August 26, 2024
Katie's ride: Motorcycle rally a surprise for patient
Kaiser Permanente in San Diego helped plan a special send-off for Katie Peet on her final day of treatment for Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma.
Katie Peet was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing her dad’s motorcycle group rev down the driveway of the Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center.
On Christmas Eve in 2023, Katie Peet walked into the emergency department at the Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center in San Diego, California, with excruciating back pain.
Peet, 20 years old at the time, thought she must have injured herself while working at her job in a warehouse club. She assumed the pain she was experiencing was the result of a pulled muscle.
Imaging tests showed a large tumor wrapped around her spinal column. Peet was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer.
Due to the tumor’s size and location, Peet needed immediate and aggressive treatment to avoid permanent paralysis. Beginning that same night, she was admitted to the hospital and received her first round of radiation treatment.
Peet continued radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the next 6 months until she was declared cancer-free on June 18, 2024.
A big surprise on her last day of treatment
To celebrate Peet’s final treatment on June 18, Kaiser Permanente worked with her dad to organize a surprise motorcycle rally at Zion Medical Center.
His motorcycle club, the El Patrón Harley-Davidson Owners Group, had been supporting Peet throughout her cancer battle. A few months prior, the group held a charity ride in her honor to help offset her medical costs and buy her a wig for her 21st birthday.
This time, her Kaiser Permanente care team and her family wanted to give her a send-off she would never forget. A line of 20 motorcycles paraded down the main entrance to the hospital, waving purple signs that read “We love you Katie.”
Among the riders was one of Peet’s oncology nurses who also organized the signs and streamers for the event. Other members of Peet’s care team, including doctors and nurses, came out to show their support.
A local San Diego news station was on hand to capture the moment as the tears flowed from Peet’s eyes.
Watch the video from this day, which was memorable for all involved.
Speaking of her cancer, Peet said, “I was going to beat this. I knew this day would come.”
Learn more about cancer care at Kaiser Permanente.
