Consider buying something from Kaitlin & Brian's Amazon Wishlist

❤️ Also: Even after three years of being in and out of recovery/treatment, Kaitlin still LOVES receiving flowers. Please send me an e-mail (pearadj@gmail.com) if you’d like to volunteer to send her flowers, and I will be in touch to help coordinate delivery. We would love to space out the flower deliveries so that she receives them periodically throughout her treatment and not all at once, and then not at all.

Summary:

Kaitlin Neu, elementary school teacher and newlywed, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in January 2022. She spent that entire year battling it through chemotherapy and invasive surgery. In October 2023, after one year in recovery, we received the unhappy news that the cancer has returned and Kaitlin will soon begin chemotherapy again. We are devastated.

Kaitlin has relocated back to Denver to receive treatment and her husband, Brian, will accompany her as her primary caretaker for as long his U.S. visa allows.

We ask that you consider donating to cover her housing, transportation, and medical costs.

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Friends, family & community -

I write this update with a heavy heart, as Kaitlin is preparing to start chemotherapy for a second time on Monday, Nov 27, in order to fight against the tumor that has regrown on her left leg and spread aggressively into her lungs.

As there are many new faces learning about Kaitlin and Brian’s journey for the first time, I will take a step back and tell their story from the beginning. Thank you in advance for those who have been following along with us for the past two years.

Kaitlin moved to Mexico City in 2015 to work as a primary school teacher at an international school, and soon after met Brian, a Mexico City local. The couple dated for 4 years, much of which was long distance, as Kaitlin returned to Denver to accompany her father through his own successful cancer battle. In January 2022, less than a year after their wedding, Kaitlin was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer), an exceptionally rare form of cancer that affects only 800 new patients per year in the U.S. As a point of comparison, 300,000+ new breast cancer patients are identified annually in the U.S.

Kaitlin spent the next 9 months in Colorado undergoing a brutal chemotherapy regimen, generally being the first to arrive and the last to leave the chemo clinic. Simultaneously, she also had her knee and part of her tibia surgically removed in order to attack the tumor itself, the recovery of which was excruciating and generally takes years.

Having completed chemo in September 2022, Kaitlin and Brian returned to Mexico where they hoped to live a quiet life working remotely from their cozy home, spending time with family, and taking their dog on walks. Kaitlin continued to work toward recovery from the surgery on her leg, making progress in small milestones by climbing stairs and riding a stationary bike. To our disappointment, in February 2023 a cancerous nodule was detected and then surgically removed from Kaitlin’s lung. Her doctors warned her that if any other signs of cancer were detected, she would have to go through chemo again.

Kaitlin’s mobility continued to improve, and the couple made trips to a few Mexican beach towns, celebrating the anniversaries and birthdays they had missed while she was in treatment. They even fulfilled a lifelong dream by moving to Queretaro, a sunny city in central Mexico, in June 2023. Shortly after the move, however, Kaitlin’s health started to decline.

Following a small fall, Kaitlin began to experience excruciating pain in her leg once again, and much of the progress she had made in her post-surgery recovery was backtracked. Her quarterly scan in October showed the news that no one was ready to hear: Kaitlin’s tumor had returned in its original spot on her leg, and in addition has spread aggressively into her lungs. Aside from pain caused by the tumor, Kaitlin has been experiencing tiresome secondary symptoms including non-stop fevers and a chronic cough.

So, here we are again. On Monday, Kaitlin will start chemo for a second time. Initially for six months. Maybe longer. Those of you that have experienced cancer up close understand that the physical toll that Kaitlin is experiencing is coupled by an equally grueling psychological toll.

Despite the obvious bad, bad news, we have much to be grateful for. While osteosarcoma is an overwhelmingly rare diagnosis, Kaitlin has been working with a team of excellent doctors who are specialists in the disease (and they are all women!). Her family support in Colorado is extraordinary and, having battled cancer in the family before, they are well-equipped to handle a crisis. While insurance is a pain, most of her treatment will be covered financially.

However, there are many (many!) costs that will fall onto Kaitlin and Brian. During her first round of chemo in 2022, Kaitlin and Brian jumped from house to house of different relatives across Colorado. While they are forever grateful to the loved ones that opened their homes to them, the couple hopes to sublease an apartment close to the chemo clinic in Denver in order maintain a sense of stability and independence.

The average price for an apartment in Denver is $2,000/month, and the disability payments that the couple will be supported by may not even reach that figure. Brian will be acting as Kaitlin’s caretaker for as long as his visa allows him to stay in the United States, as he is unable to legally work in the country. They are also hoping to purchase a car to transport Kaitlin to and from her treatment, and are facing elevated travel and medical costs.

When Kaitlin first received her diagnosis 2 years ago, many of you generously made donations. From Kaitlin, me and her whole family - THANK YOU.

Unfortunately, their battle continues, and they are in need of financial support. Please consider making a donation to this worthwhile couple so that they can set aside financial stress and focus on Kaitlin’s road to recovery.

With gratitude,

Deirdre Josephine

A Second Cancer Diagnosis: Kaitlin Neu Donation Page

By Deirdre Josephine Peara

A Second Cancer Diagnosis: Kaitlin Neu Donation Page

2 years after her initial diagnosis, Kaitlin will be restarting chemotherapy.