At just 27 years old, Katelyn Carmouche’s world shifted in a moment she never saw coming.
Two weeks before her daughter Ellianna’s second birthday, Katelyn was diagnosed July 15 with Stage 3 triple negative breast cancer.
The Carmouche family had been living in Korea, where Katelyn’s husband, Nathaniel, was stationed with the military.
“We loved it there and were supposed to be there for two more years,” Katelyn says. “Then I got diagnosed, and we moved back to Louisiana on compassionate orders.”
Her diagnosis came after a moment that any mom could relate to.
“My daughter uses me as a jungle gym, just like most kids,” Katelyn says. “She was climbing on me, and I thought, oh that kind of hurts. That shouldn’t hurt.”
At first, Katelyn assumed it was leftover inflammation from breastfeeding.
“I had mastitis a lot, so I thought it was just milk that hadn’t cleared out,” she says. “But it kept hurting, and when I went to the doctor, they told me, oh, that’s not milk. That’s not good.”
She also had numbness and tingling in her hands and feet.
“It felt dramatic to go in for something like that, but in this case, it was OK to be dramatic,” she says. “The reason I had tingling was because my cancer was pushing up on a nerve.”
Finding Care and Comfort Back Home
Once back in Louisiana, Katelyn began treatment at Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute. Her first chemo was August 13.
“My sister Elizabeth (Buhler) is an oncology nurse there,” she says. “The nurses have all been great and so easy to talk to.”
Early in her treatment, Katelyn experienced an allergic reaction to a medication. She remembers how quickly the nursing team was able to help her.
“I got nauseated, turned really red and alo had hives. I felt like I was burning from the inside out. I was dizzy, which scared me when my vision got blurry and spotty,” Katelyn remembers. “As fast as my reaction happened, the nurses were able to get it under control just as fast.”
Katelyn’s treatment plan includes two chemotherapy medications and one immunotherapy, given weekly for 12 rounds for the first rotation.
“I’ll get a week break at the end of October,” she says. “Then I start my next rotation of chemo, where some things will be added and some taken out. That’s when I’ll lose my hair.”
Even through setbacks, Katelyn has stayed remarkably positive.
“My body actually rejected my port. It just pushed it out,” she says. “I had a nice hole in my chest because my body was like, that’s foreign, let’s push it out. There was no infection or anything, just my body being stubborn.”
Her care team has been by her side through it all including Sobia Ozair, MD, hematology oncology physician, and Jasmine Spearman, NP, with Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute,
“Dr. Ozair and Jasmine are amazing,” Katelyn says. “Dr. Ozair is really sweet and soft-spoken. Jasmine and I crack jokes, and it makes the scary parts not so scary.”
She also praised her surgical oncologist, Dr. Lindsey Fauveau, with Woman’s Hospital. Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute, Woman’s Hospital and Mary Bird Perkins partner providing collaborative care at Woman’s Cancer Pavillion.
“She was so patient. With everything taking weeks because of insurance and being on Tricare, she made time for me right away once it was approved,” Katelyn says. “Honestly, I’ve lucked out with my team. They’ve been great.”
A Family Surrounded by Love
Katelyn and Nathaniel are surrounded by support.
“His parents and mine live five minutes apart,” she says. “My sister’s close by too, and she’s at the hospital. All the family is close.”
Their daughter, Ellianna, is at the center of everything.
“She’s a blessing, and she makes everything great,” Katelyn says.
Katelyn’s care schedule means adjusting their routines, but she’s made sure Ellianna stays happy and active.
“I’m a control freak with no control over anything that’s happening,” she says. “But I make sure she still gets her activities — gymnastics, library, playgroups. I don’t want her to feel like anything has changed.”
On chemo days, Katelyn’s parents help with childcare.
“The day I get chemo, my mom stays at the house with Ellianna. The next day, she goes to my in-laws because it’s not safe for her to be around me while my body’s expelling the chemo,” she says.
Even the small moments bring smiles. “My daughter wants a Band-Aid on her chest because Mommy wears a Band-Aid,” Katelyn says.
Holding Onto Hope
Through every round of chemo, Katelyn has found her strength in family, faith and humor.
“I was surprised I had cancer,” she says. “When I first went in, I told my husband I’d be two seconds, just wait out here, and then they told me I had cancer. Honestly, in my mind, I was still not convinced. It was just a lump. But it was growing fast. When I first felt it, it was the size of a dime. By the time we started chemo, you could see it.”
Now, she can see progress. “The tumors have gone down with chemo,” she says. “At least I know it’s working.”
On October 25, Katelyn will be recognized as an Our Lady of the Lake’s Geaux Hero during the LSU Football game against Texas A&M, honoring her courage and positivity throughout her breast cancer journey.
“I grew up watching LSU games. My parents are big fans,” Katelyn says. “I’ve only ever been to two other games, and we were in the nosebleeds. This is going to be fun. I’ve never been that close. It’s going to be really cool.”
As for what she’s learned through it all: “Pay attention to the little things,” she says. “And find the positives, even in the middle of the hard stuff. For me, that’s Ellianna. She’s my biggest positive.”
