lifetime of follow-up care. Shortly after starting her freshman year of college, she received a call from Julia Stepenske, RN, who told her about a new program Advocate Children’s Hospital was launching to help cancer survivors stay healthy after treatment: the Pediatric Oncology Survivors in Transition (P.O.S.T.) program.
For Kaitlyn, this would mean regular mammograms and EKGs, appointments with an endocrinologist and dermatologist, plus cardiac oncology care for late effects of treatment she received including the chemotherapy and radiation.
“This would have been an overwhelming process if not for all the support I received from the POST program. Julia is amazing. She made me feel so comfortable, and I felt like I could talk to her about anything. She helped schedule all my appointments – sometimes all in one day when I was on breaks. She made sure I never missed a beat.”
When a move to Spain took Kaitlyn thousands of miles from home, she was able to continue all of her follow-up appointments with Advocate specialists and even find resources she needed in Spain through the support of the POST program.
Now, nearly 20 years later, Kaitlyn has never had to see a specialist outside of Advocate for her care.
“I’ve always been in good hands. Every clinician I see today is a recommendation from Dr. Goodell and Julia,” said Kaitlyn. “I am very fortunate because all of my doctors are so great.”
Today, Kaitlyn is busy running her own business – a lifelong dream that brought her back to the Chicago area. And while she may not need pediatric care these days, she remains closely connected to those who cared for her as a teenager.
“I still talk to Dr. Goodell all the time. I joke that he will never be able to retire because I still want him involved in my care,” she smiled.
How you can help
Advocate Children’s Hospital is part of Advocate Health, a not-for-profit organization that relies on the generosity of donors to support many programs and services, including the P.O.S.T. program. Since its inception in 2004, the program has served 900 patients, and they never age out. To help kids – and adults – like Kaitlyn, please make a gift today.