Make-A-Wish Golf Tournament

Saturday was the Make-A-Wish Foundation golf tournament. Kerstin was one of two honored patients in attendance. The other child there was Alex Ford whose wish was granted this past winter. His wish was to play golf in Hawaii. The golf tournament was also used as a surprise party for Kerstin to let her know that her wish to learn how to hula dance in Hawaii has been granted. Kerstin and her family will be traveling to Hawaii on July 11th for one week of fun in the sun.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the golf tournament and the sponsors: Lincoln Federal Bank, HiMark Golf Club and Bunkers Club House, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and all of the other businesses who are too many to list.

For more pictures of the golf tournament, click on the title "Make-A-Wish Golf Tournament"

Safety Fair

Annie took Kerstin and her sister to the South Pointe Safety Fair. They got to see their dad in action at one of the exhibits - the Lincoln Fire & Rescue Fire Safety House. This is a large camper that has been converted into a miniature house where the kids can learn to safely get out of a home that is on fire.

CureSearch Walk

Dear Friends and Family,

On June 3rd, our family will be participating in a walk to raise money specifically for childhood cancer research, and we need your help. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death in children, killing more kids than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, and Cystic Fibrosis combined. There are 46 children under the age of 20 diagnosed with cancer everyday, and those numbers are rising.

Kerstin, and the many other kids like her, have become our inspiration for “Walking for CureSearch.” “In the Arms of Friends” is organizing this event which will be held at Village Point Shopping Center in Omaha. We hope that you can help us by sending a monetary donation so we can make sure that kids like Kerstin can survive this horrible disease, and that new treatments with fewer side effects are discovered. All the money raised in this event will go directly to CureSearch — the leading cancer research organization. Your donation will make a huge difference in the fight against this disease. For more information on CureSearch, you can go to www.curesearch.com on the internet. You can donate in a couple of ways. You can send a check to our address listed below made out to CureSearch. You can also donate on-line by going to www.firstgiving.com/kerstinscuresearch. All donations should be sent to us by June 3rd. We would also welcome anyone who would like to walk with us. We are so grateful for the support we have received in the past, and we thank you in advance for considering this cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

Jeff and Annie Leaf

4030 S. 30^th St.

Lincoln, NE 68502

Bike Rodeo

Rousseau Elementary held its annual bike rodeo today. Kerstin has been talking about it all week and was very excited to get to go. (She hopes to have the training wheels off some time this summer.) She is still pain free this week and we're keeping our fingers crossed.

TNT Info Meeting

Kerstin attended a Team in Training informational meeting tonight. There were a lot of potential athletes in attendence. It is great to see all the potential new members, and the TNT staff. Their passion for this cause is wonderful. If you are interested in Team in Training, you can go to http://www.teamintraining.org/hm_tnt for more information.

Mid-ATRA Week

It's Wednesday night of the ATRA week and all is well. The latest dosing schedule seems to be helping ward off the headaches (and other body aches). Keep the prayers coming.

TNT - Marathon

Patti, one of Annie's teaching colleagues, ran the Lincoln Half Marathon today. She ran as part of the Team in Training program, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Kerstin as her honored patient. Patti has run the marathon in the past for a few other children, including her own daughter. Patti's daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 7. Ashley is doing great now, and even has a daughter of her own! Patti came over to visit us this evening. She looked great for running 13 miles this morning! She generously gave her TNT medal and her visors that she designed for the race to Kerstin. Another medal! Kerstin thought that was pretty cool that someone would run so far just for her! We are once again deeply moved by the kindness and generosity of others! God has been so good to us. He has brought so many wonderful people into our lives and hearts. Thank you, Patti for being and inspiration to us!

Wedding

Annie's cousin, Steve, got married in Kearney this weekend. Grandma Clarice and Papa Gene picked up Annie and the girls (unfortunately Jeff had to stay in Lincoln to work) after school on Friday, and we stayed the night in Holdrege with Uncle Brian and Brenna. The girls had a great time playing together. They had plenty of time to jump on the trampoline and dance on Friday night and Saturday morning. We were even able to celebrate Brenna's 10th birthday! It was fun to see all of Annie's aunts, uncles and cousins at the wedding on Saturday. We stayed overnight at a hotel in Kearney. The girls and grown-ups all had a great time swimming in the pool. On Sunday morning we visited Uncle Richard and Aunt Kay (and Brenna's chick, Softie) at their home in Kearney. You can check out my sister's blog for a cute chick picture. See links at the top left of this site - McKinsey's corner. All in all, it was a fun, but exhausting weekend. Kerstin felt really great all weekend, but was quite tired on Sunday. She was able to sleep most of the way home. Thanks for checking on us and for your prayers!