GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Despite being in palliative care, a West Michigan woman is checking off a bucket list item.
Katie Oberst is traveling to France with her mom and sister, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“I have always wanted to go to Europe since I was a child, “said Katie Oberst.
Unfortunately, Katie was left partially paralyzed as a child when something went wrong during surgery to fix a heart defect.
“I've had 35 surgeries, and I've been in and out of hospital my entire life,” Katie says.
Along with being paralyzed, Katie has lost a leg and has many other health problems that make travel overseas difficult.
Katie says, “I never really thought that it would be much of a possibility because, you know, Europe is not totally handicap accessible the way that the U.S. is, and I really kind of gave up on that dream.”
That was until her mom found “Wheel the World,” a tour group that specializes in wheelchair-accessible travel.
“So, we contacted them and then created this fantastic, busy six-day trip,” said Katie. She got her doctor to approve the trip because she is currently in palliative care because of her failing health.
Dr. Amy Sanborn from Corwell Health says, “It is difficult to be able to make these things do. It is complicated. It requires lots of buy-in from different team members, people willing to think outside of the box and think really putting the patient at the center of things and saying 'How can we make this happen?'"
Doctor Sanborn thinks that at this stage, Katie's mental health and happiness outweighs the risks of traveling to Paris. Katie’s mom, Kim Shelanskey, agreed.
“There is always that worry, and we weigh that out," says Kim. "But even Katie's very aware of that; she knows that the stress of this trip could actually not lengthen her life. And she's willing to take that because she wants this trip so bad. And it's such a culmination of a dream she's had for a long time."
Kim thinks, at this stage, this trip is perfect for Katie’s well-being, saying, “She still has life in her, and this will, yes, hopefully continue to motivate her and encourage her and brighten her life ongoing. But more than anything, she will have been able to achieve something she never thought she could. And she will have hopefully the experience of a lifetime.”
Katie knows this trip could shorten her life but feels this once-in-a-lifetime experience is worth it. Saying,
“What it's like to live in this body and be me ... it's not easy. I admit that, and I do struggle," says Katie. "But it is things like this that really keep my spirits up and keep me going."
Dr. Sanborn is hoping this is not a one-time thing. She would like other patients to have similar experiences.
Katie and her family will be in Paris for seven days and will return home April 28.
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