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Katie was invited to share her story and talk about Courage Tees with LA news channel Spectrum News 1 on August 15, 2025.

the courage tee story

A girl sitting on a hospital bed, smiling, with her arm in a hospital bracelet, surrounded by small wrapped gifts, in a hospital room.

The summer before Katie went into third grade, she was diagnosed with a blood cancer called lymphoma. She spent the next two years undergoing chemotherapy treatment. During that treatment, Katie had a medical port inserted in her chest in order for doctors to administer treatment, fluids, and conduct bloodwork.

Smiling young girl in a hospital bed holding a small red plush toy, with a medical bandage and IV in her arm, in a hospital room.

On her first day of chemotherapy, Katie had to lift her shirt up to her neck so that the nurse could insert a needle into her port. She felt vulnerable, uncomfortable, and embarrassed.

As a parent in this situation, you are limited in what you can do for your child.  Katie’s mom, Casey, had an idea. That night, she took one of Katie’s old soccer shirts and created an opening with easier access to the port.  

Woman and girl smiling together in front of the Cloud Gate sculpture, also known as "The Bean," in Millennium Park, Chicago, with reflections of nearby people and buildings on the sculpture's surface.
Our original Courage Tee and the prototype for what we are making today.

The original Courage Tee!!

Katie loved the shirt, but after spending hours upon hours in the hospital, she wanted something that felt more like her.  So Casey and Katie worked together to create shirts with Katie’s favorite characters, designs, and colors.

A young girl in a yellow shirt with a peace sign sits on a hospital bed, holding a woman's hand. The woman, wearing a purple shirt with the word 'COURAGE' on it, sits beside her, smiling. They are in a hospital room.

Chapter 2: after cancer

In September, 2014, Katie went into remission. Three years later the doctors told Katie and her family that her chances of getting cancer again were the same as someone who had never had cancer before. 

It has now been 12 years since Katie’s original diagnosis! She attends the University of Southern California studying journalism, entrepreneurship and Spanish. Katie and Casey are working together to see that Courage Tees reach those who need them. 


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At Courage Tees we are on your team.

- Katie & Casey

Two women standing under a red and yellow canopy, smiling and embracing, at an outdoor event with people and tents in the background.
Two women laughing and smiling at each other in a cozy indoor setting, one with blonde hair and glasses, the other with brown hair and glasses, engaged in a happy conversation.