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!

Gold Star Banquet

We attended the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools Gold Star Banquet tonight where Kerstin was one of many honorees. Kerstin's principal (shown on the left) nominated her for the award and wrote this on the nomination application: "Bravery is defined as extreme courage in the face of difficulty. Rousseau kindergartener Kerstin Leaf deserves a gold star for demonstrating such bravery. This bright-eyed five year old has shown fierce determination in her battle with leukemia. Despite her illness, Kerstin has been able to keep up on her kindergarten schoolwork, has passed all assessments with flying colors, and is back with her friends and classmates at Rousseau School. She has taught us all what it's like to live courageously." Kerstin received a medal and a certificate.

Also pictured is one of the outstanding para-professionals at Rousseau who was also honored at the banquet.

May Day

Kerstin, McKinsey, and Annie spent a rainy Sunday making May Day baskets. It was all worth it when the girls got to deliver the goodies this evening. They were ready for a speedy get-a-way on their scooters. They did get caught once, but not kissed! Ha!

Books and Beyond

Kerstin woke up this morning and declared that nothing was hurting! She felt just "perfect"! Praise God! We are so glad to have our joyful child back! She missed an awards assembly on Friday, so Mrs. Braun, the principal, came in to her class today to present her and another friend with their medals. Rousseau has this great program called Books and Beyond where the students read books and write them down. For the kindergarteners they have to record 15 books per sheet. Any student that filled at least 5 sheets in the 6 week period got a medal, a certificate, and a new book. Kerstin was thrilled to get her "first medal ever"!

Rough 24 Hours

The past 24 hours have been pretty rough. Starting Thursday Kerstin was complaining of a headache and some general body aches. The Tylenol and Motrin was taking the edge off, but not getting rid of the pain. Yesterday morning Kerstin was in a lot of pain. She finally got exhausted enough to sleep for a while in the afternoon, but that was just a temporary reprieve for her. By bed time last night she was writhing in pain from head to toe. This is the most uncomfortable we have ever seen her. It was bad enough that she would even hold her breath to give her just a few seconds of relief. So, after a late night phone conversation with the on-call doctor and a trip to one of the 24 hour pharmacies in town, we have some stronger pain medicine which as of this morning seems to be helping. Kerstin is still experiencing some arm pain, but she is feeling good enough to get up and move around without complete misery.

Life is full of peaks and valleys, and we are obviously going through one of our valleys right now. Even with all the pain we have never heard Kerstin say, "Why me?" Since the beginning of this journey we have tried to teach her that life is not fair and God has a special purpose for all of us. Kerstin knows that she is not alone on this journey and there are many other children on the same path. With the help and support of these other "cancer kids", family, and friends, she has adopted our "take it head on" attitude and takes every day in stride knowing that we do what we have to do to make forward progress.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers, and please keep all of the other "cancer kids" lifted up as well.

New Scooter

Kerstin has been saving her money for something special. Yesterday she found it: a new scooter.

Today she had her doctor's appointment with Dr. G. Labs were good: ANC up to 2412. This is her ATRA week and she didn't get a headache until yesterday. Today she woke up with neck/back/arm/leg pain. We are hoping it is just from all the scooter riding yesterday. Dr. G is still concerned about the headaches and may become concerned about the whole body aches if the scooter riding theory doesn't hold up. Everything else checked out ok.

We hope everyone else has had a good week. The weekend is just around the corner :)

Sister's Web Site

Kerstin's sister, McKinsey, has started her own web site now. The link is over on the left titled "McKinsey's Corner".

ATRA Sunday

Today is day one of ATRA week. We are hoping a consistent dose of phenergan will help prevent (or reduce) the headaches that Kerstin experiences during her ATRA weeks. We are also scheduled to see Dr. G in Lincoln on Thursday for counts and a checkup.

The last couple of days have been great for playing outside and the girls made the most of them. We even had an spur of the moment picnic yesterday in the park. (Sorry, no pictures.) We hope you all had a great weekend. Abby and Hanna, hang in there.

Good Wednesday

Kerstin's headaches have finally gone away. Unfortunately she starts the ATRA again on Sunday and we fear the headaches will return. She is scheduled to see Dr. G next Thursday. Hopefully he will be able to do something about the headaches after seeing her mid-ATRA week. Until then we will try to enjoy the nice (windy) weather.

Easter Sunday

Kerstin and her sister got their Easter dresses on and went Easter egg hunting this morning. Kerstin's ATRA week is over, but she is still having some bad headaches. We continue to "experiment" with her medications to find a good combination to reduce the side effects. Other than that, her appetite is very good and her hair continues to grow back.

We hope you all enjoyed a blessed Easter. Take care and God bless. 

Wiped Out!

After the egg hunt this morning, we walked home and the girls HAD to sort through all the goodies. Kerstin was complaining of a headache and stomach ache. I (Annie) gave her some Phenergan and an ice pack and then went to fix lunch. By the time lunch was ready, Kerstin was crashed on the living room. I moved her to her bed (she didn't even open her eyes), and she took an hour and a half nap. When she woke up, she was feeling much better. The rest of the day she felt pretty good. She came down with another headache this evening, but felt better after taking some Tylenol. The last few days have seemed like a series of ups and downs, although not as bad as two weeks ago.

Thanks so much for checking on us! Happy Easter to you all!

