Katherine Wolf’s journey through adversity inspires her new book “Treasures in the Dark”

July 5, 2024

Many who have heard and read Katherine Wolf’s story think of one word: survivor. Wolf suffered a severe stroke at the age of 26. But that didn’t slow her down. On the contrary, it seemed to propel her forward.

Crosswalk had the opportunity to interview Katherine Wolf outside her new cafe. The mission of this cafe goes beyond selling coffee; it is the goal to create an inclusive space for disabled people in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. One thing is clear about Katherine Wolf: she is on a mission with the camp she founded that helps physically disabled people. She is ready to share hope with her words and her new book, Treasures in the Dark, to help people move and be free through the story God gave her to tell.

Headlines about zebra crossings: How did you open your new cafe?

Katherine Wolf: The story began 16 years ago when I suffered a severe stroke and almost died from an arterial venous malformation that ruptured my brain stem and caused a massive stroke. After the stroke, I became severely disabled, which is largely still the case today. I use a wheelchair or walker and cannot drive a car. As you can see, my face is paralyzed and I have several major health issues. So when I entered the disability community, I was disillusioned with how marginalized this community really is and the lack of spaces created for our population. My husband and I started creating a camp community years ago where we invite families with disabilities to come to camp completely free of charge and have a vacation-like experience with a week-long celebration. Because of these experiences, I decided to open a cafe where people with disabilities can find hope and a place to belong.

CWH: How is the café going so far?

KW: It’s the goodness of the Lord that He opened it. I mean, we had no idea this was going to happen.

CWH: When did you know that God was calling you to write Treasures in the Dark?

KW: I’ve written two books before. This is my third book, a devotional. It’s a few consumable reflections. I call them little reflection entries. They’re just some of the treasures I’ve found in the darkness.

CWH: It is a difficult time for many people. What advice do you give to people who are going through the darkness?

KW: If you’re going through the darkness right now, you’re going to get through it. Darkness doesn’t last forever. After I had the stroke and wasn’t able to take a breath, I found out that I have a great life to live and that God put me in this body right here at this moment for a reason. And I believe if you can still breathe and you’re on earth, you’re not an accident or a mistake and God wanted you in this story or you wouldn’t be here. The reality is, if you had to die, you would have died. But you’re here. And so the question is, what are you going to do with the life that God gave you?

CWH: How did you come up with the term 90 days in the book?

KW: I know all too well that during my exhausting time with endless therapy, I didn’t have much time to read chapter books. They had to be a quick introduction for people who were in the middle of dark times.

CWH: You talk about hope in your book. What does it offer us?

KW: Hope is the emergency exit. It allows us to live the actual life right in front of us, narrows our gaze to see what’s in the story, and then makes what’s left in the story beautiful.

CWH: How did you manage to cope with what you had to cope with?

KW: I think my deep faith really changed my response to all of this and the chaos in the middle. I realized that after all the struggle, there is hope and that God is somehow at work and has not abandoned me.

CWH: What do you say to people who feel like they are not making progress in their lives because of the hardships they have been through?

KW: I think you change your mind by changing your way of thinking. The years that the locusts were eating, for some reason they weren’t being eaten. They weren’t for you. And that’s not what God intended in the story.

These years were not necessarily the best that God intended for you. For some reason, you may not understand that.

CWH: How would you describe your personal path?

KW: It’s been a complicated journey. My first son was six months old when I had the stroke, and with that, all of those first experiences were just over for me. I was relearning to walk while he was learning to walk. I was relearning to swallow while he was learning to swallow, and it was wild. But I have no memory of the first two and a half months after the stroke, including my first Mother’s Day. Seven and a half years later, after being told repeatedly that I would probably never be able to get biologically pregnant again, I was able to have a second child. It’s very special to have him in our lives, and now John is eight and James is sixteen, and they’re both doing wonderfully.

MAINA MWAURA is a freelance writer and journalist who has interviewed over 800 influential leaders, including two U.S. presidents, three vice presidents, and a number of others. Maina is also the author of Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders. Maina and his family live in the Kennesaw, Georgia area.