‘Fight Like a Wolfe’: Allen County Sheriff’s Department rallies around confinement officer battling pancreatic cancer - WPTA | 21Alive | Fort Wayne, IN

Add Us On Google Add as a preferred source on Google FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Katie Wolfe has spent decades helping others. She’s a U.S. Army veteran and has served as a confinement officer for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department for 17 years. Now, her jail family is stepping in, united behind one message: “Fight Like a Wolfe.” To work inside the Allen County jail, you have to be tough. Lt. Gabrielle Wright says she was nervous her first day until Wolfe, a veteran confinement officer, pulled her aside and reassured her. “And she goes, you got this. And her saying that to me, just, it calmed my nerves. I don’t even think she knew the impact that it had,” Wright said. Staff members wear "Fight Like a Wolf" shirts at the Allen County Jail (ACSD) Diagnosis stuns colleagues This past winter, Wolfe pulled Wright aside again. This time to share her own heartbreaking news. She’d been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. “It was shock. Immediate shock. I didn’t believe it. I was like, there’s no way. It was kind of like your heart drops into your stomach,” Wright said. Officer Wolfe is on leave as she battles the disease. But her co-workers knew they had to do something. So, jail matron Cindy Foster stepped in to help. “That’s all I could think, was get everybody together and show that everybody supports her. Because it’s a horrible disease and it wasn’t looking good,” Foster said. "Fight Like a Wolf" (ACSD) Sheriff’s Department family rallies A photo montage posted to the Sheriff’s Department Facebook page shows just how many people are fighting alongside Wolfe. “It’s pretty awesome to see everybody come together like that. People that don’t know her very well. People that have worked with her for years. Everybody,” Foster said. Lt. Wright says through all of this, Wolfe has remained positive. “Her entire outlook, she’s like, I’m gonna show this doctor. I’m gonna make him eat my words. She’s like, I’m gonna beat this,” Wright said. And now, the words Wolfe once spoke to calm a rookie are the words her entire jail family is repeating back to her: “You’ve got this.” “It’s more important now than anything that we’re rallying around her and showing her the support,” Wright said. Officer Katie Wolfe (ACSD) Raising awareness Wolfe says she hopes sharing her story will help raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network says about 185 Americans are diagnosed every day. It’s often hard to catch early because symptoms can be vague or easy to miss, so many cases are found only after the cancer has advanced. The group says it’s funding research aimed at improving earlier detection and expanding treatment options. The community has established a GoFundMe campaign to support Officer Wolfe. Katie has given so much to our community, and now it’s our turn to give back,” the website says. “Any support—whether it’s a donation, a prayer, or simply sharing this fundraiser—means the world to Katie and her family.“ “We appreciate all the kindness and assistance our community can provide as we rally together to help Katie in her time of need. You can also show your support by ordering a shirt with the “Fight Like a Wolfe” logo. Copyright 2026 WPTA. All rights reserved.