Kateen Solberg
This web site has been developed in an effort to keep friends and family updated as to Kateen's progress as she battles Necrotizing Fasciitis (The Flesh Eating Bacteria)
***Click here for Latest update on Kateen***This page has the chronological updates documenting Kateens road to recovery
with Necrotizing Fasciitis 3-23-2007 through 10-18-2007
October 18,2007,
Up date from Kateen
Hello All! Oh my goodness! Has it really been a month since I wrote the last update? Life has seemed to pick up speed and is quickly getting away from me. I apologize for my silence..... (more below)
Kateen now has an interactive page on Carepages.com where you can leave her a message. Carepages.com is a site devoted to Support and Community for people coping with illness. Read the April 23rd, 2007 pm up date for instructions on how to use the site and leave Kateen a message.
Scroll from top down to read the chronological updates in order!
Click here to read chronological updates --- 2-25-2007 through 3-18-2007
Click here to read chronological updates --- 3-23-2007 through 10-18-2007
Scroll down for the most up to date news about Kateen
Kateen, as you may know, was in England (Holmsted Manor) volunteering for"Youth with a Mission" (YWAM). She had participated last year and was asked to return this year as a group leader. Kateen is 19 years old and a Graduate of Tonasket High School, in Washington State.
Sunday (2-25-07) she was admitted to the hospital in England with pneumonia and about the same time a suspicious area of her leg was discovered. By Monday (2-26-07) morning it was identified as Necrotizing Fasciitis ( www.nnff.org ~ see what is NF??) and her leg was removed above the knee. She spent several days in an induced. As of Wed. (2-28-07) there has been no sign of further infection, including today's procedure. They had intended to return her to consciousness today, however it was late, she experienced significant pain and they elected to wait until tomorrow. On Sunday (3-04-07) They brought Kateen out of her induced coma, removing her feeding tube and oxygen tubes and began the next stage of her rehabilitation, confident that there was no further sign of any infection.
Kateen was admitted at Harborview Medical Center, where she has and will undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries over the next months.
The full chronological diary of her past few three month have been moved so to make this page more manageable for those looking for the newly posted updates about her progress.
Click here to read chronological updates --- 2-25-2007 through 3-18-2007
1) How did Kateen get this? Unknown at this time. There was no know surface wound or place of introduction.
2) Why? A mystery that may someday reveal itself. Yet everyone that knows Kateen believes she will become an example for all of us.
3) Which leg? Left. We are searching for an automatic transmission to replace her clutch Toyo PU.
May 23rd, 2007
Kateen and I went to my dads this past weekend. I just thought I would let you all know how that went. We stayed at my dads, like we always do when we go over there. It was his birthday, so it was good to spend some time with him. We didn't do much on Saturday. We went to the mall so I could buy some very wanted jeans. We went with Leif, our brother, too. It was enjoyable, but I think Kateen got tired quite quickly. Later in the evening, we went to dinner with the whole family to celebrate my dads birthday. We went to a Mexican restaurant that Kateen hadn't been to for awhile.
On Sunday we went to church at Timberlake. Kateen saw a LOT of people that she hadn't seen since she left for England. I know she really enjoyed her time there. I always love going to Timberlake. However, it makes me miss when we were younger and attended every Sunday with families like the Wishams and the Berrys. Kateen agreed. We miss attending a lot. Any ways, we got out of there pretty late because Kateen talked with so many people. After church, we went to lunch with April. We went to Rubys Diner, a restaurant at Redmond Town Centre. I always enjoy spending time with my second mom! After lunch, we went back to my dads and got ready to head back over to Tonasket. We got to Tonasket at about 9:30. It was a tiring Monday, but the weekend was great.
Well, I think that's about all I wanted to tell you all. I hope you are all enjoying the warm weather that some of us are experiencing. We appreciate all of your continuing support. Kateen still has a long road to recovery, and all the support has and will make it a lot easier for her.
Any ways, have a great rest of the week. Emily
p.s. Kateen loves reading her CarePage! Thank you for all of the comments you left her :)
May 30th, 2007 -- Greetings
I apologize for the time it has taken to get an update to you. With Emily wrapping up her high school years and heading towards graduating and getting Kateen to her many appointments, I'm afraid I have been a little slow in getting Kateens progess to you. Kateen had a busy week with an appointments. One to our local Dr Tuesday, as well as a trip over the mountains to see Dr Ryan Blanck who is helping her with the preparation for her prosthesis on Thursday. The prosthesis appointment was to fit socks for her left leg that will help shape and prepare the leg for the prosthesis. Kateen was fitted with an inner sock that has a firm cap on it and goes aproximately 6 inches up the leg. This is made out of a "neoprene" like product that has mineral oil in it. By allowing there to be pressure on the leg, it starts to work on de-sensitizing the leg. The nerves that were sending signals to her foot have all been gathered towards the back area of her leg and ends where the knee would have started. As one Dr stated, they are all side by side and they are not happy about it and they are letting Kateen know it in the phantom pains she experiences. So this inner sock will put constant pressure on those nerves. It will also allow her to start to massage her leg and work at adding pressure to the end of her leg. Then there is an outer sock that covers this inner sock, that covers and shapes the entire leg. Ryan asked Kateen to leave these socks on for 2 hours. At the end of 2 hours though, there was a blister that had formed on the leg under the inner sock. Since it was a holiday weekend, we treated the blister and didn't attempt to have her wear it till we spoke with Ryan. He now has decided we needed to start out at 20 mins and work slowly up. Her new skin just is not hardened enough to handle the 2 hours. As you might guess this was another time of mixed emotions for Kateen, as she so badly wants to move forward and sees progress in doing so, but is limited by her own body.
