A BRILLANT HOLIDAY

Kristin and her wish granters
First and foremost, we want to express our deepest and sincerest heartfelt gratitude to MAKE A WISH for granting Kristin's wish. Her wish trip was everything and more. We traveled to the beautiful island of Saint Lucia. It is deep in the Caribbean, fourteen miles wide x twenty seven miles long, green and gracious. Politeness and living slow are the norm, driving on the opposite side of the road is suicidal, and cows and goats grazing lazily in the intersections and roadsides are commonplace. Our hotel came equipped with all the fanfare paradise can offer. Sail boats, kayaks, plenty of "Yah Mons and My Lady,"unlimited smoothies, blue skies, white sand, warm water and towering palms. I think the pictures will tell the rest of the story....

Comments

Amy Girl said…
Leslie, thanks for posting your photos of your "Brillant Holiday"! How fun.

I have to say Kristin looks fabulous with her wigs, but really is a hottie without them as well. I'm so happy the lovely locks are growing back.
February 25, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Anonymous said…
Yeah, if Kristin were on America's Next Top Model, she would be the girl who Tyra would cut her hair this short to show off her gorgeous face! You go girl!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations on your wish, well deserved.

Suzanna and the Hartman's

P.S. Giovanni enjoyed seeing you yesterday.
February 28, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Beginning

Image
Hello to all from Children's Hospital Oakland, California To it still difficult to grasp that we are actually here...hearing this news...living in this new world. Kristin's official diagnosis is ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA precursor b. This is very treatable form of cancer. She is enrolled in a cutting edge program for treating A.L.L.. All of us here are very optimistic. She is under the care of amazing Doctors and the recipient of the miracles of modern medicine. It will be a very rough 2 years or so, but she will survive. Thus far, we have been on the fast track. This is an amazing institution and we are very, very fortunate to be here. Nothing short of kindness and compassion have been shown to us from the very beginning. Upon our arrival on Monday, she has undergone a bone marrow biopsy, 2 lunbar punctures, echo cardiogram, chest x-ray, broviac cath . placement, and numerous pokes and prods. She received her first chemo treatment; injected into the spinal fluid, Wednes...
Read more

GO GO SPECIAL K!

Our last bone marrow biopsy went great! It showed no leukemia cells. This shows that she is having a positive early response to the chemo which is a very, very good thing! All of her labs are coming back "smashing!" We are dealing with secondary complications such as situational diabetes. This is only tempoary and should resolve once we are off the strong steroids. Consequently she has to have blood sugars checked often, insulin injections, and follow a carb controlled diet. not fun! In trying to be supportive, I am counting carbs along with her. It is hard when someone has a birthday up here every other day and wants to share their cake. Keep the dang cake to yourselves! Kristin is getting very tired more often and is noticing that she can pull out clumps of hair....I am sad. Although I knew this was coming, I was taken back by the situation and caught off guard. Baldness goes hand in hand with leukemia and every parent up here would rather have a beautifully healthy, shini...
Read more

UPDATE

Kristin is currenly in room 5330 getting two units of PRBC's. Her counts are on the way down and I am hoping that this is all the drama we will see. It has been a long, difficult...two months.....seems like forever.... especially as we approach the one year mark. Our daily excursions to Berkley have been uneventful. (I decided that if I had another life, I would like it to be in Berkley. I love this area!) We are going to Alta Bates Hospital. I am taken by the compassion, charity, and warmth that the patients are treated with here. It is the same spirit you feel when you walk onto the 5th floor here at CHO. Wonderful people who truly and compassionately love what they do. Back to her radiation.....Her radiation takes all of two minutes. I call it a "lick." Thankfully she is getting a very low dose so the side effects are pretty much nil. Kristin really looks forward to returning to school on a more regular basis. I cannot begin to tell you of the hardships Kristin has ...
Read more