Coasting for Kids

Pulling off exit 24 Olivia started squealing about the coasters in the distance. 

The last time I had taken that exit I had a car full of friends and we were still sporting our prom updo's and sleepy eyes. It was our high school's tradition - EVERYONE went to King's Island the day after prom. This time I was in a car with a 4 year old, a 9 month old, and my brother in sister in law. The giggles and gossip were a bit different than they had been on the trip 9 years earlier (Whoa. 9 years since high school. Whoa)

Back to the story at hand... we headed down early Saturday morning to hang around the waterpark and ensure we were back at the KI gates at 8am Sunday for the Coasting For Kids check-in.

More than 100 of us traipsed around the park all day in our purple shirts, riding coasters and spreading the word about GKTW. At lunch they told us we raised over $20,000 for Give Kids the World Village, which is SO AWESOME! 

It was a great day. My sister-in-law, mom and I were easily the daredevils of the trip.... often leaving my brother sitting with the kiddos while we rode coaster after coaster. Olivia tackled every kids ride she could, eagerly eyeing the "big kid" coasters for when she grew a few more inches.

In making sure the littlest skittle got the most out of her very first King's Island experience, I introduced her to Dippin Dots, she was instantly hooked!

There were 3 main coasters that we got to ride unlimited on, the Banshee, the Diamondback and the Racer. It was pretty cool seeing the carts full of purple shirts, and realizing what it stood for.

Coasting for Kids and Kings Island provided us lunch, during which they announced the Top Fundraisers and handed out prizes, I'm happy to announce that with the help of all of my awesome family & friends I was the Top Fundraiser from the Kings Island group!

Despite a misty rain off and on all day, we didn't let it dampen our spirits. It was a great time logging a few theme park hours with my family and my inner adrenaline junkie self had a BLAST on all the coasters. I think the funniest moment of the day was when my mom & I decided to ride the Banshee front row, and it started raining. Let me tell you how painful rain drops are when you're flying through the air 70some mph. OUCH!

I can't wait to participate in this event again next year. Give Kids the World is such an awesome organization, and after seeing what they did for Liv and my brother and sis-in-law I want to help them raise every dime I can for these kiddos!

 

Hey you. You're awesome.

Things that are awesome (in no certain order):

You all. 

This blog has been an open book when it comes to my niece and her battle with cancer. From the day they found it, to surgeries to bald-headed birthdays, to the horrible no good very bad days I'll never forget. It's hard to sit back and watch, feeling absolutely helpless. Maybe that's why I felt so passionate about the organization in my last post.

Having been diagnosed with cancer just months shy of her 2nd bday Liv has had anything but a normal childhood, and my brother & sis-in-law have had anything near a normal 'parenthood'. Give Kids the World truly took care of EVERYTHING on Liv's wish trip to ensure the only thing on any of their minds was how much fun they were having. From airport transfers, to Olivia's medical needs, to theme park passes, to baby sister Emily's diapers, from ice cream for breakfast & Disney princesses reading her bedtime stories... Literally nothing was left out. No doubt in my mind it was one of her first, and probably best, memories of a "normal childhood"

Monday evening, when I asked Olivia about riding roller coasters, she just looked up at me and matter-of-factly said 'Don't be scared Chelsea'. Easy for you to say, kiddo. Easy for you to say. We've all been so scared for every doctor visit, every scan, every phone call. You're the brave one, here!

Our 'Coasting for Kids' team, Teamtastics (Liv named us) has raised over $2000 for Give Kids the World in just a few days. I've had emails come in saying donations were made from people I've never even crossed paths with in real life, only communicating with via twitter. The power of social media is amazing. It inspires me that you all have grown to love and cheer for Olivia just as much as we do. It's SO amazing! 

It warms my heart beyond belief how many of you have donated your hard earned money to help other kids with life-threatening illnesses and their families have this same treatment. I can only imagine how many smiles we're helping to spread! I thank each and every one of you, and can't wait to ride those coasters Sunday in honor of every brave little kiddo who is currently fighting or has fought this battle

I get giddy thinking about how many smiles these donations are going to spread. These kiddos and their families deserve nothing less!

We're still able to continue accepting donations for a few more days, even if you don't want to donate please PLEASE check out Give Kids the World and what they do, it's awe-inspiring.

http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/CoastingForKids/General?px=1228361&pg=personal&fr_id=1236

So thank you, again

I need your help!

Watching my now four year old niece battle cancer for over half of her life has been one of the hardest, yet most inspiring things I've ever gone through. Oftentimes the biggest struggle was feeling absolutely helpless as I watched her fight for her life.

