It’s been ten years since Kathie Schwalbach first stayed at Kathy’s House. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015, the Menasha resident came to Milwaukee for a stem cell transplant at Froedtert Hospital the following year.

This summer, she returned to a very different Kathy’s House with her husband, Ken, for CAR T-cell therapy. She’s part of a study at Froedtert Hospital exploring the options to minimize treatment side effects for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

She can’t say enough about the experience.

“This is the very best hospital stay I ever ever had,” she says. “That’s saying a lot because I’ve been hospitalized more than a dozen times.”

Kathie says she can see that, for her healthcare team, “It’s more than just a job.”

She has the same feeling about Kathy’s House. “The staff is always so friendly and helpful,” she says. “And just being in a community where people are going through similar things, you can feel comfortable talking about your situation.”

For Kathie and Ken, that has meant sharing their decade of experience with those who are newly diagnosed.

“The other night we met a couple downstairs,” Ken says. “The man’s care was kind of similar to Kathie’s previous care, so we had a lot to share. We talked for two hours.”

The connection went beyond a diagnosis. “We live only 20 minutes away from each other in the Fox Valley,” Ken says.

“I remember what my first time was like,” Kathie says. “Talking to one another hopefully put them at ease. We have the same doctors and being able to share the experiences…” She trails off, then turns to her husband.

“And the caregiver too,” she says. “You’ve been with me every step of the way on this journey. I couldn’t have done it without you.”