(COPY) (COPY) (COPY)
PATIENT SPOTLIGHT
Cancer survivor helps ensure
fertility equality for all patients
After an appointment to remove polyps from her uterus, Kate Weber quickly inferred something was seriously wrong. She was only 25 years old.
“The doctor’s office called and told me to come back in right away — and to bring someone with me for support. Immediately, your stomach drops.”
Kate was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Her local doctor recommended she seek care at MD Anderson. That’s when Andrew Livingston, M.D., associate professor of Pediatrics, stepped in to guide Kate through her treatment plan. As an expert in sarcoma and as co-leader of MD Anderson’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Program, Livingston was in the unique position to understand the many challenges Kate was facing. Like having a family one day.
When patients undergo cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, side effects can include unintended damage of healthy tissue and disruption of the body’s natural processes. Unfortunately, fertility is sometimes affected in this way.
“I was young and single with no thoughts of having children soon."
"But I was glad to know that my care team had my best interests at heart. And I was lucky to have family and friends who helped support the cost of the egg collection and storage.”
Kate, who is now a high school agriculture teacher, realized that not all patients have the option to have fertility preservation. Insurance rarely covers the cost of related procedures. So she decided to found Kate’s Cause, a non-profit organization that raises money so other MD Anderson patients can have the same fertility options she had. In addition to hosting special events like their annual Egg-Stravaganza, the organization works closely with MD Anderson’s AYA Program and even travels to political venues to lobby for wider insurance coverage of these services.
Today, Kate is healthy and engaged to be married in 2024.
“My fiancé and I have talked about starting a family. We know that will look a little different for us, but we are so thankful to have options. And everyone deserves the same.”
Kate and her mother at MD Anderson during treatment.
Kate and her mother at MD Anderson during treatment.
Kate with Dr. Livingston and MD Anderson friends.
Kate with Dr. Livingston and MD Anderson friends.
Built with Shorthand