This past spring, after completing her second (and hopefully final, EVER) bout of chemotherapy and radiation,  Give Kids the World and Make A Wish foundation helped make my niece Olivia's "wish" come true. She was granted a trip to Disneyworld, and had the most amazing time of her life. I have never seen Olivia smile as much as she had when she was telling me about the week she spent in Florida, and the resort they stayed at, and all the characters she met. While this is a gift I could never repay, I want to make sure every kids wish is granted the way Olivia's was.

I'm not one to ask for help/donations unless it's something I am truly passionate about.  This coming Sunday I will be participating in a 'coaster-thon' with Liv, any donations I receive will go towards granting the 'wishes' of other kids battling life-threatening diseases as well. 

Please help me spread some smiles. This organization is truly one of a kind, and what they offer to the kids & their families is worth any dollar you can spare, I guarantee it. 
http://support.gktw.org/site/TR/CoastingForKids/General?px=1228361&pg=personal&fr_id=1236

Even if you can't donate, I encourage you to read up on their foundation and the great things they do. We might not be able to ensure these kids beat cancer, or whatever they are up against.... but we can make sure they get to smile and have fun, the way kids are supposed to do.

Could it be?

Is it just me... or is this little skittle sporting some peach fuzz on top of that cute lil noggin of hers?

Last one.

I remember getting the texts from my brother that day and my heart dropping. I had screenshotted it for some reason. Still to this day I can't read it without fighting back tears.

It was supposed to just be a normal follow up visit for Liv, except it wasn't.

I begged him to tell me. He wouldn't. My parents were hosting their annual Halloween bash that night, he "didn't want to dampen our spirits". Finally, he called and my world crashed down.

Brandin begged me not to tell my mom. There was nothing that could be done at that point, and he just wanted her to enjoy her night. So I put on my best fake smile and didn't say a word that night. The next day Brandin called and asked if we all would go get family pictures taken with them and Olivia. That's when my mom started questioning what was going on.

And he told her. Standing on the sidewalk outside the photography studio, on that cold October afternoon. All the doctors really said was that things didn't look good. That it came back. That it had spread.

Except, she's got the same blood that my grandfather has, her papaw, who has fought countless heart attacks, the same stubborn blood that pumps through all our veins.

And here we are another eight months and countless chemotherapy and radiation treatments later, with hearts full of hope. Because today, today is the day she starts her very last (God willing, EVER) chemo treatment.

Every doctors visit will bring clinched hands and tense thoughts, but there's no doubt in my mind this little kiddo is a fighter. She is my niece after all, and if someone tells us we don't want to hear, we're going to fight it with all our might!
 

An end in sight.

I haven't been doing very well with keeping my blog updated as far as Olivia goes, I blow up twitter and facebook with updates, but here... here I overlook. And for that I apologize.

I last wrote about her when she was gearing up to undergo her second surgery in this cancer fiasco.

The amazing part is, every bit of 'cancer' they found once she was opened up, was dead cancer. And for that, we celebrated.

Post-surgery recovery was a joke. She was running through the halls of the hospital yelling "YOU CAN'T CATCH ME" just a mere couple days post operation.

She's a firecracker I tell you. A firecracker who is about to celebrate her 3rd birthday in five days.

They have begun radiation along with the chemotherapy, and will continue that treatment plan until the end of April. With no major setbacks, there is an end in sight. Here's to hoping this rollercoaster is approaching the station for the last time.

1.22.2013

Tomorrow my brave little niece goes under the knife again.

Unfortunately, even though the first 6 weeks in this round of chemo zapped a lot of the cancer that had popped back up, the 12 week scan didn't show noticeable improvement to a few spots they had been keeping an eye on. She will go in tomorrow for surgery again, almost a year exactly since her original surgery to remove the tumor.

They are going to remove a 3.5cm spot from behind her liver and a 1cm spot on the outside of her liver along the abdominal wall. Then all that will be left after surgery is one small 0.4cm spot deep inside the liver (that cannot be surgically removed), which will continue to be treated with chemo and radiation to follow.

And to think in just one month, she will be turning three years old. Meaning she has already spent 1/3rd of her life battling this disgusting disease. Sometimes things just really aren't fair in life, huh?

ten months

Give or take a couple weeks, ten months ago this roller coaster started. Ten months ago a belly ache ended up being a lot more than a belly ache.

There was a prognosis, a surgery, tests upon tests, a few months of chemo and a whole lot of celebrating when scan after scan came back clear.

At the tender age of two, she had beat it. Cancer was gone.

Except those two words never seem synonymous. Cancer, gone.

And another Friday afternoon phone call proved just that. My brother and sister-in-law were back at the hospital this weekend with Liv, another tummy ache, more waiting, more tests.

It's back. The cavity where they removed her kidney and the original tumor, a new tumor has grown. There are spots on her lungs. It's aggressive, it's not like last time. A month ago her scans were clear, and now this.