On the "fun" side of the trip, we had dinner again with Leif and then Kateen went to a movie and spent the night with her good friend Oly. I was pampered by Craig to a night out listening to Micheal Franks at our favorite Jazz restaurant. Our holiday weekend was laid back with our friend April traveling to be with us. We did what girls do best. Eat, talk, shop and eat some more. Prayer would be for the Lord to come along side Kateens emotions, and allow her to work through the set backs, as well as the loss issues. She will be interviewed on a local radio station tomorrow morning, to promote a benefit lunch for her on Sunday. Please pray that the Lord would give her the peace and words, and that He would be glorified through this interview. Please pray too for Emily and that she would enjoy this last week of her high school classes. I will touch base again soon. With Love and Gratitude Rhonda
June 1st, 2007 Kateen went on the radio yesterday morning to be interviewed and promote the benefit for her on Sunday. She felt good about the way it went. She had a strength and peace and the words came to her easily. Thank you to all who prayed. We pray the Lords works in her life and this event were represented through her words. We pray the outcome at the benefit will be positive as well. We are overwhelmed to see the outpouring of family and community once again for Kateen's benefit. Awesome is the only word that comes to mind. Kateen was blessed by a surprise visit from her cousin Nathan who schools in New Mexico. He, his fiance, and his friends got in the car yesterday from Carnation (4-5 hour drive) and arrived around 2:30. They goofed with Kateen and Emily and caught up on life together. It was therapeutic to hear the girls laughter. We all had dinner and visited somemore until they got back in the car and headed off to Carnation at around 10:00pm. It was a very enjoyable evening.
A note about the upcoming benefit. There was interest by 2 women in our church to raise money that could be used for the prosthesis process. They have organized a benefit luncheon with Silent and Live Auction on Sunday the 3rd from 12:00 - 2:00 pm. Community, family and friends have come together and volunteered items, food and help in having this event for Kateen. They have appropriately named the benefit " A Step Forward " The Lutheran church has a program named Thrivent that will match funds to 1000.00. You may understand how humbling this has been for us to experience this love that has been poured out to us. Words can't capture our gratitude. Blessings to you Rhonda and family
Monday, June 4th
WOW! Thanks to all of our friends, family, and community members, Kateen's benefit auction went VERY well. The goal of the auction was to raise $10,000 for her prosthetic leg. Well, I am pleased to announce that the total for the auction was $12,400!!! We are so absolutely amazed at how the Lord provides for us in this time. It is just amazing that we could raise that much money in just a couple of hours! Thank you very much for coming and for donating items to the auction.
A special thanks to Erica, Tanya, and their families for working so hard to put everything together. It was a great success thanks to them! Also, thank you so much to our church family and everyone else who helped out at the auction. All the love and hard work that was poured into this auction is just wonderful. Thank you soo much! God Bless you all.
I am sure you will hear my moms words of gratitude just as soon as she gets her hand on a computer :) Emily
June 6th
Wow ~ I don't think I could say it any better than Em did. We are so awe-struck of how our community has come alongside Kateen and our family in this journey. We are truly blessed to be living in such a place of love and support. The money that was raised was incredible, but I believe we were more inspired to witness the many many people who ventured out to this benefit, as well as all that volunteered to create it. We had one retired couple who lived an hour away and had seen Kateen at the Dr's and then read of her benefit and traveled just to support us. (Thank you Charles and Louise, it meant so much that you did).
Our sights are now looking towards Kateen's healing her leg to be able to proceed with the prosthesis. This is going slower than we anticipated, but any progress is good. She is almost pain med free. By next Tuesday she hopes to be completely free of the oxycodone. We have a busy next few days as we head into Emily's graduation events. Tonight is Emily's Bacclaureate. I hope to keep you updated as the weekend progresses. Thank you just never seems enough to say to you, who have faithfully come along side Kateen and our family on this venture. Our gratitude and love to you all. Sincerely Rhonda and family
June 14th
Greetings from Tonasket Just wanted to share with you that Kateen's birthday is tomorrow. She will be 20. When I think back on what we have been through, I praise the Lord that I can celebrate her life and have a tangible daughter and not a memory. Thank you for lifting Kateen in prayer as you have. It often has seemed that we have been carried through the difficulties by this act of love. We are so grateful for His love in you! Sincerely Rhonda and family Matt 11:28-30 PS Kateen will update you on her latest Dr visits tonight.
