On July 25, 1998 at six years of age, Katie was diagosed with multicentric malignant lymphoma. Prognosis was 4 to 8 weeks without aggressive treatment. We opted for the aggressive protocol which she tolerated well. In October 1998 her oncologist pronounced her in full remission. Since that summer of 1998, Katie has relapsed a number of times. Each time, because of her extraordinary tolerance of chemotherapy and because of the excellent quality of her life the last 3+ years, we have continued to treat. In each instance, she has responded well and is enjoying life to the full.

Although retired from agility competition in October 2001 after earning more than 30 individual agility titles, Katie continues to actively train in the sport she loves. In November of 2001, Katie relapsed once again. We are continuing to treat her with various chemotherapy protocols, but realize that this may be the beginning of the end. Agility has always been Katie's passion and with the concurrence of her oncologist we are allowing her to "play on the toys" as long as she desires.