“If you are lucky enough to get a second chance at something, don’t ever waste it.”

This was a recent post on Katelyn Strube’s facebook page. The 26-year-old Claflin woman should know. She recently got her second chance for a normal life when she received the news that she would be getting a double lung transplant.

An important call
Katelyn was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis shortly after her birth 26 years ago. A few years later, her younger sister Kelsey was also diagnosed with CF, so the two sisters have been able support each other in a unique way as they both battled the effects of the condition.
Throughout her journey, Katelyn has been an inspiration to an ever-widening circle of friends, says older sister Mollie Spicer.
“Katelyn is a very strong, determined, and happy girl despite the obstacles life has given her,” she said. “She has truly inspired so many with how brave and graceful she has faced the challenges of CF and transplant.”
A bout of pneumonia in mid-2015 took its toll on Katelyn, and she never bounced back from it. For months, she patiently waited for the right donor as her lung function continued to drop, little by little, day by day. Having been on the donor list since October 2015, and having turned down one opportunity that appeared high risk at the time, it was finally her chance.
On April 28, Katelyn received an early morning call that a donor match had been found. The next day, she would undergo a six-hour surgery, where she would receive the most precious gift of her life--a new set of lungs.
In the early days of recovery, breathing was difficult as her body became adapted to her new lungs. Katelyn worked to take deep breaths at first.
She was released from the hospital May 9, just 12 days after her double lung transplant.
“I am forever so grateful for my donor in heaven for giving me this second chance,” she wrote that day on her facebook page, “Striding with the Strubes.”
Now, a month later, she’s up and walking for a mile at a time, and she reports an amazing sense of freedom.

Recovery and changes ahead
Katelyn has a long recovery ahead of her, with the first three months to be spent in rehabilitation in Dallas. And while breathing will become easier, she has been cautioned that should she ever get sick in the future, extreme caution must be taken.
Should she ever present with a fever over 101 degrees, she must immediately get to University of Texas South West hospital. There, she will need to be seen by her transplant team, as she will never be completely out of the woods for rejection, thought the threat does become less as time goes on.
Many transplant patients that end up needing a second transplant, and doctors have educated the family on the risks that lie ahead. Katelyn will have to take anti-rejection medications likely for the rest of her life. The medication takes a toll on her immune system and increases the possibility of contracting cancer.
As “cysters,” Katelyn and Kelsey spent a lot of time together. Their shared experience includes battling a toxic brew of bacteria common to CF sufferers, known as Psudonomas and MRSA . Kelsey continues her battle, so they will have to become accustomed to new restrictions on their level of physical contact. Katelyn, likewise, must take care to avoid infections with her new lungs. Spicer has faith these new adjustments will not define their special relationship. Some of those adjustments include limiting their exposure to one another by wearing masks in each other’s presence, as well as maintaining a distance of six feet from one another.

Hometown support
With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant families are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure, Spicer said. The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-related expenses. In Claflin and across the nation, volunteers are raising funds for COTA in honor of Katelyn Strube.
The community is rallying to support the family. The Odin Store will be hosting a “COTA for Katelyn” 50/50 raffle at the Claflin High School Reunion happening over Memorial Day weekend there.
Managers Sue and Edgar Jacobs are long-time family friends of Katelyn.. They will also be selling t-shirts and koozies for the benefit.
For more information or to donate, go to http://www.cotaforkatelyns.com/ .
In addition, a golf tournament is being planned for sometime in August by the family, and will be held at the Claflin Golf Course. Details will be forthcoming.