June 19th, 2007
It seems like forever since i have sent an update to you all. My apologies. We survived Emily's graduation weekend of celebrations, and it was really a weekend of celebrations! We had family and friends join us. Kateen had appointments on Tuesday the 12th at Harborview, so she and I headed over the mountains Monday night.
We started off with Dr Friedley and the limb viability team. Ryan the prosthesis Dr was there as well. The report was incredible. On the 27th of June Kateen will be casted for her prosthesis. Then on July 11th, she will be fitted and be able to take the prosthesis home and began to wear it for 5-10 min's a day to start strengthening her leg. This is about 2 mo's earlier than what we thought possible. What a praise!! Kateen was challenged by Dr Friedley to continue to strengthen her body through physical therapy, which she is starting today. The next appointment was with Dr Klein and the skin graft team. Kateen received a "thumbs up" on her graft. In fact Dr Klein stated he didn't want to see her for 4 mo's. Wow!! I believe both of us left feeling a little bit numb at the great news.
With great news, there often seems to have challenges. We would like to share and ask for your prayers in our latest challenge. We found out that the bill in the UK that we thought was paid due to a new law, in actuality does not apply to Kateen's situation. She has aproximately a $42,000.00 bill owed to the hospital in Sussex. Kateen has made an arrangement to pay aprox. $2,000.00 towards it, but that doesn't meet her debt. We have a couple of creative possibilities to try to meet more of the balance. Please pray for the Lord's direction and guidance through meeting this latest challenge.
Kateen's mental outlook has been improving. She is totally off the pain meds and is only on the meds for her phantom pains now. With that, I will close. We are so appreciative that you take time to check in and see what our needs in prayer are. We feel so supported by the prayers that are being lifted on our account. My gratitude and love Rhonda
June 26, 2007 Greetings
I was hoping to have Kateen share the latest, and since I haven't received that, I will. This has all been a whirlwind of an event, but Kateen landed in the United Kingdom on Wed the 20th in the evening. She called me on Fathers Day weekend as she was at her Dad's to say that she was thinking of going to the UK to have closure in this event. Her students that she had been with and mentored to, were graduating on Friday the 22nd. She wanted to share that moment with them and she wanted to face going back to Holmsted where she was ripped away with this horrific event. I have to say it has been like putting your newborn on a plane and hoping she makes it to her destination. Kateen had been so dependent on the family as she was dealing with her new life, that it became natural for me to grab on to taking care of her once again. Then in a flash, Emily was driving her to meet her Dad in Leavenworth and she flew off the next morning. Kateen had been given a strength by the Lord that allowed her to imagine reaching her destination. She researched and made all the flight arrangements, she met the challenge of contacting the hospital in the UK and discussing the debt making sure that there would be no passport restrictions and made payment arrangements, and she packed within a matter of hours, and was headed off. I have only heard briefly that she arrived and she was exhausted, but running on adrenaline. Please pray for her spiritual, emotional and mental healing. Please also lift her up as she says goodbye once again to her brothers and sisters in Christ at Holmsted. I know Daniel, Charlie, Rachel, Paul, Hannah and Jodi are taking great care of her. Kateen will be landing in Seattle on Sunday the 1st around 6:00pm. I have rescheduled her casting on the 2nd, and then we will return to Tonasket. So there you have it. I hope soon to forward her own words to you. With much gratitude for your prayers, encouragement and support, Rhonda
July 11, 2007
Up date from Kateen
Hello All!
I have put off writing an update of my own for too long. It's been an intense last two months...there are really no words to describe all that has been going on since returning home, but I'm going to try. Let's start with the most recent events.
On June 20th I got on a plane and flew to England. I spent ten days there at the YWAM base I was working with. It was a last-minute decision to go but one that I'm glad I made. Only four people on the base knew I was coming so it was fun to see the shocked expressions of many! The ten days were spent hanging out with friends and spending time alone and quiet with the Lord. It was a trip that more than anyone else I needed. I was able to watch the students graduate and see the growth in them, I had missed seeing God's hand work in their lives but I was able to see the effect God's hand had had on their lives. Not a single one of them was left unchanged. And it wasn't only students that I saw growth in but friends and fellow staff as well. After graduation, students slowly began to leave and I was able to spend more and more time with staff and others on base. I was able to hear their stories and share my own, and all of the time spent in deep conversation was good for my heart.
I had been somewhat scared at the thought of returning to England but my time spent there has allowed me to overcome many of my fears. I was able to visit the hospital in which I lost my leg, and although I was not able to thank everyone I wanted to, I was able to stand before many nurses and express my deepest thanks to them for their kind words and hard work on my behalf. I was able to stand on the skybridge and as I did so I felt another piece of understnding fall into place. As I stood where I had been barely able to sit upright three and a half months before, I was able to say thank you to the One who spared me my life...I could have stood there much longer but I had to turn and not forget the moment but move on from it and continue with life. I will someday return again to that hospital, there are still some specific people there that I wish to extend my gratitude to personally.
