Darla Doorhy said she prefers not to use the word “anniversary” when she reflects on the 10th year since her daughter Kaitlyn passed away on Aug. 22, 2014, after being struck by a car while away at college. She was just 20 years old.
Ms. Doorhy said she feels the word is more celebratory, while the reality for her family is that the day of remembrance serves as a painful reminder of when Kaitlyn “was taken” from them.
Over the last decade, however, Kaitlyn’s family has turned their personal tragedy into charity through their North Fork nonprofit, Kait’s Angels. When asked about its mission, Ms. Doorhy often cites a phrase she attributes to her daughter: “God gave you two hands: one to do for yourself and one to do for others.”
“We are keeping her memory alive by giving back to people who are less fortunate,” Ms. Doorhy said. “All the money raised for Kait’s Angels stays on the North Fork.”
The charity’s philanthropic mission continues this Saturday, Sept. 7, with the annual community yard sale at the Doorhy residence, 1125 Ole Jule Lane in Mattituck, starting at 8 a.m.
Donations will be collected at the Doorhy home Friday, Sept. 6, from 4 to 6 p.m.
This year, two North Fork residents were chosen from among 10 candidates to split 100% of the proceeds from the yard sale: Lauren Uribe of Southold and Stephanie Galka of Riverhead.
Ms. Galka was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021 and went through surgery, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation — what she described as “the whole gamut.” During this, she also completed a PET scan, where she discovered she also had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
She completed chemo treatments for her aggressive breast cancer, but the lymphoma was never “squelched,” she said. For the next three years, the PET scans showed it growing and changing, so she began chemo treatments again in April of this year.
Ms. Galka completed her sixth round of chemo a couple of weeks ago and is trying to remain optimistic during this waiting period between scans. Although she is still feeling the fatigue from the treatments, Ms. Galka said she is getting back to “being happy.”
An office manager at Riverhead Building Supply, Ms. Galka is the second vice president of the Polish Town Civic Association, where she played a significant role in bringing the Polish Town Fair and Festival back to Riverhead — all while facing her own battles with lymphoma.
She said Kait’s Angels has continuously supported her throughout her cancer journey and she feels “honored” to be one of this year’s recipients . With time away from work and medical bills piling, she said the donations will be a big help financially.
“I feel so supported and it gives me additional strength to be able to go on and do just regular work, or going out to do some of these other things that my family is part of,” Ms. Galka said. “I feel loved.”
Ms. Uribe is a volunteer firefighter with the Southold Fire Department’s Protection Engine Company and an EMT for the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps. She also previously ran a pet care business with her sister in Southold.
However, her medical restrictions made it difficult to continue to manage the shop and volunteer full-time. She learned in January 2023 that she has multiple myeloma, a rare cancer that was detected randomly by a scan she had after falling ill with COVID-19.
Shocked by the diagnosis, Ms. Uribe decided to immediately begin chemotherapy treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan and Commack. She underwent several rounds of chemo before receiving a stem cell transplant in October 2023.
While quarantining in the hospital for a couple of months, Ms. Uribe said she experienced some setbacks, including developing an allergy to penicillin and becoming severely ill. After more hospitalizations, she returned home in December 2023.
“I had to relearn how to go up the stairs,” she said. “For someone who’s used to being a volunteer, that’s humbling, to say the least.”
This October marked the one-year anniversary of her stem cell transplant, but she still has a ways to go.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for this type of cancer, Ms. Uribe said. However, she noted, she has an incredible support system to help her get through, including her fire and rescue family, her 85-year-old mother, who became her stair spotter, and her sister Alison Uribe, who she said “stopped everything else in her life” to be her primary care person.
Additionally, the generosity of Kait’s Angels and the donations she’ll receive Saturday will reduce the financial and emotional burdens she faces, allowing Ms. Uribe to focus on building back her strength so she can get back to the activities she once enjoyed.
She said she hopes to return to volunteering and being an active member of her community, once her health improves. She added that her advice to anyone going through a similar, difficult process is to “hang in there,” even on the hard days.
“It’s just those little encouragements and something like Kait’s Angels just means so much,” Ms. Uribe said. “My sister is always saying I have to learn to accept help from others and I’ve learned that there’s so many people who want to help in different ways.
“I’m really touched by this, the kindness of Kait’s Angels. What they do is incredible and I am very grateful for their help,” she said.
The yard sale is scheduled for Saturday’s yard sale will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Beginning at noon, all remaining items will be sold as “all you can carry” for $20.
On Friday, the charity will be accepting gently used items such as clothing or kitchenware, but not large furniture, such as beds or dining tables, and no computers or televisions. In addition, due to recalls, child car seats can no longer be accepted.