Nicole’s Story

Site created on January 30, 2020

Nicole was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on Wednesday, January 29th after feeling off for a few days before that. She went through a week of induction chemo at the end of January and then a month of recovery at the St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. She has now transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for the rest of her treatment. Nicole received another round of consolidation chemo at the beginning of March and then moved to outpatient care while she has undergone more tests and procedures. She received a bone marrow transplant from her sister Heather (who is a full match) on April 29th. She is now in recovery. She will spend 3+ months recovering while living in Rochester with a family member caretaker 24/7. 

Nicole and her husband Dan live in Indiana where Nicole has been pursuing her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology in hopes of becoming a psychologist in a prison. Dan is a Mental Health Therapist at a community mental health center. They have two adorable energetic cats, Tango and Comet. Nicole loves traveling, spending time with family and friends, watching cheesy Hallmark movies and showing her deeply competitive side while playing games. Nicole has always been the strong supporting figure in so many people's lives. Nicole has a few years left in her doctorate program and this disease has caused a delay in her studies and her ability to work. Dan also has taken a leave from work to care for Nicole. Nicole will be in living in Rochester for 3+ months. With the treatment plan she is on and with the extent of her stay, the bills will add up fast. 

Nicole appreciates all of your love and support, whether it be a quick message, a card (she especially loves receiving mail), or any other way you would like to support Nicole. **Please no live flowers.** Mail can be sent to Nicole's mom's house who will get it to her. The mailing address is below:

7825 Park Circle NE 
Otsego, MN 55330

Another opportunity to show your support for Nicole is to purchase a "Kick Cancer Girl" shirt that is in support of Nicole. $5 of every purchase goes directly to Nicole and Dan! This shirt was originally created by a parent of one of mom's students for their class, but they are available to anyone who is interested in a shirt. Shirts are $10 plus an additional $4 for shipping. The option to have them delivered to my mom's classroom for pick up is no longer an option. 
Follow this link for the shirts: https://innovationsplusllc.com/shop?olsPage=t%2Fotsego

Check out the rest of her site for further updates, pictures and ways to support her and our family. Thank you for visiting.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Heather Kilber

It has been 1 year since transplant day! Can you believe it? Nicole is doing very well and is still in remission. We are very thankful that Nicole had a successful stem cell transplant and that her body has fully accepted 100% of the donor cells as her own. She now has doctors appointments months apart and is down to 6 pills a day because she is doing so well. Nicole has no dietary restrictions and is back to being able to eat and drink what she wants.

 

The Chemotherapy Nicole received for her transplant wiped out all previous immunizations since birth so she now has to get all of those shots again. In March, Nicole received her first of four rounds of shots. 1 round down, 3 to go!

 

Thank you all for keeping Nicole in your thoughts and prayers over the past year and a quarter of her cancer journey. Her support system means the world and we appreciate all of you.

 

If you are ever looking for a way to give back, we encourage you to donate blood (you don't realize how many blood and platelet transfusions Nicole went through) or sign up for Be The Match. We were lucky that Heather was a match when Nicole needed a stem cell transplant but others are not as fortunate to have a match within their family. Be The Match is an organization that everyone in good health can sign up for to potentially be someones lifesaving match. Multiple people in our family were inspired to sign up for Be The Match when they saw Nicole's journey. We hope others would be inspired to sign up as well. It is free and you could save a life :-) 

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