As well as visit the hospital, I was also able to spend time seriously looking at and sorting through all that has happened to me since February. I had some close friends ask some hard questions that caused me to evaluate my experience in a way I hadn't before. They asked questions that pertained directly to my heart and expected answers that came from my heart. Not the written response that's constantly in the back of my brain poised for ready use, but one that was brutally truthful and often still raw with emotion. By doing this they helped me to put a few more pieces in place and walk away from this trip with even a better understanding of what I have learned from all of this, what God has taught me through this and how God has constantly carried and walked with me through every single moment. But not only did they help me to look at what I'd gone through. But they challenged me to think on what's next for me after I learn to walk. I talked candidly about my fears about the future as well as a few ideas. They were more than helpful and as a result I believe that I'm setting for myself a goal of going back to England, and Holmsted, to staff the January 2008 DTS. That is a goal to strive for and if I don't make it I will most likely have made it farther than if I didn't have a goal. All in all, my trip to England was what I would describe as a closing of one chapter and the opening of the next.
On returning home I had a doctor's appointment on Monday, July 3rd, and was casted for my prosthetic. When I say casted that is precisely what I mean. They cast my leg in such a way that it creates a mold, so that my thigh fits perfectly into the prosthetic. This Sunday we will drive over to Seattle for another appointment on Monday for me to be fitted. That means that they will check to make sure the foot is the proper size and that the length of the leg is appropriate. I will then take it home with me to start putting it on five minutes a day so that my leg gets used the added weight attatched to it. The amount of time I have it on will increase the longer I have it until I can wear it long enough to start physical rehab. This is both exciting and intimidating. I'm excited that I get to move forward yet intimidated by that very fact. But I'm ready to move on and get back to walking again.
On the fourth of July we had a full house with my brother visiting, as well as one of my Mom's friends and Craigs' sister and brother-in-law. We enjoyed ourselves and I even conquered another fear by going swimming up at the lake with my brother, sister and one of her friends,and my mom. Swimming was something that felt awkward, but once I got an idea as to how to go about it, was very freeing. The fourth of July weekend held one more new thing for me as well as swimming, which was driving. Since my truck was a manual and we don't own an automatic I had been unable to drive but my Mom's friend drives an automatic and allowed me the freedom of driving her car whenever I wished. It was so nice to have that little bit of independence that it allowed me once more. We hope to find a reliable automatic that I can drive relatively soon.
The last thing this past weekend held was a visit from my cousin Jason, his wife Elizabeth and their new baby girl Indigo. It was fun to sit and talk with Jason and Elizabeth as well as cuddle Indigo. So the last week and a half has been full and busy but now things have started to slow down again.
I thank you all for your continued support in prayer. I think that as I understand more and more of what happened I have a growing need to thank all of you who prayed for me and all of you who donated money as well. I have no words that can ever express the gratitude that lay within my heart. Thank you.
Until the next update,
Kateen
August 22,2007
Up date from Kateen
Hello Everyone. This is a hard letter for me to write. Just over the last three-four weeks I have really been hearing alot from the Lord. And for a good amount of time I was ignoring what He was saying. Sometimes it appears easier to ignore the Lord rather than listen to Him, but that is never truly the case. Just recently a student from the DTS I was staffing sent an email around. This email made me finally sit up and take notice of something the Lord has been saying to me consistently for the last three-four weeks. In the email there were things said that made me realize that although this story directly affected my life, it indirectly affected others lives as well. This story isn't my own it is the Lord's 110%. So now I have to say that I am sincerly sorry for not keeping up the website. What the Lord has been saying to me was that He did not save my life for me to keep it to myself but to share it's struggles and it's joys with the world through this website. For in the failures and the triumphs however small or big His glory is reflected. I often find myself looking at small accomplishments and thinking that they are "just life" but it is "just life" that the Lord has given me and it is "just life" that He has challenged me to share with you, openly and honestly. So I am sorry for not sharing and I am going to do my best to share with you my life.
So with that I want to go on to share a few things...I have now been walking around on my prosthetic for almost six weeks. I am wearing it between six and seven hours a day, unless it becomes too painful or I am doing something too strenuous to wear it. It's been up and down as I learn to walk around on it. It has been extremely difficult to learn how the knee works properly, I still don't have it down correctly but it is better than it has been. I have been seeing a physical therapist twice weekly to help me with my gait. Today I went in again and we tried the treadmill. It was very frustrating and somewhat painful but we agreed to work on it until I can do it. We have also been working on learning to use the stationary bike. Also frustrating but somewhat less painful. About four weeks ago I was challenged by my prosthetic doctor, Ryan, to start trying to walk around using only one crutch. I have been doing that pretty consistently now since then. I had been warned that I may fall, and I have. But there is nothing to do but get back up (usually with someone's help) and brush myself off and continue down the street. Just last week I decided to try something else Ryan had suggested I try, and that was walking with out anything to assist me. So I gave it a shot and did it! I walked without anything assisting me! Granted it was only about six steps, but babies have learned to walk starting with less! So now I am going to start searching for a cane to use rather than a crutch, but I am extremely pleased that I am starting to have more and more mobility. Speaking of mobility, I three weeks ago bought myself a car. It's an automatic 2004 Kia Spectra that had only 25,000 miles on it and gets around 30 miles per gallon. It was reasonably priced and came with a warranty. It is reliable and allows me to have more independence, something which I had missed having.
