For 36 years, this now retired mother of two gave everything she had to her students. As a special educator and reading specialist in public school districts across Cape Cod, Cathy spent her career helping children find their footing academically, emotionally, and in every way that mattered. When she retired nearly 14 years ago, she turned that same energy and determination toward the trails.
A lifelong athlete who had played field hockey, skied, swam, run, and hiked throughout her life, retirement gave her the freedom to go further. She joined the Appalachian Mountain Club and began leading hikes in the Blue Hills and the White Mountains. It was through the AMC that she first learned about the caminos of Spain, ancient pilgrimage routes that wind through some of Europe’s most breathtaking countryside.
In 2012, Cathy set out alone to walk the Camino Francés, a nearly 500-mile pilgrimage from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, across the Pyrenees, through Navarre, La Rioja, Castile and León, and Galicia, all the way to Santiago de Compostela. It was, by her own description, a life-altering experience. She met people from every corner of the world, but it was the hours she spent in solitude, alone with her thoughts and the rhythm of her footsteps, that she came to value most.
That first camino was only the beginning. She would go on to walk seven more caminos across Spain, sections of the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome, the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail through Southern France, and even an unforgettable trek across Latvia with a woman she had met on a camino. Before that trip, she laughs, she couldn’t have found Latvia on a map.
Long-distance walking wasn’t just a hobby; it was how Cathy lived.
When the Miles Began to Hurt
It was while walking across Latvia that Cathy first noticed something wasn’t right. Her left leg would ache when going up a hill or when pushing herself to move faster. She found it irritating, but she chalked it up to aging and mentioned it only in passing to her primary care doctor. She was in her seventies, after all. Some discomfort felt like part of the deal.
But her discomfort escalated. In May 2024, Cathy and her brother set out to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire, a hike they had both done before, though never as seniors. Her left leg was intensely painful throughout the entire ascent, forcing her to stop and rest repeatedly. The ache would ease each time she stopped, only to return as soon as she resumed climbing. They reached the summit, but pain overshadowed the joy of the
accomplishment. Soon after, the aching crept into her tennis game as well, something that had never happened before.
Cathy sought out a physical therapist who specialized in sports injuries and worked with her for six months. The sessions helped her with mobility and flexibility, but the leg pain persisted. At her next appointment with her primary care physician, she made her concerns heard more clearly. The pain was no longer just inconvenient. It was stealing the things that made her life feel most like her own.
Her doctor suspected the cause was vascular and referred her to The Vascular Care Group in Hyannis, MA.
A Diagnosis That Finally Made Sense
The team at The Vascular Care Group conducted a thorough evaluation, and the answer came into focus: Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), with claudication, reduced blood flow to her left leg, causing the characteristic aching that appeared only under exertion and eased with rest. Her history as a former smoker, combined with a family history of high cholesterol, and her age, were all contributing factors.
An ultrasound did not reveal a blockage, so a CT scan was ordered. The imaging pointed to her left common iliac artery as the source of the problem. An angiogram was then performed, confirming a severe, heavily calcified stenosis, a greater than 90% narrowing of the artery, that was dramatically restricting blood flow to her leg. Armed with a clear diagnosis and a precise target, Dr. Justin Yu scheduled a procedure.
Restoring the Flow
On December 23, 2025, Dr. Yu performed an angioplasty of the left common iliac artery, including stent placement, to open the severely narrowed vessel and restore healthy blood flow to Cathy’s leg. This was successful with complete resolution of the blockage, with no residual stenosis remaining.
The very next day in cold, wet, and windy Cape Cod weather, she went for a brisk walk. Her leg did not ache. A few days later, she was back on the tennis court, pain free.
“It is a whole new world,” she says.
At her follow-up appointment with The Vascular Care Group, the results confirmed what she had already felt; blood flow in her left leg was 100%. Her right leg measured 99%.
She celebrated the milestone in March with a two-week hiking vacation in Mallorca, Spain, wonderfully mountainous, she is quick to note, with a smile.
Compassionate Care, Closer to Home
Cathy describes the team at The Vascular Care Group in Hyannis as her “saviors,” the people who finally gave her the answers she had been searching for, and the care that gave her life back. Looking back, she reflects that the nature of her symptoms made them easy to dismiss for too long. Because the pain never appeared during ordinary, everyday movement, a stroll around the house, a walk down the street, it was only when she truly pushed herself that her leg spoke up. It took climbing a mountain for her to truly listen.
Now, with the Pyrenees, the Tuscan hills, and the trails of Mallorca already behind her, Cathy is making plans for what comes next.
Don’t Wait for the Pain to Find You
Peripheral artery disease can be easy to dismiss, especially when symptoms appear only during exertion and ease with rest. But claudication, that pattern of pain, rest, and relief, is a hallmark sign of reduced blood flow that deserves prompt attention.
At The Vascular Care Group, Dr. Justin Yu and the team at The Vascular Care Group are experienced in diagnosing and treating even the most complex arterial blockages using minimally invasive, outpatient procedures. We can help you get back to the activities that bring you joy.
If leg pain is limiting your life, don’t ignore it. Schedule a consultation with The Vascular Care Group today.