Lynne: Our daughter Katelyn was 31, she was the light of our life. She loved family, she loved all her friends, she really brought people together, she had a knack for it.

Joseph: I was lucky enough to get to grow up with her and spend all of my life or all of her life with her but she was great, she loved to have fun and you know enjoy the most of life. Loved to make plans to do things and I was fortunate enough that she always included me on those. 

Lynne: She was engaged to the love of her life, Brett.

Brett: The day that Katelyn had her rupture, she was on the treadmill going back and forth and we were talking, we were laughing, I went over there and I noticed she was struggling breathing and and it was really serious .

Lynne: Katelyn complained of a headache and a stiff neck a few days prior to the rupture and thought it’s a migraine, she was under a lot of stress at work, she was making final wedding plans. 31 years old, she’s healthy as anything it’s probably a migraine.

Joe: At first you know we thought it was serious but we didn’t think it was as serious as it was for us.

Lynne: For us, the impact of Katelyn’s passing, you can’t even find the words to describe how devastating the loss of a child is and a family member and a sibling and a fiancée.

Joe: You expect your parents you grandparents older people, people that might have um chronic illness you know you sort of expect it, you anticipate it. With Katelyn, we had no clue. 

Lynne: 1 in 50 people have a brain aneurysm. Which is really a staggering number, the funding just isn’t there and the research just isn’t there.

Joe: Research funding for brain aneurysm is not just important but it’s very realistic it’s it’s unlike some of the other diseases that people raise money for that might be 20 years 30 years out may never be solved. You know this is something that can be solved.

Brett: I would encourage them to donate to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation just to spread the knowledge but to also honor Katelyn. I think it’s a great way to carry on her legacy to support this charity that can help other individuals who were like Katelyn and actually may be able to survive from  this. 

Joe: The loss of a child is different. You’re part of their life, they’re part of your life and now that part of our lives are just gone. They just were taken away and they’re just gone, they’ll never come back, they’ll never be replaced and that loss can’t describe it. It’s there when you wake up, it’s there when you go to sleep, it’s there when you take a walk, it’s there when you go to a restaurant, it’s there 24/7. If one person – if that you could prevent that for one person.

Lynne: It would be great.