» On 9/01/2026 12:00:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
R.I.P. Dr. Katie Amatruda (11May1954-21May2026, 72yo). 

I met Katie in a Myasthenia Gravis support group on Facebook, back in January. She said she was also involved with a clinical trial, and they were using CAR T-cell therapy, which includes genetic modification. A few months later, I was shocked to hear that she had passed away.

After talking with Katie's family, I started reading her postings in various MG support groups on FB and pieced together a rough idea of her final months. She had severe back pain in the fall of 2024, and was eventually diagnosed with quadruple-seronegative gMG. In early 2025, three crowns fell out of her mouth, and she thought it was due to the MG. In the early spring of 2025, she had several bad reactions to Vyvgart infusions, and enrolled in a CAR-T clinical study. Then, in May of 2025, she created a FB group to crowdsource info about the clinical study. She received her genetically-modified T cells in late June. But by the end of the summer, she was reporting severe back pain again.

At the end of April 2026, she underwent a thymectomy. A few days later, her body developed a chyle (lymph and emulsified fats) leak, which impacted her lungs. She then suffered an MG exacerbation, and took some pain medicine. Her lungs became very weak, and things went downhill quickly.

Obituary: Catherine “Katie” Amatruda
Katie Amatruda, 72, died peacefully on May 21, 2026 surrounded by loved ones in San Rafael, California, following a heroic battle with myasthenia gravis. She was born on May 11, 1954, in New Haven CT to Thomas Tarcisio Amatruda Jr. and Barbara Colety Amatruda. Katie was a Licensed Family Therapist for over 30 years with a private practice in Marin County, CA. She received a BA from UC Berkeley, an MA from John F. Kennedy University, and a PsyD degree from Ryokan College. She did her sandplay training with Dora Kalff in Zollikon, Switzerland, was a founding member of Sandplay Therapists of America and a published author.

As a compassionate expert in traumatic stress, she provided disaster relief locally, nationally, and internationally, focusing on children and assisting responders in self-care. In this role, she worked in Haiti, Southeast Asia and American Samoa following earthquakes and tsunamis, and provided relief after Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike, tornadoes in Florida, the wildfires in San Diego, and many local disasters. Her appointments included positions in the Marin Medical Reserve Corps, the American Red Cross and Disaster Medical Assistance Team DMAT CA-6.

Katie lived life exuberantly. She traveled extensively for work and pleasure. An accomplished life-long artist, she decorated her beloved houseboat with beautiful paintings, collages and sculptures. Every morning she woke early to see the sunrise over the water, listening to a specially curated soundtrack of joyful songs. She always had time for friends and celebrations and lit up every room she walked into. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister-in-law Lynne Morishita, and brother-in-law Charles Howell. She is survived by many heartbroken friends and family members including her son Colety Kaltschmidt (Jaime Barnhart), stepchildren Evan Kaltschmidt (Erin) and Kira Marzec (Chad Livengood), grandchildren Emma, Eyan, Henry, and Madison, siblings Tom Amatruda (Judy Axelrod), Chris Amatruda (Eb Luckel), Liz Howell, and Jim Amatruda (Lisa Pon), nieces, nephews, her cat Kiri, numerous friends and colleagues, and the Sausalito houseboat community. A celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. Meanwhile, please drink a toast to Katie and her fellow warriors, allies, lovers, artists, and mermaids.

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