Kathryn was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in 2007.  At the time of her diagnosis, her future looked bleak.  Only 25% of the women diagnosed with her type and stage of cancer were expected to live more than a few years. Despite the long odds, Kathryn lived a full and fulfilling life over the next ten plus years.  Most important to her, she was able to be a full-time and fully committed mother, and watch her three children grow from their then ages of 10, 14 and 15, to become young adults with successful, independent lives of their own. 

There were three primary reasons why Kathryn was able to successfully fight her cancer.  First and foremost, Kathryn was, and always had been, a very committed and strong willed individual, who was determined to do everything in her power to live as long as possible.  Her will to live, and desire to live an enjoyable, fully productive life, was extremely strong.  Second, she had the widespread support of many loving family members and friends, who did whatever was needed to help her cope, and even thrive, with her illness. Finally, she was most fortunate to be initially diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), and subsequently was treated over the next ten years at MSKCC by the world class doctors and staff working there.

In Kathryn’s mind, there was no better place in the world to be treated for her cancer than MSKCC. She had complete faith in the advice and case management of her MSKCC oncologist, Dr. William P. Tew, who regularly assessed her condition, recommended and oversaw various treatments and ensured she saw the best experts in the world when she encountered unexpected developments or complications.  Her care included many state-of-the-art treatments which her doctors and other researchers at MSKCC had discovered or contributed to enhancing the efficacy of such treatments.

Kathryn was always hopeful a life-extending new treatment or even a cure for Ovarian Cancer would be discovered at MSKCC before too long.  While Kathryn benefited from some of the great MSKCC research, in the end the breakthrough development hasn’t happened yet.  Nonetheless, she was always supportive of the great research being conducted at MSKCC, and wanted to do all she could to ensure that such support continued.  It is with that thought in mind that her families request that donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in support of Ovarian Cancer Research, in loving memory of Kathryn Tohir.

Thank you!

The Tohir and Whitehead Families