Cancer and Clinical Services Patient Stories

Happily married with two wonderful daughters, extremely active and an accomplished executive at a large central Ohio corporation, Kathy Koontz was enjoying true success in all aspects of her life. She felt busy, complete and fulfilled.

Then something went wrong. Kathy could feel it in her body — her liver became enlarged. She couldn’t eat and experienced swelling throughout her body. Kathy knew it wasn’t normal, and her husband, a registered nurse, agreed. They were determined to find out what was going on.

After numerous and often long and frustrating tests, Kathy’s gastroenterologist referred her to The James, who diagnosed Kathy with a rare blood disorder called AL amyloidosis.

“[They] diagnosed me, got me into treatment and [are] responsible for me being alive today,” Kathy said.

And while the diagnosis was grave, Kathy explained that once she finally knew what it was, she then knew what to fight, and they finally had a plan of action. “It was the end of searching for answers and the beginning of moving beyond it,” she said.

“So many doctors were involved,” she continued. “It was this broad team of specialists that were all focused on their (particular) part of my care and working together to see if it would holistically contribute to recovery. They were invested in me as a whole person — engaging and caring.”

Kathy began a month of outpatient chemotherapy twice a week at The James. She was also determined to join her family’s ski vacation before coming back for the second part of her treatment, a stem cell transplant. “I wasn’t 100%,” she said. “Maybe 40%, but I wanted to spend this time with my family.” So, she went.

Upon her return, Kathy received the stem cell transplant, and while there were a few post-transplant complications, she fought through them, went through rehabilitation and came out victorious. Then, she was back to her beautiful life.

“All these specialists came together and brought this great depth of knowledge to bear in some collaborative ways — all designed to help me recover and return to as full a life as medical science could provide me,” she explained. “That’s what stood out at The James.

"Honestly,” she continued, “I can say life is better than before. I am physically able to do everything that I could do before, professionally and with my family. I have made great friends through this process — an experience that has let me clearly understand what is important in life, and I can live a much fuller life having been through that. And because of the care at The James, I can do it without any limitations. A miracle.”