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When local entrepreneur Kathy Kuhl heard the words “You have a cancer tumor on your spinal cord,” she went from living life to the fullest to realizing that, post-surgery, she may never walk again.
It was a shock for Kuhl, an avid runner and dog lover who was busy running her candle company, NelliDesigns—which sells candles dedicated to pets that remind us to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
After a long surgery to remove the tumor, Kuhl was left with a rare diagnosis: a grade-two intramedullary ependymoma. There’s a one-in-a-million chance of diagnosis with this tumor type. She woke to find she had loss of mobility and feeling from her diaphragm to her toes. Years of rehabilitation were ahead.
Now, nearly nine years later, Kathy still deals with loss of sensory nerve function from the diaphragm down. She continues her recovery from the surgery with determination, combined with support from family and friends. With the Givens Brain Tumor Center and Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, she has learned to walk again and enjoy life with her “new normal.”
This is where WalkTalkConnect comes in. Kuhl and her husband created the nonprofit so no one has to feel alone in the recovery process and beyond. The goal is to encourage patients, families, friends, and those in the medical field to connect with one another. Support, information, and resources can then be shared through those connections.
This year marks the sixth annual WalkTalkConnect event, where patients, families, friends, and medical professionals gather to connect over a common cause. WalkTalkConnect has honored the work of the Givens Brain Tumor Center on behalf of brain and spinal cord tumor patients and caregivers by raising funds at events since 2018. This year’s events include a 5K walk, book sale, opportunity to learn more about these tumors and what is being done from leaders of the Givens Brain Tumor Center, and more.
Last year marked the launch of the new book “ReConnected: Stories from Spinal Cord Tumor Patients” by Dawn Standera. Kuhl and Standera met seven years ago after Standera published her own story in “ReWired,” and they have supported each other’s work ever since. Standera is from Bemidji and is a fellow spinal cord tumor survivor who shares the vision and goal to arm those affected by these rare tumors with the information they need to live their best life despite side effects from the tumors and treatment.
This book, their newest collaboration, is their best work yet. Books will be available for purchase at WalkTalkConnect, with proceeds going to the Givens Brain Tumor Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
WalkTalkConnect
Sunday, August 20, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Pique Travel, Excelsior
Registration is $35
