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Katy Hawley lost her 15-year-old daughter, Nat, to osteosarcoma in April of this year. We hear these stories, from a distance, and can’t fathom what it’s like to go through this minute by minute with our own child. Katy shares openly what this was like for her family.
If I’m completely honest, I was nervous about talking with Katy. Could I share her story and handle the gritty hardship of the pain and loss they went through? Could I have enough compassion to support her through the telling of her story? Would I honor Nat in all the ways she deserved to be honored? Would I be the same person after hearing this story?
I can’t fully answer the first three questions, but I can answer the fourth. No. I’m not the same person. In the same moment the barbaric things we do to save children from cancer feels heavy, sickening and horrible, Nat’s spirit washes it away. She has a lightness – a playfulness and it’s healing. It’s not her job to do that, but she did and still does.
Katy has Nat’s spirit with her, to carry her forward. She’s choosing to honor Nat’s fight by riding for the Great Cycle Challenge and joining Team Nat to raise $1,000,000 in Nat’s name. As of this posting, they’re nearly to $800k!
Visit Katy’s Donation Page:
https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/KatyHawley
Nat’s Letter for her Mom
- Help my Mom to travel again
- Help my Mom see the beauty in things again
- Help my Mom to get into photography again
- Remind my Mom not to dwell on things (ie past relationships)
- Remind my Mom to give the other person a chance to talk too
- Remind my Mom to explain things
- Help my mom to keep a good relationship with Gabi
