“You get to decide how you feel about your story.”
These are the powerful words of Athens native and stroke survivor, Katherine Wolf.
We all go through pain and trials in our lives, but few know the intricacies of our relationship with hurt and disappointment quite like Katherine Wolf does.
Katherine was raised in a loving home not far from Brittany in Georgia. She went to college, met and married a wonderful man, Jay; relocated to Los Angeles for their careers, Katherine an actress and model, Jay a lawyer; and in 2007, they became parents for the first time.
Then out of the blue in April of 2008, the unimaginable happened.
At the age of 26, Katherine suffered a massive brain-stem stroke that almost killed her and changed the trajectory of her life. After 40 days in the ICU, she had to relearn almost everything: how to walk, talk, and swallow. She was also left with permanent disabilities, including facial paralysis and the inability to walk on her own, while trying to care for an infant.
For most, this would leave us with resentment, bitterness, and utter defeat.
But not Katherine.
As she says,“I promise you won’t stay in the grief and lament, but you do have to start there.”
In this heartfelt and inspirational episode, Brittany walks through Katherine’s timeline of healing, recovery, and picking up the treasures along the way. From years of rehab, to receiving more tragic health news, to having her second child, Katherine’s story is one of hardship and also seeing the miraculous happen.
In the wake of so many physical difficulties—not to mention the emotional and relational toll they take—this stroke survivor realized something surprising and life-changing: that the darkest days of her suffering were teaching her things that a pain-free life never could have, presenting her with gifts and graces she didn’t think possible.
So, friend, don’t discount the treasures in your hard story. There are gifts there for you to uncover, even if that seems unimaginable at the moment.
And as Katherine shares in this episode,the blessed life has nothing to do with earthly blessings. Phew. What a WORD for some of us today.
It’s such a pivotal reminder to embrace any gifts we currently have in the middle of the fragility of our lives, because we are certainly not guaranteed tomorrow. Our health, an able body, ease of communication. If these are realities you currently hold in your life, let today be a reminder to be GRATEFUL for these things. Because they are truly gifts that should propel you to take action on any God-given dreams in your heart. Don’t waste a single moment.
And if you are currently going through a difficult season and are unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Katherine says: “Don’t miss the treasure of this season. You may want out of that nightmare, but if you’re going through hell - keep going, and pick up the treasure God has for you there in the hallway.” Keep going, friend.
Katherine is here to remind us all that we get to decide how we feel about our story. As she says in this conversation: ‘I am decidedly living an incredibly blessed life. Largely because I have eyes to see it that way.’
This is the hope for each one of us after this episode: That we may have eyes to see the joy in our lives today and realize that every day is a profound miracle of God that we’re here. This is truly a life-changing conversation.
Now go press play on this episode.
Follow Katherine here: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
Purchase her devotional here: https://hopeheals.com/treasures
Here is info about her camp! https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals.camp/
Here is info about her new coffee shop! https://www.instagram.com/mendcoffee/