Kathy's Story
In 2000, Kathy Van Riper, an active mother of two, was living the American dream in Sonoma County, California. But that ended abruptly in June of that year, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. Shocked by the discovery, her first concern was for her children and how to explain to them what was happening to their world.
Kathy and her husband, Marc, quickly learned that, while there were many support resources for cancer patients and even a few for spouses, there was almost nothing for the children of cancer patients. No place to find simple answers to difficult questions. No place to be with other kids who were going through similar experiences. No community to bring a sense of normalcy to their lives.
Rather than curse this void in their community, Kathy and Marc were inspired to form Kathy's Camp for Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of children of cancer patients.
Since her initial diagnosis and treatment, Kathy learned in 2003 that the cancer spread to her bones and liver. Kathy endured more than 6 years of chemotherapy and ran her personal race against cancer as hard as she possibly could. Kathy finished her race against cancer when she passed away at the age of 41 in early 2010. Kathy was a championship runner since she was a student at Sonoma Valley High School, and her husband and two children carry on this legacy through their own running and participation in local road races.
In spite of her untimely death, Kathy's positive outlook, formidable spirit and selfless concern for the needs of children of other cancer patients made her an inspiration to families throughout America.
Kathy's blogs
