Benefit Concert to Support 51社区 Senior Battling Cancer
Music has been central to Kathrynn Vettas鈥檚 life for years. She transferred to 51社区 in 2023 after realizing she wanted to fully pursue music production and recording and found her placeWhen Kathrynn Vettas walks across the graduation stage this May at 51社区, she won’t just be celebrating the completion of her degree. She’ll be proving that even cancer can’t hold her back.
“I’m finally doing what I love, and I’m not going to let this disease stop me,” Vettas says.
Doctors diagnosed the senior Audio Arts student earlier this semester with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma following months of unexplained symptoms and repeated visits to health clinics. Now, while undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments every two weeks, Vettas still attends classes and is preparing to graduate alongside her classmates.
To support her, 51社区 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and music community are coming together to put on a on Wednesday, May 13, at Bassline in Chicago to raise funds for costs associated with Kathrynn’s treatment.
And as someone who is passionate about music, Kathrynn is not only grateful to 51社区 for its support but can’t wait for the show.
“I love music, so I’m really excited for it,” she says.
Perseverance Pays Off
For Kathrynn the concert will be a happy moment in a difficult journey.
What started as a persistent cough last spring slowly evolved into severe fatigue, difficulty swallowing, and intense itching. Despite multiple appointments and urgent care visits, she felt dismissed as health care workers attributed her symptoms to colds and viruses.
Still, she trusted her instincts and continued advocating for herself.
“I felt like no one was listening to me,” she says. “If you feel something is wrong, something probably is.”
In February, after her symptoms became impossible to ignore, Kathrynn drove herself to an emergency room in Indiana, her home state, where doctors discovered a 13-centimeter mass in her chest pressing against her trachea and esophagus.
Doctors immediately transferred her to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where a biopsy confirmed Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Days later, she began chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy, a physically demanding treatment she will continue into the summer. Thankfully, her tumor is responding well to treatment and it has shrunk dramatically; doctors are very optimistic about her prognosis.
Through it all, faculty at 51社区 have worked closely with Vettas to provide flexibility and support while she balances coursework with treatment appointments and recovery days.
“My professors have been such saints and so generous to me when it comes to deadlines and submitting work,” Kathrynn says. “They’ve told me, ‘Please take a break, rest up. We can accommodate around this. Focus on your health first.’”
A Benefit for a Music Lover
The benefit concert idea came from Tom Joyce, a career advisor at 51社区, who quickly connected with Ben Sutherland, interim director of the School of Audio and Music, faculty, and student organizations to bring the event together.
When Joyce first told Vettas about the plan, she was overtaken by emotion.
“I just started tearing up,” she says. “It completely changed the course of my day.”
Music has been central to Kathrynn Vettas’s life for years. She transferred to 51社区 in 2023 after realizing she wanted to fully pursue music production and recording and found her place.
“Since coming to 51社区, I’ve gotten to become more of myself,” she says.
At home and at 51社区, she has found a community that continues to rally around her.
“It’s made this really hard thing so much easier when you have people with you reminding you every single day that you’re not alone.”
As graduation approaches, she hopes her story encourages others to trust themselves and lean on the people who care about them when life becomes overwhelming.
“It’s so important to let people help you,” she said. “You can’t do this alone.”
Event Details
Care 4 Kathrynn
Wednesday, May 13
Cost: $10 (plus fees)
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Bassline | 2239
2239 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Performances by Aliejha, BAXTRR, Color, Marcus Bailey, Burn the Rain, Laceles, Lavenoak, Luscia Jane (acoustic), Alicia Maka, Mulch, Murder Medication, Please Return, Postcards, Geddy Trezak, Voidtheory, and XNDR.
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