Our Someone 2 Know is a young adult of 20 - and already fighting her second battle with cancer.
Whilst still enduring the miseries of chemotherapy and radiation, Katie Histing is on a mission to increase funding and raise awareness for childhood cancers. Plus - she plans to be a nurse one day so she can help even more kids.
We met up with Katie at her family home.
"This says do small things with great love." Katie shows us a design from her small business called Katie’s Collective, handmade stickers to inspire and motivate.
“I usually do a lot of my designs channeled around nature, and cancer awareness.”
Katie Histing created her sticker business to make a difference. “It’s important that people understand childhood cancer.”
Katie was just 17 years old when she started having serious pain in her lower back. “We kinda thought I’d fallen a lot playing soccer”, and after three months of excruciating pain and doctors believing it was just a cyst on her tailbone.
“I ended up being diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma.”
Katie was halfway through her senior year at Bishop Manogue High School. “It was definitely tough watching all my friends continue living their lives while I’m living in the hospital getting chemo feeling terrible.” Even her 18th birthday -was celebrated in the hospital.
Through it all, Katie's smile persisted and she endured it all.
“I ended up doing 17 rounds of chemo, which was about 150 days in the hospital,” plus 30 blood transfusions, seven surgeries and a near-death bout with sepsis.
“I ended up being cancer-free for all of 2020 until I relapsed in December of 2020, right before Christmas again.”
Again.
Katie says losing her hair for the second time - really got to her. Even more upsetting was the realization that very little is understood about childhood cancer.
“The government doesn't really give a lot of funding to cancer research they only give 4% of funding to children, the rest goes to adult cancer research.”
Which means even treatments considered modern - are antiquated.
“The chemos that I’ve been getting were developed in the 1970's”
Often while enduring treatment, Katie is designing new stickers for her business. “I sell them on Etsy, I upload all my stickers and people can purchase them online.”
There are good days - at home with mom, dad - her biggest champions - and road trips to national parks with boyfriend Gio, who has been with her every step of the way.
“I'm not waiting around 'til I’m healthy to start having fun,” Katie laughs and shares her beaming, heart-warming smile.
'Atta girl, Katie.
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To support Katie’s sticker business, Katie’s Collective (On Etsy) –
https://www.etsy.com/shop/KatiesCollectiveUS?ref=shop_sugg
To support Katie’s Go Fund Me
https://www.gofundme.com/f/katiescancerbattleround2
If you would like to learn more about Ewing Sarcoma or other childhood cancers -
Northern Nevada Children’s cancer Foundation
https://www.nvchildrenscancer.org/
3550 Barron Way #9A
Reno, NV 89511
Tax ID: 20-8623503
1 (775) 825-08881 (775) 825-4726
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
National Cancer Institute
https://www.cancer.gov/types/childhood-cancers
World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer-in-children
