In honour of Kat Demes
It all began with a lazy eye. Catherine "Kat" Demes sometimes turned her head slightly sideways to be able to look straight at people. Her parents took her to the ophthalmologist at 4 years old.
After numerous visits to ophthalmologists and pediatricians, one specialist, Dr. Wise, told the parents that Kat needed an MRI.
The diagnosis hit like a bomb. Kat had diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, an inoperable cancerous brain tumour. Radiation treatments began and the side effects were harsh. Yet, Kat never complained.
In the following weeks, Kat lost her ability to talk and walk. But just as the tumor had begun to shrink, it began to grow again. Kat spent the last weeks of her young life lying and sleeping on the family sofa.
Kat fought like a warrior but unfortunately, she lost her battle on July 22, 2015, at only five years old. Her legacy lives on today through the Kat Demes Pavilion, which we proudly inaugurated this Tuesday.