03/06/2026
Katie participates in RTCS Austin in honor of her mother.
Before I ever signed up for a race, I walked beside my mother through the fight of her life. The Sarcoma Foundation of America Race for the Cure in Austin is more than an event to me — it is a tribute to my mother, Donna. In 2018, she was diagnosed with an atypical fibrohistocytic neoplasm with necrosis — a rare cancer that would quietly change the course of our lives. After treatment, she was declared cancer-free. We were told there was only a 0.01% chance it would return after five years of remission.
But in April 2023, that unlikely became our reality. Donna was diagnosed with high-grade (G-3), stage 4 sarcoma in her lungs, and the fight became urgent. Because of the rarity of her recurrence, she was accepted into a clinical rial in Los Angeles, California. When heart complications began, she was transferred to another clinical trial in Texas, allowing her to continue fighting while being closer to home.
In January 2025, she reached 90 days of remission — a milestone that gave us hope. However, the battle ultimately proved too much for her earthly body. On March 4, 2025, she went to be with her Lord and Savior. To honor her fight, I joined the committee with SFA to help bring the Race for the Cure to Austin. Walking this race alongside my family and friends is how I carry her forward. Sarcoma may have altered her story, but it did not define my mother — her courage did. Every step I take is for her, for the love she poured into our family, and for the hope that continued research and awareness will change the future for another family facing this diagnosis.
Join Katie and others impacted by sarcoma at RTCS Austin on March 21!
Register here: https://buff.ly/3qrYPjF
