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Showing posts from June, 2008

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More doxorubicin and vincristine today at Renown. We were done around 4:00 this time. We watched Young Frankenstein while we were there... "Blu-ka anyone?" Darren and Cody are in Omaha, Nebraska with Cody's Silver Socks team. Cody has always wanted to do this and I am sure they are having a great time. So, this leaves Kristin, Wyatt and I at home. I picked up some spicey bagels and cream cheese as she was craving these and brought them with us to the hospital. Little things like special movies and bagels seem like a treat and help deal with being there. Wyatt spent the day with Footes and is attending the Galena basketball camp this week. This worked out perfectly and was so much better than the alternative. Thank you Sherry! Last week I had forgotten to make arrangements for him and we had a very long day at the hospital. I called Janice Foulk just as we were about to leave the house and she took him without hesitation. Thank you Janice! Then drugs today have left her f...

DJ KRISTIN

If you are driving by the Grand Sierra, take a look at their marquis. Kristin's picture (courtesy of Prestige Photography/Lifetouch) is up there for the Live Happy Hour. I have to say that it was a bit emotional for me to see her picture displayed there. It was awesome! We met Neda down at Citadel Broadcasting early this morning to do some interviews with the local radio stations. We met so many nice people and had a great time. Kristin quickly became a pro and did a great job. She did interviews on Wild 102.9 with Neda and RudeBoy, Magic 95.5 with Austin and Tina, Koh 780 am, K-Bull with Woody and Paula, Alice 96.5 with Bill, Connie and Trey. We loved watching how all these hosts perform and work together. But, even more so, how genuinely kind and down to earth they all were. They talked a lot about the 'LIVE HAPPY HOUR' to-night at the Grand Sierra and how she deals with living with leukemia. Kristin did so good and I was very proud of how she handled all the questions...

DELAYED INTENSIFICATION 1

Yesterday we began delayed intensification 1. (lasting 57 days) We arrived at Renown @9:00 for a physical. Dr. Raphael was with us today and that is good for Kristin. She really likes him and says that he talks to "her" about what is going on, how she is feeling and so forth. Our two favorite Renown nurses were there also. Sandy and Tia. They are wonderful women who care for so many children in our area. They treat Kristin like gold and we love them! Around 10:30 Neda Iranpour and her camera man met us there for another interview. She is great and has made Kristin feel very loved and supported. Dr. Raphael was also interviewed. This aired on June 9th, but you can also view it on their website @www.ktvn.com and follow the links. The rest of the day was filled with a lumbar puncture with intrathecal methotrexate. Kevin Lasko sent Kristin off to sleepy land. She woke up and said that was the best nap she ever had. (her insomnia makes it very difficult to sleep)She ...

LIVE HAPPY SOCCER TEAM

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LIVE HAPPY SOCCER TEAM the following story and pictures are courtesy of Dan Dugan and his young team as they traveled to a tournament...... "I wrote to a friend of mine after we got back from Boise because I could not make sense out of the reaction we were getting. You would not believe the number of people who came up to us to say how fantastic the message was on front of the shirt. Then, of course, when they heard Kristin's story, they were humbled. But, their first reaction was the one that was so astounding to me. It was as if we have forgotten to be happy or how to be happy. It was almost sad at first,then it was inspiring to know that that small message needed to be said and was getting through to people. So, if there is anything at all positive to be gained from cancer, maybe it is that message. In that sense, it is I who should be thanking Kristin for giving us this chance to spread this simple, but vital message." I want to thank Dan and his team for living you...

HEY GIRL, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHAVE SOMEONE'S HEAD?

We were at CostCo a few weeks ago and this is what went on while we were checking out. Kristin had been waiting in line when a gentle man walked up to her and said, " Aren't you the girl of the year?" , she said yes and he walked away. When we met up, she told me about it and said that he was one of the managers there and we thought nothing more about it. A short while later he approached us at the register. Ironically, we were about to donate a dollar to the Renown Children's Fund drive that they were having and asked,"Would you like to shave someone's head?" Now I could tell right away that this totally caught Kristin off guard! I spoke up for her and said,"Sure, but how do you know Kristin?" He mentioned that he had seen her story on KUTV 2. (thank you Neda) A bet had been made that if they raised over a thousand dollars in one day, a fellow employee with longer hair would shave. Now, this young man had great looking hair. When he realized t...

ALL SMILES

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Darren Lasko, Kristin, Garret Gunter, Danny Hames, Kinsey Bullock, Caroline Altom and Devery Amundsen. Dressed up and going to the Mormon Formal....the Mormal. This is Charlie. She has ALL also and was diagnosed about a month before Kristin. Charlie is from Reno also. We love seeing her. Cheez-It's, dvd player, and movies. Don't go to the hospital without them!

MORE SMILES

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Kayla is 10. We meet her back in December. We see them often on our trips to Oakland. It has been a tough road for her, but she is making great progress now. David Koury from Carson City. Amazing. We meet Malaki back in December. He's a fighter....so sweet. This is Sherry and Susan. Sherry was finishing her last round of chemo and going home for good! Sherry loves "magic popcorn!" This is a project we collaborated on for nurse's week. I wrote a poem, Kristin did some awesome art work, and then we snuck around to the other patients and families on the floor and had them sign it also. Some were babies, so we outlined their little baby hands. So precious! I enjoyed visiting with the other families. We all come from such diverse places, yet we all seemed to have so very much in common! There is a beautiful spirit surrounding these children, I know that it comes from our Father in Heaven. It is undeniable to me! We had a great time doing this and the nurses seemed to r...

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS

Our last trip went very well and again Kristin cleared the high dose methotrexate like a pro. Although she will continue to receive methotrexate in the future, she does not need to have the high dose methotrexate again. We are glad to say good by to that bad boy. Kristin developed an unusual side effect that is not seen too often. After the second dose, and we returned home, she said the bottom of her feet hurt. In fact, she walked on her tip toes for several days until the pain subsided. Shortly thereafter, huge blisters erupted on the heels of her feet (huge, think Texas!) and her thumb. They were filled with fluid and very painful! I have noticed a pattern in that after each cycle of high dose mtx, there seems to the pain, new blisters bubbling up underneath the old ones, peeling and then it is repeated over a period of two weeks. Hopefully we have seen the last of them. Her feet have really taken a beating and I think it is because our feet have poorer circulation. Unfortunately it...

JELLO?

In my haste I never explained the title for the last entry. Jello seems to hit the spot for Kristin especially when she is having chemo. At the hospital there is always an unlimited supply of jello and "bendy" straws. Well, she loves jello these day and when combined with bendy straws, it makes eating jello rather fun! So, when she sips jello through a straw the sipping cider song always runs through my mind!