Cornhole4Cancer
First off, thank you for attending The Cornhole 4 Cancer Fundraiser. We wanted to provide everyone with a little background about us and the reason we are holding this event.
Kati grew up in Parma, graduating from Holy Name. She went on to Ohio University and earned a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. She worked for the Cleveland Clinic after college, and now currently works as a Physical Therapist for Pleasant Lake Villa in Parma.
Jeff grew up in Maple Heights and graduated from Maple Heights High School. He joined the Army after graduation and served in the Infantry for three years. During this time he was deployed to the border of Kosovo and later served in Bosnia. Jeff later graduated from Kent State University earning a degree in Criminal Justice. Out of college, Jeff got a job with Progressive Insurance which he was able to turn into a successful career.
Jeff and Kati met through mutual friends in 2005. They dated for a little over a year before becoming engaged in 2006. They were married on April 28, 2007. In October of 2007, Kati and Jeff found that they were expecting their first child.
Everything was going according to plan until Jeff was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer in March of 2008. This was quite a shock as he had no history of Colon Cancer in his family. Jeff went in for immediate surgery and after an eleven-day hospital stay, Jeff returned home to begin his chemotherapy regimen.
Jeff started chemotherapy in the spring of 2008 with great results. The PET Scans showed no signs of cancer. Their son, Connor Jeffrey, was born June 3, 2008. He is what kept Jeff and Kati fighting every day.
He went in for a follow up surgery in April of 2009. After several complications, in June, a CAT scan showed that the cancer had returned and spread into both his lungs and liver.
Jeff began another round of chemotherapy a week after this diagnosis, and continued through the remainder of 2009. In April of 2010, another PET Scan showed that the tumors were growing in size and activity level. At this point they were advised that it would be a good idea to get their “affairs in order”.
Jeff began his fifth different form of chemotherapy in the summer of 2010, including a drug with a side effect which causes a bad acne-like rash. Jeff went back in for a PET Scan in August of 2010, and the results were encouraging as the tumors were shrinking in most areas.
Things then turned for the worse in January of 2011, when he developed jaundice as his liver was beginning to fail. After another week-long hospital stay, Jeff returned home under hospice care. He was home for three weeks and then moved to Holy Family Hospice where he was for four days.
On Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Jeff passed away with family and friends there by his side and is no longer suffering.
Kati and Connor are working to keep the fund-raising going. Jeff's first and foremost wishes were that Connor would be taken care of by the cornhole donations. While part of the money raised will go toward Connor's future expenses, the family has decided that they want to continue to give back to the Jimmy V Foundation and now to Holy Family Hospice as well. The donations raised will be split equally between the three.
Thank you for supporting us, along with this great cause. With your help, we hope there will be a cure for cancer in the near future!
Kati grew up in Parma, graduating from Holy Name. She went on to Ohio University and earned a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy. She worked for the Cleveland Clinic after college, and now currently works as a Physical Therapist for Pleasant Lake Villa in Parma.
Jeff grew up in Maple Heights and graduated from Maple Heights High School. He joined the Army after graduation and served in the Infantry for three years. During this time he was deployed to the border of Kosovo and later served in Bosnia. Jeff later graduated from Kent State University earning a degree in Criminal Justice. Out of college, Jeff got a job with Progressive Insurance which he was able to turn into a successful career.
Jeff and Kati met through mutual friends in 2005. They dated for a little over a year before becoming engaged in 2006. They were married on April 28, 2007. In October of 2007, Kati and Jeff found that they were expecting their first child.
Everything was going according to plan until Jeff was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer in March of 2008. This was quite a shock as he had no history of Colon Cancer in his family. Jeff went in for immediate surgery and after an eleven-day hospital stay, Jeff returned home to begin his chemotherapy regimen.
Jeff started chemotherapy in the spring of 2008 with great results. The PET Scans showed no signs of cancer. Their son, Connor Jeffrey, was born June 3, 2008. He is what kept Jeff and Kati fighting every day.
He went in for a follow up surgery in April of 2009. After several complications, in June, a CAT scan showed that the cancer had returned and spread into both his lungs and liver.
Jeff began another round of chemotherapy a week after this diagnosis, and continued through the remainder of 2009. In April of 2010, another PET Scan showed that the tumors were growing in size and activity level. At this point they were advised that it would be a good idea to get their “affairs in order”.
Jeff began his fifth different form of chemotherapy in the summer of 2010, including a drug with a side effect which causes a bad acne-like rash. Jeff went back in for a PET Scan in August of 2010, and the results were encouraging as the tumors were shrinking in most areas.
Things then turned for the worse in January of 2011, when he developed jaundice as his liver was beginning to fail. After another week-long hospital stay, Jeff returned home under hospice care. He was home for three weeks and then moved to Holy Family Hospice where he was for four days.
On Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Jeff passed away with family and friends there by his side and is no longer suffering.
Kati and Connor are working to keep the fund-raising going. Jeff's first and foremost wishes were that Connor would be taken care of by the cornhole donations. While part of the money raised will go toward Connor's future expenses, the family has decided that they want to continue to give back to the Jimmy V Foundation and now to Holy Family Hospice as well. The donations raised will be split equally between the three.
Thank you for supporting us, along with this great cause. With your help, we hope there will be a cure for cancer in the near future!
