You are cordially invited to Kasey Altman's private Celebration of Life which will be streamed live on her TikTok account on:
A note from Brad:
Kasey's passing on the 4th of July was an unexpected, sad event, which caught me by surprise. I hadn't followed Kasey as closely as I should have after the weekly meetings in the hackathon, although she was quite generous in sharing her story via social media. I knew she was getting a personalized cancer vaccine through the Mayo Clinic and hoped that it would have a durable response.
I asked Delsee, Kasey's mom and driving caregiver, what message she would like to share with you, Kasey's followers, and fans, and this was her response:
"I'm not sure I conveyed as clearly as I'd wished that our strong preference for anyone interested in Kasey's updates, life, or impact simply choose to:
Download the apps on their phones (Instagram, Titktok, any Podcast Player)
Sign onto Kasey's accounts "@Kasey.altman" to find her Instagram or Tiktok; The Reroute here, https://www.the-reroute.com.
Trust me, I had nary an app on my phone a year ago. I liken my previous boycott of social media to a person living next door to the Louvre, refusing to enter due to "not being a museum person." What a missed opportunity.
Both Kasey and I tried to encourage Hackathon members to follow her Instagram (@kasey.altman) if they had an interest in following her progress. What exploded unexpectedly was her TikTok platform last year, (@kasey.altman) with tens of thousands of devoted, engaged, and articulate followers, many of whom were in the healthcare industry, advocacy space, or patients themselves. In addition, her Reroute Podcast blossomed as well, with her final episode airing today- her pride and joy interview with John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars. Bring a Kleenex.
Someday we may revisit this, but at this point, we don't feel we can capture even a fraction of her essence via static words. Instead, so clearly is her spirit conveyed through even a cursory glimpse of Tik Tok, a brief reading of Instagram posts or a simple listen of her final Reroute podcast.
We are eternally grateful for their dogged, resourceful, and loving support. Feel free to share any of this email with the Hackathon members.
Kasey's private Celebration of Life will be streamed live on her TikTok account Saturday, July 30, 2022, 6pm-8pm PST, 9-11pm EST.
In Kasey fashion, she wrote her own eulogy last August...
Kasey was special. She makes it easy to look on the bright side of her passing, which is very hard to do. She was a positive beacon, a role model of an active patient who wasn't afraid to die but would always choose to live. I and I trust everyone who listened to her, was inspired by her courage and articulate description of her philosophy. I am grateful to her for all I learned during the hackathon, including about the challenges of choosing life, but even more about how to lead a noble and heroic response to a difficult diagnosis and repeated setbacks. She was dealt lemons, and she made lemonade.
If you have time, please read her eulogy. And join her Celebration of Life on July 30. If you're like me, you can overcome a lack of experience on TikTok for Kasey."
Best,
Brad