The summer has flown by and now it is getting to that time when school starts. My friends and I the last couple of days have been spending alot of time together, since the next time we are all together will be Christmas break. It's been fun! We had wanted to go camping but we were rained out so instead we built a fort of sheets and blankets in one of my friends' living room and played a fun game of Monopoly and made alot of new memories (like trying to capture and release a bat trapped within the house!) They are scattering once again to college which will make it a bit lonely here when it comes to people my own age, but I won't be lacking things to do. I have volunteered for a woman working with a local Performing Arts Center, and I have been asked to come and volunteer in the Highschool office once again this fall. I am also beginning to get involved with the youth group at my church again. It took me quite some time to have any desire to volunteer there but as I process through things more I am finding more confidence in myself again. The new youth pastor and his wife are really great and I have enjoyed getting to know them more as well. They are closer to my age so that is nice. Right now my brother is with us here at my mom's. He is only here for a week but any time we can all be together is treasured. We will be taking him back over to Seattle on Friday. On Friday I also have another prosthetic appointment. At this appointment I am getting a more permanent prosthetic, one with a flexible opening. This will make the prosthetic more comfortable to wear. It still doesn't look like a "leg" but that option will come at a later time. Right now the biggest decision was what color to make the thigh! The prosthetic I have been using has had a red thigh and I have become somehow attatched to the odd coloring! So my thigh this time around might be flesh colored but then again it might be red, we'll see! I'll let you know!
Well that brings you up to date for now. Thank you for being so gracious and patient with me.
Sincerely Yours,
Kateen
August 28,2007,
Up date from Kateen
Hello Everyone!
This last Friday (the 24th) I had an appointment with Ryan, my prosthetic doctor. It was a fairly quick appointment, but I recieved a more permanent prosthetic. The only difference with this new prosthetic is that the thigh is bendable at the opening. This makes the leg more comfortable to wear. In the last update I said that I wasn't sure what color the thigh would be, well it ended up being red! You might find it odd but I was hoping that would be the color! I had grown used to having a red thigh and decided to go with something a little different. Since my leg isn't shaped like a "normal" leg, I saw no reason to have it be a normal color! Other than recieving this new leg we also made a few adjustments to the knee joint. With both the new thigh and the adjustments it made the prosthetic much more comfortable and made walking feel alot smoother. Ryan also pointed out some areas I needed to continue to improve in and gave me pointers on how to go about that. All in all it was a nice appointment. And the best news of all is that my next appointment won't be until the 21st of Sept.! That's four weeks! My first full month with NO doctors appointments, since leaving the hospital! I am so excited! I feel like I am finally getting my life back! That was definitley a highlight.
My brother returned to my Dad's house on Friday as well, he drove over with me. It's a five hour drive from my Mom's to my Dad's and I really enjoyed the time we spent together one-on-one. We had some really great conversations. I always treasure the time I get to spend with him since it is so much less then I would wish it to be. While on the western side of the state I visited my Dad at his jobsite (he works in construction). It is a jobsite that, before I left for England this past January, I had worked on as a laborer. They are nearing the end of the project and it was really cool to see the nearly finished product. It has come so very far since I was working on it! But it was nice to see my Dad and visit with him for a short while before heading out. When I dropped my brother off at the house I got to see Karen, my stepmother, and Becca and Danny, two of my step-siblings. It was nice to see everyone and get to give them a squeeze.
After that I headed up to Canada for the weekend. There I met up with five friends that participated in my DTS. The day before leaving for Seatlle (thursday) they called to see if I had time to come up, I jumped at the oppurtunity! All of them but one, I hadn't seen for over a year and a half! It was amazing how we met up and it was as if no time had passed at all. I felt so blessed to be spending time with them and to catch up on life. I was able to open my heart to them without reservation and know that it would be recieved, and understood. Although the weekend was uplifting and encouraging I also found myself to be struggling. I found myself thinking that they would have had more fun without me there because I did nothing but slow them down (for although I walk now, my steps are slow and deliberate). That of course I recognized immediately as a lie from the Enemy but it was one that I hear often and have to battle against often. It is not uncommon for me to struggle with thoughts such as those. Or thoughts along the line of "your different and therefore unacceptable" which was another that was fed to me over the weekend. But I have learned to recognize them as lies and I rebuke them as such. But even still it can put a damper on your spirit. There's a movie by the name of Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and there's a quote that pretty much sums up what I'm trying to say. Roberts' character says to Gere while they are having a conversation about life she states "you ever notice how the bad stuff is always easier to believe?" That's just the way it is in this situation as well. Often times it's easier to just lay down and accept the negative because to accept the positive would mean that you are at peace with yourself. It's a constant battle but one that I am not going to stop fighting. This is just part of me getting better. For although I am for the most part physically healed, mentally and emotionally I, and the Lord, are still working through and cleaning out wounds from this incident.
