July 2012/February 2014
In Memory of Jeremiah
June 9, 1983 - February 15, 2013
From Kristi Katches...
57 weeks ago we had to say goodbye…
These past few weeks have been full of tears, laughter, heartache, joy, sorrow, fun...ups and downs!
Through this past year we have had more downs than ups, but God has been the lifter of our head! I'm grateful to God for strengthening my faith in Him & strengthening me when I have been too weak to function. I miss Jimmy...his smile, his laugh, his quirks, his faults, his love, watching him love on our girls, I miss our life together...I miss him more and more each day, and yet Everyday that goes by is a day closer to when I can see him again. I know where he is and Who he is with & that brings a peace no one can give or take away.
Jimmy was heartbroken for all those who suffered with Lyme and their loved ones. He wanted to make a difference and fight for them! He did not lose his battle with Lyme, but was victorious because of his great faith in the Lord. He wanted to be known for His love and devotion to Christ more than Lyme Disease and wanted to share his hope with others. He loved taking photos of God’s creation and sharing it in hopes it would bring a comfort or relief for those struggling...even if it was only a minute! May his life not be forgotten! We too can fight...we can love, we can make a difference in his memory!
These past few weeks have been full of tears, laughter, heartache, joy, sorrow, fun...ups and downs!
Through this past year we have had more downs than ups, but God has been the lifter of our head! I'm grateful to God for strengthening my faith in Him & strengthening me when I have been too weak to function. I miss Jimmy...his smile, his laugh, his quirks, his faults, his love, watching him love on our girls, I miss our life together...I miss him more and more each day, and yet Everyday that goes by is a day closer to when I can see him again. I know where he is and Who he is with & that brings a peace no one can give or take away.
Jimmy was heartbroken for all those who suffered with Lyme and their loved ones. He wanted to make a difference and fight for them! He did not lose his battle with Lyme, but was victorious because of his great faith in the Lord. He wanted to be known for His love and devotion to Christ more than Lyme Disease and wanted to share his hope with others. He loved taking photos of God’s creation and sharing it in hopes it would bring a comfort or relief for those struggling...even if it was only a minute! May his life not be forgotten! We too can fight...we can love, we can make a difference in his memory!
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Join me in supporting Inanna House and praying for those who battle daily with this debilitating disease! Let us fight for those who need our help!
I ask for prayer for my girls that God would continue to be their greatest Comforter and Father! Also, if you have something you'd like to share with them I am still in the process of making a scrapbook for them about their Daddy and how he touched many lives. Feel free to email me HERE if you'd like to share a memory, inspiration, etc! It would mean so much to us...
I ask for prayer for my girls that God would continue to be their greatest Comforter and Father! Also, if you have something you'd like to share with them I am still in the process of making a scrapbook for them about their Daddy and how he touched many lives. Feel free to email me HERE if you'd like to share a memory, inspiration, etc! It would mean so much to us...
Love unconditionally...and NOW! Later may be too late!
"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26
Purchase Prints
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All Jeremiah's photos you see here are for sale, and there are more to see on his Fine Prints artist page. Proceeds will go toward Jeremiah's family, and 10% will be donated to Inanna House!
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From Mara Williams...
Jeremiah Katches died Friday February 15, 2013. I know that he was suffering greatly, and in intense pain. I am so saddened by his passing. His art speaks to the man he was- creative, loving, strong, and kind. He got Lyme while in the military. He fought for the United States and then his country let him down by denying his illness.
Too many are suffering for years and then dying. How can a soul prevail when one continues to suffer and not move forward? How can someone recover when they have limited resources? Treating Lyme is expensive and all consuming, sometimes for years. Spiritually, I believe no one agreed to take on these infections but because of other agreements were vulnerable to being overwhelmed by infection.
Too many are suffering for years and then dying. How can a soul prevail when one continues to suffer and not move forward? How can someone recover when they have limited resources? Treating Lyme is expensive and all consuming, sometimes for years. Spiritually, I believe no one agreed to take on these infections but because of other agreements were vulnerable to being overwhelmed by infection.
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Jeremiah had a deep faith that helped to give him hope. He was a fighter. And, now he is gone from this world. Let his passing be a galvanizing point of light for the rest of the Lyme community, that along with all the others who have not made it, leads us to become one, united to build a place where healing can happen for anyone, including those with no ability to pay.
