Her Story
Kathy's Story
Kathy was the 2nd youngest of the 4 Clark siblings - Patty, Rick, Kathy and Tom who grew up in West Chester, PA. Her extraordinary life started at birth. Ruth Smith Clark (family calls her Noni) and Charles Clark (family called him Cholly) welcomed Kathy into this world as the first baby born in Pennsylvania in 1959 (a few minutes after midnight on New Year's Day). Noni, Cholly, and Kathy were showered with gifts, but this would be the last time Kathy put herself before others. The Clark family had close ties to First Presbyterian Church and other civic organizations in West Chester. Kathy took that civic responsibility to another level.
Kathy was named Valedictorian of Henderson High School in 1976 and as Noni described it, "intimidated boys." Kathy and the Clark family were rich with love, but were the typical hard-working, blue-collar family. Kathy had earned a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania to study Nursing due to her brilliance at Henderson and hard work. She worked part time at the Burger King on Route 100 (when there used to be a BK on Rte. 100).
Kathy met Bruce Flamm in 1976 at Penn and they were inseparable ever since. Bruce graduated in 1979 and Kathy in 1980 and married on Valentine’s Day in 1982. Kathy 'convinced' Bruce to grow up in the Philadelphia area, as Bruce grew up in the East Village in New York City. However, Bruce didn't need any convincing. They experienced some challenges with family since Bruce was Jewish and Kathy was Presbyterian. Despite their differences, their love toward each other allowed for a perfect mix of culture and respect amongst family and friends.
Upon graduating, Kathy began working as a Registered Nurse at Presbyterian-University of Pennsylvania Medical Center before returning to UPenn to gain her Master’s Degree in Nursing as a Nurse Practitioner. Kathy practiced close to her home in West Chester, while raising two boys (Matt and Evan) in the same community where she grew up. Despite working and going to school, Kathy was always there to support Matt and Evan in their sports and band activities. She also spent time volunteering on The First Presbyterian Church’s Health Cabinet.
Everything was trending toward what most would consider a 'normal life' until 2005. At age of 46, Kathy started to experience a terrible cough in the Spring and no one thought anything of it. One night, she woke up with a terrible cough and went to grab some water downstairs and the family dog accompanied her. All of a sudden, she collapsed and luckily pulled down the water cooler with her. Hearing the crash, Bruce rushed downstairs and immediately noticed that something was wrong. He dialed 911 and emergency personnel arrived. The EMT's dismissed the issue as someone 'intoxicated' as they saw a wine bottle and glass nearby and Kathy was slurring her words (Kathy enjoyed a glass or two of Pinot Grigio at night), but Bruce knew Kathy better than anyone.
Kathy was rushed to Chester County Hospital and had suffered a stroke. She was flown to University of Pennsylvania Hospital for treatment. Without going into too much detail, Kathy wrote her own experience here (https://www.mdedge.com/clinicianreviews/article/72068/cardiology/clinicians-view-what-its-have-stroke).
This event for her and her family was devastating and difficult to watch her cope with it at times, but Kathy quickly pivoted from being devastated to being motivated. She had suffered from permanent paralysis on her left extremities as well as damage to her left eye peripheral vision. Thanks to incredible doctors and patient and encouraging physical therapists, she was able to relearn how to walk, talk, see, and even remember how time worked.
Regardless of how damaging the stroke was, she improvised and overcame her challenges. From having to drink 'thickened' water (as her stroke impacted her swallowing), to walking a 5k for Strides for Stroke (three times!), to being able to change and bathe herself again, she was an inspiration to anyone who followed her journey. She utilized resources such as Fighting Back to regain her strength and flexibility, as well as numerous surgeries to allow for her to regain her independence.
One of the worst challenges was her ability to practice medicine again. She applied for years and still could not gain employment. She spent her early return to medicine volunteering at CVIM (a volunteer medical center for those without means and insurance) in order to give back. However, she was discouraged not receiving a full-time opportunity to provide care. After years of applying and searching, she broke through and found a role in a family practice in Coatesville part-time. Years later, she found an opportunity closer to home as a full-time Nurse Practitioner at a nursing home in Delaware County in direct patient care. Kathy could not wait to boast that she was the new 'bread-winner' of the household, as Bruce was able to enjoy partial-retired life after all his efforts over the years. Outside of work and volunteering, Kathy spent most of her time in her favorite role as Nana to the two newest Flamms, Kasia and Ziggy. She was fulfilled in every aspect of life, doing a job that she loved, being a Nana and spending time with her family.
In April 2020, Kathy contracted COVID-19, which had just begun to rapidly spread through the United States. There was virtually no research on who was at-risk and we later found out that Kathy's stroke put her in a high-risk category. After a few days of moderate symptoms, Kathy was admitted to Chester County Hospital due to lower blood oxygen. As a family, it was unbearable not being able to be with her and still is today. The severity of her illness caused her to be placed on a ventilator only a week after being diagnosed. Our family did everything we could to get her in any COVID-19 medical trial and was eventually transferred to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where this was a possibility. We had seen Kathy as a fighter through her stroke recovery, but it felt like a monumental win in our ability to help from afar.
Due to the virus causing damage to her kidneys, Kathy was not able to participate in the Remdesivir trial. However, the daily updates were encouraging with some reports better than others. The nursing staff and doctors at the hospital were incredible during this challenging time.
On April 23rd, the family received a call that Kathy had suffered from a brain bleed. We said our goodbyes later that night and were both devastated, shocked, and upset on how helpless we were during her entire fight with COVID-19. To our family, it is still a nightmare, but cannot thank our friends and family enough for the overwhelming amount of love and support that flooded in for the days and months to follow.
Nothing will ever change what happened to Kathy, her family and those she touched in her inspiration, courage, care, and intelligence but we are ultimately blessed. As a family, we wrote her story and will continue to tell her story as we are blessed to have been so close to Kathy. She taught us what perseverance was and how to battle adversity. We almost lost her in 2005, but she battled to return to care for others regardless of how it might impact her life. She always gave to others and loved those close to her unconditionally.
She is the most inspirational, strongest and kindest person we will ever know. With her indomitable spirit and perseverance, she set the bar high of what can be accomplished. She would never want others forced to overcome the same challenges and would be glad that in her memory someone's path to help others was made a little easier.
We hope you take inspiration and care from her story and pass on her legacy to others. That is what Kathy would want and we our family wishes for all to take from her life. We love you all and wish you love, care, and inspiration in your own lives and families.