Kate's Journey of Love, Faith, & Hope Surviving Childhood Cancer
Last look at the Top of the Mountain! *Katey's 1st time skiing!--Feb09*
New photos added 4/02/2009 in the photo album.
Welcome to our 11 year old daughter's Web Page. We started this site in 2003 to keep family and friends, both old and new, updated on Katey in her journey from childhood kidney cancer, a stage II FH Wilms tumor.
On Friday Evening Jan 24, 2003, our then 5 1/2yo daughter Kate complained of some belly pain. After a quick check, Mom felt a very hard lump deep inside the right side of Kate's belly. We called our pediatrician immediately, it was 10:30pm. The next morning the doctor saw Kate and ordered an Ultrasound of her belly. Shortly after the test, the doctor called us and told us that we were to go to Children's Hospital immediately for a Cat Scan of Kate's belly, that the Radiology team was already aware and waiting. Then she told us that the Surgical Team was also aware and waiting! That's when we first heard 'those' words: It's Cancer, a Wilm's Tumor, and she needs surgery--NOW!--frightening words that every parent hopes never to hear in reference to their child...words that were to become part of our new vocabulary...It was Saturday just before noon and we were racing off to Childrens Hospital for a catscan so they could get a better look at what they were planning to remove from our 'healthy' daughter!
Kate had surgery on Jan. 26, 2003 (SuperBowl Sunday) to remove her right kidney and the large tumor that had grown on it. The doctor told us it was a tight fit to remove the tumor which was the size and shape of a butternut squash. A mediport IV was also placed during surgery for giving Actinomycin and Vincristine--The 2 chemotherapy medications she would be receiving over the next 6 months. Our rather busy but ordinary life was changing but we know we are not alone...
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Romans 12:12)
***JULY 23, 2008 UPDATE: GREAT NEWS!!! Kate had her first visit with Next Steps Clinic for Long Term Survivors. She had a Chest xray, kidney functions lab tests, urinalysis, and visits with her onc, nutritionist, and NP. We have received the ALL-CLEAR!!! She is 5 years off treatment and still NED (no evidence of disease)--Thank GOD! We are soooo very BLESSED and continue to celebrate each and every day!!! Please pray for her and all other fighters/survivors to continue past this interruption in their childhoods. They should ALL be able to grow, run, play, dance, and learn as all young children should. Hug your kids and loved ones tight, Never forget to tell them how much you care~
The following is a video of Katey's Dance Solo to "Promise" at the Studio's 2005 Holiday Showcase featuring student choreography!
This is the video of Katey and her friends, the Dancing Trio, to "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" at the 2007 Winter Showcase :>
Katey did most of the Choreography and taught Dani and Lizzie, her most awesome dancin' friends! Not bad for 9yo gals :> We are sooo proud!
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Katey was born May 15, 1997!
Journal
Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
Hello All!
Its April and with the new season I thought I'd better update. In a nutshell, all is well!
Katey is lovin 6th grade in this her last year at her elementary school...we are so grateful with this milestone since we started this whole journey together when Katey was in Kindergarten!
Since our last update Katey has been LivingStrong and keeping us very busy :> In October, she went on a Dude Ranch Trip with OSAAT Cancer Kids to Arizona. She loved having her first horseback riding trips in the beautiful desert. She also enjoyed the side adventures and fantastic friends she met along the way. You couldn't even keep her quiet about her experiences for a long time after she returned. This was her first trip/flight away for a full week without us. We are so proud of her independance when she is with her OSAAT Family :>
We enjoyed the Holiday season and headstrong into 2009. Katey received a call again from her OSAAT Family just after the new year. This time to join them in Park City, Utah for a weeklong ski trip! Well, Katey has never gone skiing ever and here they were going to the mountains! The last week in February was almost too hard to wait for Katey, she was so excited :> Short story here is that as a 1st time skier, she was doing so well that her trainer had her up on the diamond run (difficult terrain for experts) by the 4th morning! Katey's words, "I LOVE SKIING A KAGILLION!!!" Just our NO FEAR girl busy conquering another mountain! Since she's been back she has been begging to go skiing but no one in our family does. She is already planning to join the ski club in middle school with encouragement from the guys in school who ski so she can get her fix, hehe!
Since her return, there have been many more trips for us chauffering parents. In early March, we joined other dance moms and daughters in Illinois for the Tremaine Dance Convention and Competition. Katey absolutely thrives on frantic activity and wild schedules and really enjoys being with friends. It was a wonderful weekend together.
This past weekend we put the chauffering into overdrive. Katey was in a dance competition just outside of Madison (75 minutes away) on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday evening--3 3hr roundtrips! In between, we were quick enough to return Saturday afternoon to catch a last individual swim--the 50yrd freestyle for the Annual Optimist Swim Competition. She swam it in 33.14 seconds, almost 5 seconds faster than second place! Thank goodness she was wearing her swimsuit under her dance outfit as she literally had to jump right in. She was also able to anchor the final event--100yd relay to pull them into 2nd. The best news is that for the first time, her elementary school won the swim trophy narrowly beating out the 2nd place school in a field of 15 schools!
This weekend there will be more chauffering as there are studio dance pictures Saturday and another competition Sunday. Next week in school there is the Medievil Faire and then Easter and spring break!
It has been another cold winter that is now trailing off into spring and New Life...We have so much to be grateful for...
It has been 6 years since we started this journey. We celebrate Katey's 12th bday midMay then there will be her 8 dances for the recital. She finishes school midJune and then heads for 2weeks OSAAT summer camp early July. She visits the Next Steps Clinic when she returns and will hopefully celebrate 6 years OT and NED!
We keep all of you our family and friends we've met along the way in our thoughts and prayers. We pray for those with various illnesses/diseases to remain in remission/NED, for those fighting through their illness/ cancer, and especially for all our angel friends and their loved ones---Peace to all, It is the Promise of New Life through Jesus' sacrifice that we celebrate Easter! We look forward to what this life holds and look ahead to the next~
Hug and Kiss your kids and NEVER forget to tell them how very much you love them...
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