Dr. Kathryn Anne Altonji: A Shining Star in Medicine, Gone Too Soon

A Rising Star in Medicine

Dr. Katy Altonji knew she looked young. So she gently but firmly would insist that her patients call her Dr. Altonji. It was to remind them she was the one in charge and they should heed what she told them.

At just 32, she’d achieved her dream job – a position at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab working with patients who suffered traumatic brain injuries. Last year, she was tapped to help train young doctors in her field.

Her career was going great. And so was her family. She and her husband Jonathan Wolleben had a baby boy, Matthew, who, thankfully, had proven to be a good sleeper.

A Shocking Diagnosis

Then, on January 1, her world changed. Dr. Altonji got a shock diagnosis of her own: She had advanced-stage colon cancer.

She stopped working, focusing on her family and her treatment.

A Fierce Fighter

The chemotherapy she was undergoing wasn’t slowing the cancer’s spread. So her husband, a biotech analyst, began hunting for treatments that might prolong her life. Along with her medical team, he helped secure for her an experimental immunotherapy treatment.

But, on October 8, Dr. Altonji died. She was 34.

A Life of Compassion and Service

Jonathan Wolleben and other family members were at her bedside. Louis Armstrong’s version of “La Vie en Rose” was playing on a speaker nearby.

It was the song the couple had danced to when they got married on the back porch of Dr. Altonji’s parents’ home in Northbrook during the pandemic.

A Mother’s Passing

She was such a determined person and did her best to fight this disease that we’re seeing more and more in people her age. And for someone who took such good care of herself. It’s very devastating to us, her mother Kathleen Altonji said.

“We did everything we could and don’t have any regrets on how things went,” her husband said. “She never really complained about the cards she was dealt. It was always: ‘What do we have to do to get more time with Matthew and be happy?'”

A Mother, a Doctor, a Warrior

Jonathan Wolleben and Dr. Katy Altonji and their newborn son Matthew in 2023

Dr. Altonji loved bringing people together and hosting. Whether it was “bagels and bubbly” or “wind down the week” with wine and cheese or slicing into the flag cake she made every Fourth of July, she was quick to RSVP or send an invite.

In recent months, she found new ways to focus on others, mostly her 21-month-old son. She’d take him to “Mommy and Me” classes, the beach, the pool, the library, and stroll him around their neighborhood in Glenview with Winnie, their dog.

A Legacy of Love and Service

Dr. Altonji sent a friend, Audrey Hiltunen, a fellow doctor who was returning to work after having her first child, a book entitled “Is Mommy a Doctor or Superhero?”

She got her oncologist a thank-you present — a coffee-table book titled “Angels in our Midst.”

She gave the hospital staffer who cleaned her room a gift card to the coffee shop.

And she checked in on another friend who has breast cancer.

She found peace in doing yoga and painting in watercolors. One of her favorite subjects to paint: the flowers her husband would bring her.

And she and her husband liked to watch rom-coms on Netflix.

A Permanent Impact

A week and a half before she died, she went with her little boy to a music activity class.

“She was the epitome of grace through all of this,” her husband said.

A Memorial Fund Established

A memorial fund in her name has been established at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to help cover the out-of-pocket costs that resident physicians incur when they travel to present their research findings in traumatic brain injury at national and international medical conferences.

“She was a perpetual bright light of optimism for her patients but also for everyone that she worked with,” Dr. Monica Rho, the Shirley Ryan residency program director, wrote in an email to colleagues.

Visitation and Memorial Mass

A visitation for Dr. Altonji is being held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Donnellan Family Funeral Services in Skokie. A memorial Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview.

FAQs

Q: What was Dr. Altonji’s approach to her work?
A: She was known for her compassionate and caring demeanor, always putting her patients first.

Q: What were some of her favorite things to do?
A: She loved hosting and bringing people together, taking her son to “Mommy and Me” classes, and enjoying yoga and painting.

Q: What was Dr. Altonji’s legacy?
A: She left a lasting impact on her patients, colleagues, and family, inspiring others to be more compassionate and kind.

Q: How can I support the memorial fund established in her name?
A: Donations can be made to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab to help cover out-of-pocket costs for resident physicians presenting their research at medical conferences.