There is no medical explanation for why Dave Kattner is alive—and building award-winning hot rods. Even his doctors have told him to stop asking“why.”
It was Christmas Day 2017 when Dave and his wife, Sandy decided to take a dip in their outdoor hot tub. His home near Appleton, Wisconsin would soon be full of kids and grandkids, so a few minutes to relax before all that holiday cheer seemed like a good idea.
A strong gust of wind suddenly whipped through the chilly air and lifted the hot tub cover up and directly onto Dave’s head. He had suffered a serious concussion and was taken to the hospital. Three vertebrae in his neck were damaged, but while conducting a CAT scan doctors noticed something else a shadow, which wasn’t supposed to be there.
Cancer, a pituitary tumor on the left side of his brain. Within six weeks he was in surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital.He was told the removal of the tumor would certainly impact his cognitive ability, speech, and balance and possibly result in partial paralysis. Doctors also couldn’t guarantee he would wake up.
A 13-and-a-half-hour surgery removed the tumor and a portion of Dave’s brain. For three and a half days doctors detected little brain activity—and then he woke up.30 days of brain radiation and chemotherapy followed. Dave was also learning his again and enduring physical therapy to regain movement and use of his right arm and leg. Dave was 56 years old but, in many ways, physically and mentally starting over again.
Dave’s motivation to get back to work pushed him through all of it. Painting cars since he was 8 years old, he grew to manage a large paint department for a sign company with 13 locations around the country. At his core, he was a car guy with a passion for working on cars and attending car shows.
The surgery left Dave’s brain permanently changed. He speaks with a stutter—which he isneedlessly embarrassed by—it also left him unable to return to the work he loved. Long hours and stress made him vulnerable to traumatic injury or worse.
During his many therapy sessions, Dave would talk about cars and car shows and that’s when his cancer counselor, Katie Normington had an idea. After consulting with his doctors, they all believed he should find a car and build it .
Dave wasn’t sure how or if he should do it. Besides, now on permanent disability, there isn’t a lot of extra cash lying around to fund the project. Dave’s life was upended but it was suddenly about to take an amazing turn for the better.
A stranger, still unknown to Dave, contacted his hometown credit union and they answered. Community First Credit Union gave him 80-thousand dollars to build a1974 Camaro he had picked up for two grand
Able to work at his own pace in his own garage without a lot of the tools necessary to bring trusted-out Camaro back to life, Dave completed the car in an unthinkable six months.He was named Master Builder of the Year at the 2020 World of Wheels, all of which would have been a great ending to the story— but Dave wasn’t done.
Five years post-surgery Dave was“cancer free.”Or as free as anyone can be with an inoperable benign tumor that still resides in his brain behind his left eye. He understandably felt it was a reason to celebrate and did so by building a truck. In three months—yes three months—he completed a 1937 Chevy Truck that has won awards at shows all over the Midwest including Detroit, Flint, and Frankenmuth.
“This truck along with my white Camaro have literally saved my life,” Dave says without a hint of exaggeration. It’s as if whatever was removed from Dave’s brain also flipped a switch that turned him into a super-human car builder. His doctors can’t explain it and neither can he.
“If I could answer this question I certainly would but I have no idea how and why I do what I do. In my garage, there is no equipment, not even a hoist. I just look at something and it comes to me on how and what I want to do with it.”
He won’t call himself a miracle, but that’s what he is. His story has inspired others and given him a purpose that he doesn’t fully understand.
“Brain cancer has taken everything, “Dave says.“Nothing or no one can compare anything to what I have been going through and continue to work extremely hard each and every day to stay alive! I have been given a chance to show people that I will not give up. The pride I have for what I am able to do is something I will never understand. If I had the answers for anyone including myself, it would make things a lot easier to explain. Life Is A Gift! We need to use this gift with utmost care and compassion!
Dave keeps asking why but if medicine, therapists, and some of the finest surgeons in the country don’t have an answer maybe that question isn’t for us to ask.
“Purpose” is something that comes to an individual on their own. For me, it keeps me going one day at a time!
At 62, Dave is no longer afraid to die. He says he knows he’s been here longer than he should be. He doesn’t have any new projects currently planned, choosing now to focus on taking a break and“taking care of ME.
”The truck, the cars, and the award-winning work completed in some alien timeframe is the story that grabs the attention, but in a world that seems ready to self-destruct Dave Kattneris here to remind us—“Life is a gift”—we need to use it with utmost care and compassion.
That’s‘why’ , Dave. That’s why.
