Zeta Tau Alpha Gives Back to one of Their Own

Kara Adams

November 6, 2023

When Kate Johnson found out she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer, her immediate reaction was to laugh.

“My doctor’s little helper came in there and spilled the news, and I honestly sat there and laughed at him. I was just like what!”

Despite the initial reaction, the tears did come moments after the news was delivered, and her harsh reality began to set in.

Kate is a triplet, she has one brother and sister, as well as an older sister. When she broke the news to her siblings, she again made a joke of it. While her sisters were upset, but handled it somewhat well, it was her brother who struggled the most.

“He was just balling. He had to walk out of the kitchen because he couldn’t process it. I was hugging him for almost thirty minutes because it was so painful for him to hear that information.”

And just two days after the news, she began chemotherapy. Yet, Kate said her diagnosis “didn’t even really hit [her] until [her] hair started falling out.”

So, Kate’s dad, brother, cousins, and neighbors all decided to shave their heads together to support Kate. They made a day of it, and Kate got to shave all their heads first. When it came time for Kate to shave her head, it was her brother once again who got so emotional watching her lose her hair.

“My dad shaved my head and [Patrick] had to walk away because he couldn’t watch my dad shave my head. So then I started crying, and I wasn’t even crying yet! I was happy this is fun, but then he comes over and he’s hugging me and crying and I was like oh Patrick you don’t need to do this!”

Kate, her family, and her neighbors all after shaving their heads.

When it comes to thinking about her new reality, Kate doesn’t sit around thinking about how she’s sick.

“I have so much support. I’m not just sitting in my room or anywhere thinking I’m sick, oh I have cancer, I don’t want to think like that.”

That support, comes from not only her family and friends, but nearly all of the IU campus.

When she told her sisters in Zeta Tau Alpha that she would not be returning for the fall due to her diagnosis, she had no idea what they would be doing to help.

Mia Bruder, the Vice President of Philanthropy in ZTA, and her assistant Kailey Pleseck, got to work to make it possible to donate a percentage of their donations to Kate’s Krew.

Kate’s Krew, is Kate’s own team made up of her family and friends who are fighting alongside her. The money donated from ZTA goes to Kate’s doctor for his research.

“They texted in the GroupMe and said ‘Hey guys just want to let you guys know we get to donate some of our proceeds to Kate’s Krew this year.’ When they told me that I was just like oh my gosh. I was not expecting it.”

IU’s Interfraternity council also raised $30,000 for Kate’s Krew during their philanthropy week for Kate.

Kate says she is eternally grateful for the amazing support she has received.

While she continues to endure her long days and hard treatment, it’s small things that keep her going.

“Every morning I get a text from my aunt and from one of my neighbors. They text me either a Bible verse or a ray of sunshine. It starts my day and makes me want to keep fighting during the day.”

Kate is continuing to fight. Thanks to the support of her family, friends, sorority sisters, and more, she finds hope in each day and is determined to beat this cancer.