Words matter. It only takes a few minutes of conversation with Karla Peyreau to hear that message. Earning a degree in international relations means she is uniquely attuned to the necessity of choosing the right words to say exactly what she means.
An Unusual Journey
Those words convey a compelling message from the Texas pancreatic cancer patient, who was told that she was not a candidate for surgery before finding Dr. Douglas Evans through a referral from the John E. Sagba Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer in Trinidad and Tobago.
“When my records were referred to Dr. Evans and they said that I could have surgery, of course I had no idea logistically how this would work. I just knew that if I was going to have a chance for living it was something I needed to do.”
Karla made plans to travel to Milwaukee and arrived at Kathy’s House with her brother Mark June 19th. Moments into her tour, she knew she had landed in the right place. “I see the amount of attention that has gone into making this facility work. It’s absolutely amazing,” she says.
Intentional Design Facilitates Healing
Karla appreciates the ways that our home’s design facilitates healing. The many windows, she says, “draw the outside in,” and allow access to nature that she wouldn’t have in a hotel.
A Community of Care
She also praises how guests benefit from both the sense of community and the shared understanding of each other’s circumstances. “Your focus is on your follow-up, your care, doing what you need to do. What it means to someone like me is that you just don’t have that additional stress. You don’t have to think about what people are thinking or how they’re looking at you. We’re all sharing in the same thing which is illness.”
Why Kathy’s House Matters
Karla says that Kathy’s House has thought of everything to make her stay comfortable – and inspire gratitude. “It’s a tremendous opportunity that’s been extended us, and I hope that people will approach the organization, what it’s doing, its staff, and its premises with a level of respect and admiration.”
