After having to restart her career multiple times from extreme injuries sustained, Kati is a true example that hard work and perseverance can always get you back on your feet. Having already dealt with a major career-altering injury over 15 years ago, Kati tells the story of her second time facing that challenge.

About a five and a half years ago, I tripped and fell… [shattering] my left leg for the second time. My foot got tangled up in a tarp that had blown off [my] fence and I fell on my left knee and leg. And as I said, I shattered it.

(Talking about her work experience)

I worked my way from being a secretary at an ad agency to being vice president of it. I was responsible for the Hoover Company in 26 states and five Canadian provinces. I traveled 400,000 miles in five years throughout the western United States training and helping various retailers to improve their businesses.

One of my great feats (as I liked to call it) is that I convinced Macy's to have their greatest Hoover sale ever. They had never had the biggest sale... and it brought such fantastic results that they had the biggest lingerie sale, the biggest sheet and white sale, etc. for several years.

[Afterwards, I] was recruited in a sense by Cal Worthington (a mega car dealer) to be his advertising director. I had an advertising budget of 11.5 million dollars (twice as much as Nestle chocolate has at the time); But now, after I've shattered my legs five years ago, I had to take another step back. I [now] have 21 inches of titanium in my left leg and hinge in the middle.

My whole world fell apart.

(That’s when Kati started working with DOR)

I contacted DOR for help and they have been an immense help. [My DOR counselor] has been my rep now for over a year I believe. And anytime I need help, she's there. I call her, she calls me back. We email each other sometimes, two or three times a week. I've gone through other career development things, but with the Department of Rehab, it's one on one. It's like being best friends. I can come in here and use the computer and she sits with me. I have applied for many state jobs and I've been on some interviews, two or three with the state.

I've got 40 years’ worth of really good, valuable experience… I don't intend to ever retire. I have too much energy. I can run circles around most 30 or 40 years old, [and] I can outwork most of them because I have the Midwestern work ethic.

I will continue to work with (DOR) as long as they'll have me because I feel like somewhere out there, there's a place for everybody. And I keep trying to hold on one of these days I'm going to find somebody that needs me as much as I need them. And that it has to be on an equal basis. That's why I know I have to start at the bottom. I'm willing to do that.

You think about what you can do, not what you can't do. I've had to learn to forget about what I can't do and concentrate on what I can do. Now yes, I've got 21 inches of titanium and a hinge, but I can yeah, go out and play nine holes of golf.

It still boils down to the fact that you have to shake off and deny, as I did, my world fell apart. But the whole world didn't. If cats got nine lives, I'm working on 14 or 15! I'm just a small part of that whole world and if other people are in worse shape than I am, then I can do it.