KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One Kansas City woman is making her way up to Green Bay this weekend to watch the Chiefs take on the Packers, and she's doing it in honor of her late friend, Kathy.
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Debbie Bixler is wrapping up a tradition the two had together: to go to one Chiefs away game each season until they've seen them all.
"I’m a big chiefs fan and so is Kathy," Debbie said. "Yeah, we were like sisters."
It's something they started on a whim, and enjoyed traveling and being with one another.
"It became our tradition," Debbie said. "It was like the one trip we knew we were going to take every year."
Since 1987, they've been to San Francisco to Tampa, and everywhere in between. Debbie keeps photos and ticket stubs from each trip.
When Kathy was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019, it threw a wrench in their plans. Kathy passed away in early 2023. Debbie said that day, she lost a bit of herself.
"Just a big piece of my heart because she was such a good friend," Debbie said.
Now, she's doing what Kathy would've wanted her to do, visit the last city on the list: Green Bay.
"I was just like, gonna finish this goal and gonna finish this on Kathy’s behalf," Debbie said.
It's a bittersweet ending to a decades old tradition, all in the name of friendship and Chiefs Kingdom.
"She’ll be with me on Sunday, and her sisters will be with me to cross that finish line together," Debbie said. "A lot people don’t have longtime friends and I think I’m so lucky to have had this friend."
UPDATE, Dec. 5, 2023 | We have some good news to share. Debbie- and Kathy - were able to safely make it to Lambeau Field to complete the journey to visit all 31 other NFL stadiums.
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