Today I had physical therapy and conquered the treadmill! I was able to walk smoothly on it. My next goal is to build up stamina for, although I was walking on the treadmill, I was only able to do so for six and a half minutes before my thigh, within my prosthetic, was exhausted. So everday my goal is to beat the previous days' goal. Afterwards I went with my sister to a nearby town and I was able to find a walking cane. It's one of those traditional wood canes. I hope to find something truly unique but that will take time and in the meantime this will get the job done! Another exciting thing happened today. I may have found a job! I will be applying to be a substitute district secretary for the school district. It would be part time (very part time) but it would allow me to feel more independent, and would allow me to pay for things such as gas and insurance without dipping into the many kind donations that have made life easier for me and my family. There may be another substitute job available but as it would be more demanding I am going to pray about it before picking up an application. But the amazing thing is that when I was talking with my Mom about finding a job I had expressed an interest in working with the schools. It's amazing how the Lord knows our hearts deepest desires and provides oppurtunities for those to be fulfilled. I am continually amazed at His faithfulness. This last week has been a full one but a good one. Hopefully I can get some more recent pictures on the website soon. Thank you all for your prayers! I'll never be able to thank you enough!
Sincerely,
Kateen
September 19,2007,
Up date from Kateen
Hello Everyone,
Oh My Goodness! Where have the last few weeks gone! It has been busy for me here in Tonasket, which honestly has been a really nice change. I am finally feeling as though my life is resembling something close to the word normal. Over the last three weekends I have been swamped.
Labor Day weekend (a holiday in the states) was fun. We had guests come over for the long weekend and did nothing but relax and enjoy each others company. Craigs' daughter Terra came with her boyfriend and it was fun meeting him and getting to know her more. While she was in town she gave me a haircut (she owns a salon) which was very much needed. Because of my illness I had lost quite a bit of hair and now it is beginning to grow back. So even though the thought of having less hair than I already had made me sad I took the plunge and cut it short so that I can allow the new hair a chance to catch up in length. (Don't worry I didn't hack it all off it's about chin length) The loss of hair was an extremely hard part in all of this it made me very self-concious, but as I become more comfortable with the "new" me I also become more confident.
The week following Labor Day was busy with preparations for the annual Okanogan County Fair. This year I helped to set up a booth for the Omak Performing Arts Center (OPAC) at the fair and I helped to man it as well. So the week was busy rounding up last minute supplies, and volunteers as well as setting the booth up. For all four days that the fair was running I helped at the booth. It was alot of fun to sit and talk with people about the OPAC and when there was no one to talk with just to sit and watch the people going by. But that wasn't the only thing I did at the fair. I also watched the rodeo and another evening I stayed late at the fair and listened to the live music while watching the dancers! It was fun to watch couples ranging in ages from kids to senior citizens dance across the floor. The country swing dance is so entertaining and fast! I decided that one day I will figure out a way to dance just like that, but in the mean-time I'll enjoy sitting back and watching! On Sunday the fair was over and I helped to clean up.
This last week I had a bit more time to call my own. I was able to finish a book I've been reading for the past few months (Seizing your Divine Moment) I would highly recommend it to any who have thought about reading it. I also began to babysit on Tuesday mornings for a Mom's Bible Study group. There are four to five kids ranging in ages one to four. Prior to doing my DTS in Jan of '06 I had babysat for this same study group. It was a scary thing to agree to do so once again. Even though the mothers' are just in the next room I didn't know if I would feel confident watching little kids. My fears were that I would be holding a child and lose my footing and fall, or I would not be able to keep up with them. But surprisingly it has been a blessing. Children are filled with such brazen confidence and a wonder at the world around them that can't be squelched. I've been blessed by their innocent questions about my leg and why I hold a "candy cane" when I walk! They all brighten my day and help me to put life in perspective!
This last week I decided that it was time to go and visit friends that lived in Spokane (three hours away) So this past friday I left for a four day weekend. It was four days filled with laughter and late nights. It was much needed and very appreciated. I enjoyed seeing where my friends are now living and where some are now attending school. We always have fun when we get together! I returned home Monday with a promise to them that I wouldn't wait too long until my next visit.
