KC Gun 'N Hoses 2021 Recipients
The Osterhaus Family
Johnson County Sheriff Office
Master Deputy Mark Osterhaus has been with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office since 2007. Mark is a caring and loving single father to a 19-year-old son who lives with him and attends Johnson County Community College. On September 22, 2020 Mark was taken to the emergency room with severe COVID-19 symptoms. He was immediately put on a ventilator and into a medically induced coma for the next 2 months.
During this time doctors also uncovered signs of an underlying health condition which unbeknownst to Mark was Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). This was likely hindering his immune system’s response to combating the COVID-19 virus. He awoke from the coma unable to move his arms or legs, breathe on his own or communicate. After 3 months in the ICU, Mark was moved to a long-term care hospital. As he awaits a staging diagnosis for the CLL, he must also now move from fighting COVID-19 to CLL. His journey to recovery has only just begun.
The Colacicco Family
Erika has been with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office since 2012. She works in the Personnel Division, working in both Detention Centers as needed. She is a single mother of three children: two in college and a senior in high school. Erika’s journey started just over six years ago when she lost her sister, and almost lost two aunts to ovarian cancer. She had genetic testing done, which led to some preventive surgery and years of screenings.
Unfortunately, that was not enough. Ultimately, it will be what will have saved her life. Last summer a mammogram discovered that she had a very rare type of breast cancer called triple negative. The only option was a double mastectomy. During surgery in August, yet another type of breast cancer was found. Her future holds two rounds of chemotherapy and then reconstructive surgery. It has been a long, tough battle but she stays positive.
The VanDyke Family
James (Jim) VanDyke II has been in the fire service for 47 years and has loved every minute of it! He started his career at Lake Lotawana FD and then Grandview FD. He is now an Inspector for Lake City FD. He is married, with an amazing family. Jim and his wife adopted and are raising two of their grandchildren. Their world changed in October 2020 when Jim received his cancer diagnosis. In November they removed the tumor along with his left kidney, a lymph node, nodule, and additional cancer that had advanced down the renal vein and inferior vena cava.
Jim returns to KU Med every couple of weeks for his immunotherapy infusion and therapy which he will have to do for the rest of his life. His mission stays the same as he says, “I will continue to fight this head on as I continue to educate young firefighters as much as I possibly can”.