KarunaNews Story

Kathy Collins was running her own art supply store and art school in Calgary when she began forgetting to place orders. She became uncharacteristically weepy. After Kathy filed for bankruptcy, her older sister Jean travelled from Vancouver Island and, seeing that Kathy wasn't caring for herself, persuaded her to visit Vancouver Island for a week. She never left. After Kathy learned she had early-onset Alzheimer's, they moved in with their parents in a nearby farming village and Kathy created a routine for herself. But when the pandemic hit, they discovered TikTok and started to make their own. Their third video made them TikTok stars, with 1.6 million viewers; 138,000 follow the Kathy Project, which aims to spread comfort and love to people with Alzheimer's and their families. A community has grown among the TikTokers they chat with and follow, and people recognize Kathy when they shop, a TikTok celebrity in their midst.