Over the last couple of weeks I've had my low points but all in all I've been doing okay. But one thing I have begun to recognize as I become more and more proficient on my leg is that although I am more or less healed physically I am just starting to see what this has done to my own sense of worth and understanding of who I am. My identity is still firmly founded in Christ but I sometimes wonder what that precisely means. The wounds I have emotionally and mentally are at times more hidden than my physical wounds but I think that unless I face them and clean them and allow the Lord to heal them, they will be so much more debilatating than the loss of my leg will ever be. But you know what, it's ironic that the wounds that can harm me the most are the ones that are easiest to ignore or not recognize. Now that I have recognized this I am making an appointment with a counselor to start meeting with on a regular basis. It will be good to have someone, completely removed from this situation and those that I know, to talk things over with. I'm looking forward to it, I think that it will be extremely beneficial. So please pray that I have the courage to take the Lord's hand through this next step and face what is before me.
I also have a praise report: The Lord has continued to provide for me financially! I have recieved a ten thousand dollar donation from a man who also had Necrotizing Fasciitis. He wished to help me pursue my "career" in Youth With A Mission (YWAM). It has been a huge blessing to me and I am once again awed at the Lords' superflous providence.
So this week is also a busy one. My sister leaves tomorrow for Seattle to spend a couple of days with my Dad and family before moving into the dorms at university. It's a time of transition for the whole family. For even though she isn't the first to "leave the nest" she will be the first to go off to university. My Mom will follow her over on Thursday to help her move into the dorms on Friday and I will also be driving over later this week to attend doctors appointments the following week. It will be odd to have just Mom and me at home but it will be nice.
Well all in all life is moving steadily forward, and I'm finally learning to keep up once again. It's been nice learning how to enjoy the moment and savor it. Walking slower than I ever did before this has been nice I sometimes wonder why everyone is in such a hurry. You miss so much when you're in a rush and you never know when the moment you're in is going to be your last so why not savor each one and soak in it until your fingers are pruny and wrinkled. I am sitting here writing this and I know that I was just as reckless as any other person about my time here, and I know that I will one day have to be once again reminded to slow down. But I wonder what did I miss before this because I was in a rush?
Thank you everyone for your prayers and continued support I will never be able to say thank you enough.
Until Next Time, Kateen
October 18,2007,
Up date from Kateen
Hello All! Oh my goodness! Has it really been a month since I wrote the last update? Life has seemed to pick up speed and is quickly getting away from me. I apologize for my silence.
Where to begin...well first off I'd like to send out a praise report. I had an appointment with Dr. Klein, the physician that performed the reconstructive surgeries on my leg, this past Tuesday. The last time I had seen him was the beginning of June. He was very pleased with the way the skin was holding up on my leg, and he was also pleased to see me up and moving around. He looked at me after asking a few questions and said that unless a problem arose, there was no reason to make another appointment with him! I feel such joy at the thought! He asked that I send the occasional postcard to let them know how I was fairing, then he shook my hand and wished me well! I can not tell you my excitement and the overwhelming sense of joy I feel just at the fact that I no longer have to return to the 8th floor clinic anymore. As I write this I'm crying! It seems so odd that there is no looming appointment with him anymore. I don't think I always register how hard this road has been to travel on until moments like this. That the mere thought of not seeing a doctor would make me want to dance! I still have appointments with other doctors but I at least have one doctor less!
On Tuesday morning I left early to get to my appointment in Seattle. While I was preparing to leave, I picked up my prosthetic to put a shoe on it and a bolt fell with a thud to the bathroom floor! My mouth hung open with surprise as I picked it up. I've had some odd things happen to me, but this was the first time I could ever say that I had lost a bolt! Though some of you who know me well, may think I've had a few loose bolts over the years, this is the first time it has ever happened literally! The humor of the situation was not lost on me! I picked up my leg and started looking for the hole it fell from. I honestly half expected my foot to fall off, or my knee to come apart! I found a likely hole in my foot and stuck it there, not really sure if it was the proper spot (I later found out it was not!) then covered it with a sock. Before leaving town I stopped in to say goodbye to my Mom and told her about what happened. She called my prosthetist, Ryan, for me since I needed to get on the road and I wouldn't have cell coverage. After my appointment with Dr. Klein I was able to meet up with Ryan. He thinks that the threading has probably been stripped. He fixed it temporarily and ended up shoving wads of medical tape into the hole and then covering the hole over with medical tape as well. Just to make sure I don't loose it until my next appointment with him, which we made then. I still chuckle when I think about it. I have to say, having a prosthetic really allows my warped sense of humor to shine! I have no idea what I would do if I wasn't able to laugh at myself!
This past month has been full of new experiences . On the tenth of this month I was house sitting for a couple I know and had my first encounter with a Bighorn Sheep. Now I say encounter because although there was a window between the ram and I, that's all there was! It was really cool and I got some incredible pictures but then as the ram begin ramming bushes surrounding the window and pressing his nose against the glass it very quickly became intimidating! You know how they always say that the animal is more scared of you then you are of them...yeah, not the case at all in this situation! He was very curious and I was very nervous! But their big sheep dog caught wind of it and chased it off the property, much to my relief! But I do have to say that it was an experience. The animal was breathtaking! I am continually amazed at God's creativity and art work.