If every person with Lyme, and every one of their family members and friends, were to donate just five or ten dollars, we would have enough to build at least two Inanna Houses. I have no agenda saying this other than to make you think. If Inanna House had been a reality, Jeremiah might have made it. I pray that not another person dies due to Lyme disease. May the power of community make it so. Thank you and Blessings, Mara |
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My daughter Sara, who has mostly remained behind the scenes in the creation of Inanna House, chose to write something about Jeremiah. They became friends after working together on his Lyme Artist of The Month page. She speaks from her heart, saddened by our loss, as so many others are...
From Sara...
My name is Sara Donnelly, I am 34 years old and I suffer from Chronic Lyme Disease. I suffer because my fellow human beings are suffering. I suffer because my sister suffers. I suffer because my friend Jeremiah was suffering, and is now gone from this world.
My suffering does not come from the physical pain that so many Lyme patients have, because in fact, I have never been bitten by a tick. My suffering does not come from the insomnia, vomiting, fevers, and shakes that so many Lyme patients deal with daily, because in fact, I don't have the actual Lyme infection.
My suffering comes from a place of knowing that if one suffers, we all suffer. My suffering comes from a place of knowing that there can never be right, if so many are wronged.
I got involved with Inanna House as a way to help my mother. Inanna House was her vision, her dream. It was through communications everyday with people needing help, no where to go, no money for treatment, frustrated, overwhelmed, alone, that I saw it was way more than that. I started to "get it". This is a huge issue, enormous. It is not only isolated to my sister, or a few people here or there claiming a mysterious disease that no one seems to know about. This is a debilitating, painful disease, that in fact, is killing people.
My suffering does not come from the physical pain that so many Lyme patients have, because in fact, I have never been bitten by a tick. My suffering does not come from the insomnia, vomiting, fevers, and shakes that so many Lyme patients deal with daily, because in fact, I don't have the actual Lyme infection.
My suffering comes from a place of knowing that if one suffers, we all suffer. My suffering comes from a place of knowing that there can never be right, if so many are wronged.
I got involved with Inanna House as a way to help my mother. Inanna House was her vision, her dream. It was through communications everyday with people needing help, no where to go, no money for treatment, frustrated, overwhelmed, alone, that I saw it was way more than that. I started to "get it". This is a huge issue, enormous. It is not only isolated to my sister, or a few people here or there claiming a mysterious disease that no one seems to know about. This is a debilitating, painful disease, that in fact, is killing people.
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I came up with the idea for the Inanna House Lyme Artist of The Month shortly after Jeremiah reached out to me on Twitter. He had heard about Inanna House and wanted to help, he wanted to do something for the Lyme community. That was the kind of person he was, even though he was suffering so much with his own illness, he still wanted to help others and build awareness. It was from seeing his passion and love for photography that I realized it was through art that he, and so many others, cope with the hardships of Lyme. I asked him to be our first artist. He was so ecstatic about showing his work and telling his story. He loved taking photos, it was his out, his escape. |
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The current health care system failed Jeremiah, there is no other way to say it. I can not help but feel as if I failed him as well. He was crying out for help, he needed help, he did not get help. He did not have to die. He was a warrior and fought through more pain and hardship than any man should have to in one lifetime. There is only so much one can take, and I pray that he is well now. I pray that his broken body is strong and he can once again be active, run around, shoot some hoops, look down upon his family that he so loved, and feel no pain.
I know that because I do not have actual Lyme disease that I can never fully understand what it is like. I want you, Lyme community, to know that I am here though, and now more than ever we need Inanna House. We need others to see and realize that this is out of control, criminal, and nothing short of a travesty. We need to come together and make this happen ourselves. We need to become like water and make our own path. We need to build the new reality that makes the old model obsolete. I promise, for you, my sister, others who have fought but lost their battle, that I will not give up. And I promise you Jeremiah, my friend, that I will not stop working for the change you so needed. I will miss you, as will so many others you have touched in this life.
Sara
Sara
Jeremiah Katches of Dream Katches Photography
This is the original section of Jeremiah's Lyme Artist of The Month page. He was our first artist, and his work
will always be a part of Inanna House.
will always be a part of Inanna House.
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arm, and immediately went to see the Physician on Base. I remembered it had been one of the areas where I had been bitten, but when I showed it to the Doctor, he simply glanced at the rash, told me it was nothing to worry about and sent me on my way.
About a week after my visit, I assumed that I had suddenly came down with the Flu. My whole body ached, I had a high fever, and was constantly throwing up. I thought I would recover, but as time went by, I wasn’t getting better, only worse. So much worse, in fact, that I could hardly get out of bed and could no longer perform my duties. Because of this, I was medically discharged and sent back home to California.
