It's been over a year
since my last post but I believe every story needs a happily-ever-after.Kennedy is a vibrant, 9 year old girl who loves dancing, hanging out with her friends and baking. Since my last post, Kennedy has been in remission with bi-monthly blood work and check-ups. She doesn’t even flinch when they draw blood and stares right at the needle (just like her daddy) - this makes me feel like a big baby because I’m a chicken.
On February 2, 2017,
we will get the news we’ve been waiting for since her diagnosis – Kennedy will
be officially “cured”. With ALL Leukemia,
children who are free of the disease after 5 years from the date of diagnosis
are considered cured. I've had the opportunity to spend the last two summers with the kids as a stay-at-home mom. It wasn't something planned but I couldn't be more thankful to have had that time. I earned the role as Kennedy’s “hero” and we all discovered I CAN COOK (pretty good too)! I also knocked out a 100-mile century bike ride and got beat by Maddox at chess – more than once.
I volunteer at
Loyola on the 4th floor – the pediatric ward where Kennedy was treated. I thought it would be hard to return. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been that bad with
the exception of February 2016. Knowing it was 4 years later and I was in the
same place was haunting but thankfully I was there for a different reason.Gene and I don’t discuss or reflect on the 2.5 years she was in treatment. I printed out her blog in a hard covered book for her to read, she glances through it occasionally and sometimes I’ll catch Maddox reading too.
So let the countdown begin…23 days till the cure!
A video of her hip hop dance last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv15W2dqMgo
And her group dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqRfDi9I-6E
