Kim Airhart sat in the waiting room, knowing bad news loomed as she read the words on the wall over and over: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God.” John 14:1. It’s been more than 18 months since her fight with ovarian cancer began and that’s still the verse she clings to.
As the mother of five young children, Airhart wondered if her symptoms could mean she was pregnant. She was bloated, constipated, needed to urinate frequently, and felt unusually tired. When the pregnancy test was negative and the symptoms persisted, she followed her gut and went to the doctor.
“He said I had cancer of ovarian origin, then he listed off the places it had spread,” said Kim. “I looked over at Chris and he just closed his eyes. We cried and on the drive home Chris said he couldn’t lose me. We talked about the kids, how I couldn’t leave them.”
Kim received the diagnosis on a Thursday in February 2020 and began treatment the following Friday. She was 41 years old, living in Madison, Mississippi. Kim and her husband Chris quickly decided to move back to Georgia to be near family. They were Fayetteville residents by April.
Andrea Sisler, of Senoia, was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer in February 2020. When she shared this with her daughter’s orthodontist, Brian Bragassa, he asked if he could introduce her to his sister: Kim Airhart.
The women became quick confidantes, sharing in their emotions, trials and hope. They both underwent what’s hailed as the “mother of all surgeries,” hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC. The procedure calls for a long incision, from chest to low abdomen. Visible tumors are removed one by one, then a hot chemotherapy bath is poured into the abdomen. The incision is stitched up, the body is shaken for an hour and a half, then the incision is reopened, and the abdomen is rinsed with saline before being stitched up again. Patients respond differently, but both Sisler and Kim fared well.
Both women were declared cancer free around September 2020, but with the threat of a high recurrence rate, they remain cautious and vigilant. They are also motivated to help other women.
“I kept having this nagging feeling to do a fundraiser,” said Kim. “I thought about a color run and people were so receptive. It wasn’t my plan to have a nonprofit, but I felt like God was, and still is, leading me.”
Kim told Sisler about her idea for a nonprofit and the two became a team. Education and faith are the benchmarks of their mission.
“Ovarian cancer is a beast,” said Sisler, 57, a mother of four who is also a breast cancer survivor. “So many women have no awareness of ovarian cancer. I’m a registered nurse and I didn’t even know the signs and symptoms. This cancer is so hard on your body and spiritually, it just requires you to dig deep. I don’t know how people do things such as this if they don’t have faith. What got me through is knowing there’s always hope in Jesus and I’m going to be OK no matter the outcome. This is the message we want to share with other women.”
Kim named the nonprofit Harts of Teal: “harts” for her last name, Airhart, and teal is the color of the ovarian cancer ribbon. There’s also a butterfly that looks like a semicolon, signifying that their story is not over.
The foundation hosted their first event, the Harts of Teal 5k and 1 Mile Color Run, July 10 in Peachtree City. There were 566 registrants and more than $70,000 was donated to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and fund early detection research.
“My goal was one thousand dollars; I didn’t know what to expect,” said Kim. “I’m just so grateful and so encouraged to keep going. Harts of Teal has helped me reclaim my life. It catapulted me out of a terrible mental space and pushed me to get back out, meet people, help people. There’s so much information women need to know. There’s a blood test, the CA125, that could detect ovarian cancer earlier. Most women don’t know that. And the symptoms can be so subtle that women may dismiss them or think they’re too young for ovarian cancer. They have to know that’s not true. We have to tell them.”
Chris has been shoulder-to-shoulder with Kim throughout her battle and says Harts of Teal has given her a new lease on life.
“She’s gone from not knowing if she’d make it and worrying, to being very concerned with other women and their stories,” said Chris. “When it clicked in her head that she could help and educate other women, she turned a corner. I couldn’t be prouder. This is not a simple feat. She puts the kids to bed, then stays up late stuffing thank-you envelopes to donors. We can’t even go for a walk, or a golf cart ride without her handing a woman a symptom card.
“She has a strong will to survive, to help others, and to see her kids grow up. That’s what will keep her going.”
MORE DETAILS
To learn more or donate to Harts of Teal, visit www.hartsofteal.org
Ovarian cancer is the #1 deadly cancer of the reproductive center. Roughly 22,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. Eighty percent of cases are diagnosed at the late stage of 3 and 4.
The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are:
- Feeling full quickly
- Abdominal pain
- Frequent urination
- Stomach bloating
- Upset stomach