About a week after my visit, I assumed that I had suddenly came down with the Flu. My whole body ached, I had a high fever, and was constantly throwing up. I thought I would recover, but as time went by, I wasn’t getting better, only worse. So much worse, in fact, that I could hardly get out of bed and could no longer perform my duties. Because of this, I was medically discharged and sent back home to California.
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When I got there, I had several Lyme blood tests done to see if that may be the reason I was suddenly so sick, but the results kept coming back negative. I hadn’t realized then how unreliable those tests were, and so the next two years I remained both ill and frustrated that no one could figure out what was wrong with me.
Eventually, a friend of mine who suffers from Lyme informed me how useless the normal blood test for Lyme Disease actually is and said I should get tested through a different lab, one that offered a more accurate test. The test finally came back positive, and so for the last six years of my life I have been fighting Lyme. Unfortunately, due to the cost of treatment and the unwillingness of Insurance Companies to help cover it, I haven’t always been able to do everything my Doctor has wanted me to in order to get better. But, I do what I can. |
Like everyone else who suffers from this disease, I definitely have my own ups and downs with it. It just has taken so much from me, and has really limited the things I am able to do now.
The one thing it hasn’t completely taken away from me is my love of Photography. Not only does it relax me, but helps me express how I’m feeling, which I find to be very helpful. I’ve never been “good” with words, and I find that my photography speaks more clearly then I ever could. A picture does say, “A Thousand Words,” right?
I know I’m just one person infected with Chronic Lyme Disease, and that on my own, by myself, it’s hard to make a difference. But when all of us, the thousands of people suffering with this disease stick together and fight for each other, that’s when we can make our voices heard. I hope my pictures are as meaningful and inspirational to you as they are to me. I’ll never stop my fight against Lyme and my photography will always be one of my weapons I use to battle it.
The one thing it hasn’t completely taken away from me is my love of Photography. Not only does it relax me, but helps me express how I’m feeling, which I find to be very helpful. I’ve never been “good” with words, and I find that my photography speaks more clearly then I ever could. A picture does say, “A Thousand Words,” right?
I know I’m just one person infected with Chronic Lyme Disease, and that on my own, by myself, it’s hard to make a difference. But when all of us, the thousands of people suffering with this disease stick together and fight for each other, that’s when we can make our voices heard. I hope my pictures are as meaningful and inspirational to you as they are to me. I’ll never stop my fight against Lyme and my photography will always be one of my weapons I use to battle it.
Gallery
Artmakes the best pictures
Reflectionyou never know what you may find
Yellow Beautyon a dark day
Faithcan not be broken
Climbingtoward the sky
Firein the sky
Lightningcrashes
Fountainof youth
Angelof my eye
Hiddenyou must open your eyes
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Dreamsa place I go
Compassto figure out which way to go
Frozenwhat is within
Colorsof the abstract
Desertcan be unforgiving
Cloudsthe holes to heaven
Carefreereflecting
Caughtin a web
Forgetfor a day
Oldiesand the classics
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Jeremiah Inspires!
The loss of Jeremiah did not go unnoticed. He was an active member within the Lyme community, always with an encouraging word even when he was feeling down. Our December Lyme Artist of The Month, Heather Ochsner-Prince, was especially moved by his art, love of family and friends and dedication to his community. She created a piece specifically in memory of our "Dream Traveler".
Heather Wrote:
"Dream Traveler was inspired and created in honor of Jeremiah Katches. I did not know Jeremiah personally, but we shared many commonalities. We both used our passion for art to help ease the difficulties of our debilitating illness, Lyme Disease. Jeremiah's art and attitude towards life helped so many people during his journey. Although his physical body is no longer with us, his art and love of life will always remain. Jeremiah is our "Dream Traveler."
Heather Wrote:
"Dream Traveler was inspired and created in honor of Jeremiah Katches. I did not know Jeremiah personally, but we shared many commonalities. We both used our passion for art to help ease the difficulties of our debilitating illness, Lyme Disease. Jeremiah's art and attitude towards life helped so many people during his journey. Although his physical body is no longer with us, his art and love of life will always remain. Jeremiah is our "Dream Traveler."
Purchase "Dream Traveler"
All proceeds after costs from the purchase of "Dream Traveler" will be donated to Inanna House! You can purchase signed prints on canvas for $300. Only 300 will printed. Contact us HERE or Heather HERE if you would like to purchase or get more info.
Tweet About Us!
Click on the Twitter icon to tweet about Inanna House, Artist of the Month, and Jeremiah ~ The more awareness the better!