Another new experience was that on Sunday the 30th of September two of my best friends, Derik and Olympia, got engaged! It has been fun to see their relationship get to that point. They have been dating for about three years and in those three years I have helped one surprise the other many a time! While I was visiting them in Spokane Derik enlisted my help to find Olympia's engagement ring. It was an interesting experience! I have no other word for it but that, interesting. Derik finally found a ring that he really chose all by himself, and it was exactly what Oly had relayed to me that she would want. But he was so nervous! He kept asking if I thought she would like the ring and I continually reassured him that she would. When I got the phone call on Sunday I answered and on the other end Oly said "Guess What? Guess What? Guess What?" Followed quickly by "He did it! He did it! He did it!" I gave my congratulations all around and got the scoop on how he asked. Since then I have been hearing wedding plans nonstop! I love them both dearly and couldn't be happier for the two of them! I do find it odd to have close friends getting married. It is an experience that hasn't happened quite like this before, where I know both of them very well and not just one. But I guess that's what happens in life!
My most recent experience has been sharing my testimony from the last few months with larger groups of people. I have grown used to sharing my testimony and God's miraculous workings' in my life with just one person or groups no bigger than three. But in all the recent instances I have spoken in front of a congregation and two youth groups. It has always been somewhat easy for me to speak infront of youth groups, it is an element I'm comfortable in. But speaking infont of a congregation was a bit intimidating. The church I shared with was very welcoming and made me feel at ease. It was a nice way to start off sharing this part of my life. I find that when I share I often times dig up many of the emotions I have gone through and in some ways relive them and the experiences that went along with them. So sharing is often times exhausting. Yet I love sharing at the same time. I always open a time up for questions, and I find that in all the different groups many of the questions are the same but it helps me because there is always a question out there that is a little different than one I've had before. And not only that but by opening it up to questions I allow people to know that I am fine with any questions that they do have. I would rather have their questions asked so that I can answer them, then for them to dance around the subject and always be left wondering. Sharing has definitely been a learning curve for me, but one that I have enjoyed.
Over the past month the Lord has been teaching me alot. I am only now really starting to understand what He has been saying but now that it is making sense I wish to share it with you. This past month I have had many oppurtunities to learn about what it means to be a whole person. I am now for the most part physically healed but as I have said in previous updates there has been much mental, emotional and in some ways spiritual wounds. I have been painfully slow in coming to the realization that an action in one area of my life can and will affect every other area of my life. Take for instance food, if all I have all day is junk food then I am going to start feeling physically like junk. If I feel like junk physically I am mentally going to see myself as junk. If I mentally see myself as junk then I am going to be emotionally bummed out and finally if I am emotionally bummed out that sends out an invitation to the Enemy to mess with me even more and start feeding me lies that I am already half convinced I believe because I feel bummed and junked out. For some of you this may be no new realization, but for me, although I'm sure I've heard it before, this has been huge. From the simple act of organizing my room to the desire to organize my life and sort through all the mess that has ensued since February. So in action off of this realization I have a counseling appointment tomorrow. I am looking forward to talking with somebody that has been trained in counseling others and is also removed from the situations and people I will be talking of. Please pray that I can be open and honest with her and that I will also feel comfortable speaking with her.
I am now moving forward with preparations to return to England in January but with that I have a few prayer requests. I still owe forty thousand US Dollars in England. We had thought that it had been taken care of by a law that applied to missionaries in England, but unfortunately I did not fall under that law, so I still owe money. My family and I aren't overly concerned about it, the Lord has a will and a way, but I ask that you would pray that I would be able to pay off my debt in England so that I can return and staff a school at Holmsted Manor. We are working on a few different avenues that would allow me to pay the bill but as of now they have not come through. So thank you for joining me in this and praying that the Lord takes control of this situation. Please also pray that the Lord gives me peace about moving forward once again. Although I am very eager to return to England I am not without a few fears. Please pray that the Lord would lay those fears aside and allow His peace to envelope my heart in this situation.
So that is an update on life up until now. I thank you all for your continued support you truly are a blessing.
Kateen
Solberg/Walenta
32134A Highway 97
Tonasket, WA 98855
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Thank You Note to EveryoneThe level of support (financial, prayers and love has been HUGE, we're talking world wide here) and your prayers have truly been heard. There are no words to describe the families appreciation for this support and they will be responding and giving thanks when they are able.
I have not a clue as to how great the financial burden of this will be and I have established an account with :
Wells Fargo Bank, under the account name; "The Family of Kateen Solberg."
This account is accessible from any Wells Fargo Branch (listed as a Donation Acct), for anyone who wishes to contribute.
Those of you who are outside the Wells Fargo Bank service area you may make contributions by check or money order, payable to:
"The Family of Kateen Solberg"
and mailed or wired to:
Wells Fargo Bank
Tonasket Branch
PO Box 667
Tonasket, Wa. 98855
My e-mail is hink@nvinet.com for any one who would like a contact for any reason. Keep checking back to this website as we will keep it updated as soon as new information about Kateen's progress is available.
Thank You
Craig Hinkley