As a Durham native, Katherine has always known about Caring House. She spent her career in development at Duke Cancer Institute, so when Caring House was built in the early 90’s Katherine immediately became interested in the mission. 

Even as a child, Katherine understood the devastation that cancer leaves behind. After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 11 year-old Katherine witnessed her mom undergo 2 individual mastectomies and the pain and disfigurement that resulted from this surgery in the 1960’s. Then in college, Katherine’s roommate and dear friend passed away from melanoma at the age of 19. Katherine was devastated by both instances. 

This may be the reason why she knew she wanted to get involved at Caring House once she retired. Katherine joined our team of volunteers in the spring of 2016, and we are so glad that she did! Her favorite part about volunteering is that everyday is different and that she gets to be a part of something special. She loves witnessing guests surrounded and uplifted by other individuals on a similar journey.

“This sounds crazy, but I love all of the little things we do. Whether it’s laundry or taking out the trash, it doesn’t really matter, I feel like I’m helping to keep the house running smoothly.”

And it’s true – we couldn’t do it without Katherine and the rest of our beloved volunteers. Thank you for sharing your time and talents with Caring House, Katherine! We are so lucky to have you.