So now we're left questioning why, wondering, crying, being pissed off. And mostly gearing up to fight, because if there's one thing I have to say to cancer it's that it's not welcome in this family. It caught us off guard once and took my grandma, Liv showed it the exit route last time and there's no doubt in my mind she will do the same once again.

Rainbows and unicorns

This monkey starts her chemo today! I'm not looking forward to the next 6 months, I don't want to see her go through this.





But we must. So here goes nothin. The next step in kickin this cancers booty!

Please keep my brother & sister-in-law in your thoughts, all 3 of them will be spending most of the day at the hospital, going through treatments, blood draws and developing the "plan of attack"

Quick update

Apparently when your city is hosting the super bowl bar and restaurant owners KINDA want posters and banners and all that swag to hang up…. Hence why I’ve become practically nonexistent around these parts. Crazy busy work days coupled with the fun that’s been going on the past week and I just find blogging pushed to the backburner.

And for the latest update on Livy: the pathology results from the tumor came back – stage 2. Odds look good to beat this. She was released from the hospital Sunday evening and is back to her sassy little self. There are talks that her chemo will begin as soon as Friday or Monday.

Seven days

This is what the span of the past seven days has looked like in our world.

MONDAY - presurgery

(About 72 hours post diagnosis)

TUESDAY

(Early hours of recovery)

WEDNESDAY

(oxygen tube removed)  

THURSDAY

(Epidural removed, 2nd IV removed, no more morphine)

 

 

FRIDAY

(Surgery results are back!)  

 

Please keep my sweet girl in your prayers as we gear up for chemo and the next phase of days towards recovery.

The surgery

Yesterday was easily one of the longest days of my life. After a weekend full of what-ifs, I went head on into Monday aka Surgery Day on little sleep and lots of anxiety.

We spent a good chunk of time playing family fued and eating ice cream, I guess you could say those were our coping mechanisms? Anything to keep our mind off the “could be’s” and “what if’s”

I won’t bore you with all the details, but somewhere around 8:45 last night the doctor came out to talk to our crowded circle of family and friends. He spoke those words we had all been waiting since noon to hear; “The surgery is complete. The chemo port is in. Everything went well- the kidney is removed, the tumor was about the size of a grapefruit, 1.4lbs…. it doesn’t appear to have spread to the liver or any other organs.” To say that a huge weight was relieved right then and there would be an understatement!

Of course, pathology still has to take their turn looking at the tumor and work with Olivia's doctors to determine their game plan but for now we will celebrate that the first hurdle has been jumped. The surgery is complete, the Kilms tumor has been removed and now we will look forward to the next battle.

I can’t say thank you enough for the outpouring of prayers and thoughts sent our way. We all really felt the love, and continue to feel it!

12:47

12:47. That’s what time it was when my phone rang Friday afternoon. I picked up figuring it was mom, calling to make plans about the wedding we were helping to set up for that evening. I immediately knew it had nothing to do with a wedding when she asked “are you busy”, the tone of her voice signaled something was wrong and a lump began to form in my throat as I waited for her to proceed.

I could tell she had been crying, and struggled to make out what she was saying. All I really understood was Olivia. Tumor. Heading to Riley Children's Hospital.

12:47pm on a Friday. That’s when I learned my 22 month old niece had cancer.

I left work and met my mom at the hospital. As soon as I rounded the corner and saw her I broke down; “Hasn’t our family had enough cancer?!” We made our way up to the CT scan waiting room, where a very melancholy toddler brightened up a bit as she saw her grammy and aunt walk through the doorway. Friday afternoon was full of testing and more testing, and waiting and more waiting.

We learned it was called a Wilms Tumor, was 11cm and had engulfed nearly her entire kidney. Surgery was inevitable, as was chemo and possibly even radiation. The plan developed that the surgery would be done that night, Friday, not even 12 hours after finding out. However it was later pushed back to Monday afternoon (today) because they wanted to make sure multiple surgeons were on call. Everyone was sent home for the weekend, faced with more waiting. And questioning. And crying. 

The question of the weekend: “How did they find out??” The answer: Olivia had been constipated, they went to their normal doctor who scheduled an xray Friday morning to take a better look at things, and lo and behold the tumor was discovered.

I am thankful Olivia is too young to really understand what’s going on, and also that she has really had no symptoms which means no pain. I am thankful my brother and sister-in-law are so strong and calm about all of this. I am thankful she is at one of the best children’s hospitals in the Midwest, and I’m thankful for the outpouring of love and prayers that have been offered up from anyone and everyone.

It absolutely sucks that she has to go through this. There’s no better way to put it. Next month, she will turn 2 and will have gone through things that hopefully no one you know will ever have to go through. It’s going to be a long road ahead of us but I am confident she will get through this, we will get through this. It’s in her blood, she’s a fighter just like the rest of the family.