GoodLifeFamilyMag.com SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2018 57 BY KARYN BRODSKY KAITLYN WADE USES CHILDHOOD CHALLENGES IN HEALTH AND TRAUMA TO HELP OTHERS FROM ADVERSITY TO ADVOCATE Kaitlyn Wade (second from left) at a recent patron party for Children’s Cancer Fund with (l to r), Lindy Berkley, Roger Staubach, Cristy Ecton, and Tosh Murchison. Kaitlyn Wade is a force to be reckoned with. Twice during her childhood, the Arlington native suffered near-death experiences – leukemia and a serious car wreck – and twice, she bounced back. Today, at 24, she volunteers her time to help others afflicted by childhood leukemia as well as speaks out against drunk driving. Her mother, Kay Wade, says Kaitlyn was diagnosed with leukemia on December 10, 1997 – she was only 3 ½ years old. “That type of date you never forget,” she explains. “It was also the day before our second daughter turned two years old.” Kay remembers that all the members of the family had flu symptoms around Thanksgiving that year, and all but Kaitlyn seemed to recover. When Kaitlyn said it hurt her to walk, Kay almost immediately suspected leukemia. She and her husband Jim were involved with Leukemia Society, as his grandmother died of leukemia in August 1996. Jim ran a marathon in Alaska for the Leukemia Society soon after and was “paired” with a child who had leukemia. Because Kay had spoken with the mother of that child, she was familiar with the symptoms. Kaitlyn was tested by her pediatrician, and when she was diagnosed, she was referred to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Though the standard protocol is 2½ years, there were times that treatment had to be delayed, so it lasted about three years. Kay explains that the first month included very intensive chemotherapy, and it was successful. Kaitlyn was officially in remission after two months, and chemotherapy continued periodically to prevent recurrence. “Kaitlyn was so resilient. It’s not like she wasn’t in pain, but she Continued on Next Page