Utah woman gets help from 'The Doctor' to announce her cancer remission

SOUTH JORDAN — Katie Walterman has always loved the popular British sci-fi show "Doctor Who," but little did she know her favorite "Doctor" would get to be part of one of the most important days in her life.

In the spring of 2024, Walterman started experiencing symptoms that individually "didn't really scream cancer." She was talking to several doctors about the changes in her menstrual cycle, bloating, feeling full way too fast and new pain.

"I just knew something had changed. At different points there were other explanations, and I tried to trust those answers ... but my symptoms continued, and I really couldn't shake that feeling that something was more sinister," she said.

Eventually, she wound up at urgent care, a moment that "changed my life forever." The emergency doctor listened to her entire story and all of her symptoms before sending her to do a pelvic CT scan. The scan results were concerning, and she was put on the path to have a hysterectomy to remove one of her ovaries.

"Right before the surgery, I had several conversations with my surgical gynecological oncologist about preserving fertility. My husband and I, we really wanted to have a child, and the conversation was 'If you see cancer, please take it, we don't want to mess around with cancer,'" she said.

What should have been a simple surgery ended up taking much longer, and she knew something worse had occurred — the surgeon discovered cancerous growths, and she was diagnosed with Stage 4 uterine cancer.

"It was not only a full hysterectomy, it was a complete de-bulking. The brilliant surgeon I had, she took the time to go through every speck of my abdomen and removed anything that was concerning," Walterman said.

Afterward, she endured months of aggressive chemotherapy and intensive radiation treatment at the Daybreak location of Huntsman Cancer Institute. Thanks to her family, friends and the medical staff, she was able to push through.

"It was really just a long stretch of putting one foot in front of the other. There were days treatment was incredibly difficult, physically and emotionally, but I ultimately had the best support system around me," she said. "People showed up in my life in ways that I will never forget."

'It felt like providence'

Doctors typically don't say someone is cancer-free if they have been diagnosed with a Stage 4 cancer, but instead it's called "no evidence of disease," Walterman explained. In August 2025, Walterman was told the wonderful news that she had no more evidence of disease.

Walterman wanted to celebrate the news in a special way, and in perfect timing, her birthday was just a few weeks away.

"I was getting ready to celebrate my 40th birthday. At this point, to be honest, it was a birthday I didn't know if I'd be able to celebrate," she said.

So she planned a disco party with all her friends and family, where she could announce the news. But then she learned that the same day of her party, her favorite "Doctor Who" actor David Tennant was going to be in town at FanX in Salt Lake City.

"It felt like providence in a way. When we learned he was coming, we were like, 'We have to meet him.' Whatever mountains we have to move to make this happen, we have to do it," she said.

Walterman and her husband thought it would be so cool if they could get the fictional "doctor" to be the one to help her announce her condition.

"Never in a million years did we think he would agree to hold that sign," she said.

Unbeknownst to her, her husband booked a photo op with Tennant. Normally, the fan photos are very fast, with little time to interact with the actors.

"I brought my little sign, and I walked up to him and introduced myself, and he said 'What do you have there?'" she said.

When she told him she just finished cancer treatment and wanted his help to announce she was in remission, Tennant became emotional.

"You get a short amount of time, but he paused everything. He wanted to hear a bit more and wanted to make sure I was doing OK. He agreed to take this picture, and he held it and said, 'This is the best picture I've ever taken with somebody,' and he gave me the biggest hug," she said.

Walterman said she was so touched with how gracious and caring Tennant was to both her and her husband.

"It meant so much to me. Here's this person I have admired for so many years — he didn't know me, he didn't owe me anything. He took this important moment in my life very seriously. I already loved him as an actor, but after meeting him, I have a completely different appreciation for him as a human being," she said.

She said everyone in her life loved the surprise when they saw her picture with Tennant.

"The strange thing about it being 'Doctor Who,' for so much of the previous years, doctors had been giving me horrible news. There was something beautiful about getting to have 'The Doctor' be part of announcing the best news of my life," Walterman said.

Spreading awareness

Almost a year later, Walterman still has no evidence of disease. Even though she can't close the cancer chapter of her life because it's always possible the disease will come back, she is learning to live after cancer.

"I try not to live my life waiting for the other shoe to drop; it gets difficult sometimes. But I remind myself I have a 100% chance to live today. Tomorrow isn't promised, but I woke up today, and I have 100% chance today," she said. "Cancer taught me you don't have to die to start living fully."

Now, Walterman is hoping to spread awareness so others can be aware of uterine cancer symptoms and advocate for themselves in the medical space when they know something is wrong.

"I didn't know I had cancer; I just knew there was something that was happening that wasn't right. When you realize something doesn't add up, it's important to advocate," she said. "I'm grateful I kept asking those questions, and eventually someone listened and looked deeper."

Uterine cancer is becoming increasingly more common at "an alarming rate," Walterman said. Women are not routinely tested for uterine cancer as it isn't screened for during pap smears, so there is need for additional research and detection methods, she added.

Walterman said it's important to be aware of warning signs, such as menstrual changes, abnormal discharge, bleeding between periods, bloating, feeling full too fast and abdominal pain.

Although cancer was not something she wanted, Walterman hopes her story can help others.

"If this incredibly, joyful once-in-a-lifetime 'Doctor Who' moment for me can reach somebody in a way that helps them ... can help one person recognize a symptom or trust their instincts or advocate for themselves sooner ... that makes that moment even bigger and better for me and the struggles I had more meaningful," she said.

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