COBB COUNTY, Ga. — For 18 months, Christy Dahlhauser fought. The Cobb County wife, mother, teacher and coach fought the brain tumors until her death early Tuesday, her family said. She was 45.
But Dahlhauser didn’t just fight her own illness. She wanted to fight for others faced with the same diagnosis, according to husband, Jeff Robertson.
“She and I talked often that we wanted to find a way for people with this diagnosis to better access information and potential treatments that could prolong their life or, ultimately, cure them of this disease,” Robertson posted online. “We also wanted to create a way for those hit with this diagnosis to experience some joy.”
Dahlhauser, or Dolly as she was also known, spent her last few months surrounded by family and was able to travel over the summer. But she knew not everyone fighting a terminal disease had the ability to travel. Because of her desire to help others, Dahlhauser's family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a Go Fund Me page so that a charitable foundation can be created in her honor.
A longtime teacher and coach at Pope High School, Dahlhauser was riding a jet ski with her husband in April 2014 when she fell off and hit her head. The fall knocked her unconscious for a few seconds, and later that day, her husband took her to a hospital believing she may have had a concussion, Robertson posted on a Caring Bridge website.
After an overnight stay at the hospital, Dahlhauser got the devastating news. She had a brain tumor. Glioblastoma, stage 4, terminal brain tumor.
Dahlhauser underwent surgeries and treatments, vowing to fight the cancer. In June, the tumor spread, and earlier this month, Robertson wrote that his wife’s symptoms were progressing. Dahlhauser died Tuesday morning.
“She crossed the finish line with her head held high in a full out sprint,” Robertson posted. “It was very peaceful. I held her hand and talked her through to the other side. She is in a far better place.”
A memorial service will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. for Dahlhauser in the Pope gymnasium, Principal Robert Downs said.
In addition to her husband, Dahlhauser is survived by three children.