Dori: A tribute to Kate Irwin, 27, who battled breast cancer with a smile

Last October, you and I together met a young woman who had about the most incredible spirit of anybody I could imagine. She was a bright light of sunshine and energy. Her name was Kate Irwin.

At 27, Kate was battling stage 4 breast cancer. She had been diagnosed with stage 3 grade, 3 cancer at 25. The story we did was about a Seahawks game that she and her best friend Kenzie went to, as part of their tradition of flying to Seahawks away games. Kenzie made arrangements for the two of them to fly to Michigan to go watch the Seahawks play the Detroit Lions.

Kate had the time of her life. She had lost all her hair because of the cancer treatment, but she was radiant and beautiful in all the photos. Just an incredible battler. Kate made a sign about her 66 chemo treatments, her eight weeks of radiation, two surgeries, and the 2,300 miles they traveled to Detroit, along with the words,  “Cancer can’t stop a 12.” One of the Seahawks executives saw the sign, and so they invited her down on the field and treated her like gold.

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Later in the game, Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett came up to Kate’s seat and gave her the football he had caught in a 24-yard touchdown pass. Best of all, after the game, Kenzie arranged for them to meet Detroit Lion and former Seahawk Luke Willson, Kate’s all-time favorite football player, outside of the locker room. Kate told us, her voice full of excitement, that it was “the best day ever.”

We found out that Kate Irwin passed away Monday morning.

What a beautiful spirit.

She got a diagnosis at 25 that no young woman expects. Just the way she dealt with it and fought through it, just the joy and spirit with which we shared that conversation, were so inspiring. I wanted to share the heartbreaking news with you because I know a lot of you were touched by that interview.

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