Egg Hunt

Our wonderful neighborhood association holds an Easter egg hunt each year. This year Annie and the girls even got to help clean up the park and hide the treats beforehand. There were many wonderful goodies to be found. Kerstin even found a numbered egg that meant she won a HUGE Easter basket. McKinsey won a cute butterfly. There were only a few raindrops before the hunt began, otherwise it was a beautiful morning! 

Feeling Better

Kerstin's runny nose has seemed to clear up. She went back to school yesterday, but experienced several headaches during the day. They don't seem to be as severe as she has experienced, but it would still be nice not to have them at all. The kids have the day off from school (Good Friday) and it looks like the weather is going to be great. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time outside today.

We hope you all have a great Easter weekend.

Runny Nose

Kerstin stayed home from school today because of a runny nose. No fever, or headache, or stomach ache, just a lot of green stuff coming out. So far, her new ATRA dose seems to be working without giving her some of the problems she has been having in the past few weeks. It's always a bummer to have a head cold with such nice weather.

Spring Cleaning

Kerstin and McKinsey and I (Annie) spent the rest of the afternoon today working outside. The weather was beautiful! The girls decided it was time to clean out the play house. They swept and mopped and filled 2 bags of trash. They also rearranged the play house and had me move in their portable chalkboard. The play house has not been transformed into a one room school! What fun! Kerstin felt great all day! We pray that this will continue all week long! Have a blessed week!

Bowling

Kerstin, McKinsey and Annie were able to spend a few hours this afternoon bowling with the Lincoln Candlelighters. This group is for families of children with cancer or other serious diseases. We haven't been able to get to a monthly meeting since December, so it was nice to be able to go today and have a fun time!

A Day in Omaha

We were able to spend the day in Omaha today as a family. We ate lunch with some great friends at our favorite Omaha pizza place, Zios! Then we headed over to Children's Hospital with a wagon full of gifts for the 6th floor playroom. Kerstin and McKinsey asked their friends to donate a gift to the hospital at their recent birthday party. Stacy, the child life specialist, was thrilled with all the goodies for the patients.

We were also able to meet up with some other Omaha chums for some kid playtime and adult chit chat.

We finished off the day with a family card party in Lincoln. What a great day of socializing! We are blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Thanks so much for checking on us. Keep Kerstin in your prayers this week as she has to take her Atra meds again. We are hoping that a change in dosage will help the nausea. We do have some new nausea medicine as a back-up plan. God's blessings to you!

No Cavities

Kerstin had her 6 month dental check up this morning, and she remains a part of the "no cavity club".

Headache update: Kerstin's headaches finally went away over the weekend. We are hoping next week when she goes back on the ATRA, the reduced dose will help keep the headaches away.

Thanks for checking in, and we hope you all have a good week.

Doctor's Appointment

Kerstin had her scheduled doctor's appointment yesterday at St. E's in Lincoln. As a bonus, we also ran in to Lauren and her dad there as well. Kerstin's counts are holding steady at 1318. Our biggest concern are the increased headaches she has been having. After some discussion, we have decided that she will skip the rest of the ATRA for this week, and when her next ATRA week comes we are going to reduce the dose. The Zofran has worked great on the nausea, but the headaches it gives her are terrible. An alternate medication we talked about is Anzemet. According to the literature it appears to have about the same incident of headaches as the Zofran. If anyone has any experience with the Anzemet, we would love to hear from you. In the mean time if we need something for the nausea, we'll go with the Phenergan. On the bright side, Kerstin's headaches have begun to fade since she stopped taking the Zofran and ATRA.

We hope everyone has a great weekend. Take care and thank you for the prayers.

Feeling crummy again

Just wanted to give a quick update. Kerstin is on her "tough" medication week. She has had a headache since Monday that just won't go away. She has even asked for Tylenol, which we have been giving her, but it doesn't seem to help. Yesterday she slept in until 9:30 and then took naps at 11:15 and after school. She didn't sleep well last night (maybe too much naps???), continuing to complain of a headache. This morning she still had a headache, so I didn't give her any morning meds. She barely ate anything and even threw up this morning. She also said that things were kind of blurry. When she laid on the floor while we were playing Barbies, I knew that she just wasn't feeling well. She ended up sleeping for a couple of hours this afternoon which seemed to help a little bit.

Jeff is working today, but Annie was able to stay home with Kerstin and even called the clinic. Dr. G recommended skipping some of her meds today and making sure she gets lots of rest. We have an appointment to see him at St. E's in the morning (it was our previously scheduled appointment anyway). He plans to give her a check up including looking at her eyes. Thanks for checking on us and for your continued prayers. We know that days like today are just little bumps in the road. Thanks also for your prayers for our friends Abby, Hannah, Mary, Elissa, and many others.

RSS Feed

Now you can follow Kerstin using an RSS feed. To find out more, click on the "Helping Kerstin" link on the left side of this site. Next, click on the "RSS Feed" link on the left side. That will take you to a page with more information. Thanks.

Team In Training

Saturday morning Kerstin got to meet about 30 of the Team In Training athletes before one of their training rides. The Omaha team (pictured) presented Kerstin with a teddy bear and a t-shirt. Kerstin brought some granola bars to pass out to the athletes. It was a great opportunity for the athletes and Kerstin to meet each other. For more pictures, click on the title "Team In Training."

Back Home

No exciting pictures for this post. (Unless you wanted to see the piles of dirty laundry from the trip.) We made it back home this afternoon. Kerstin is feeling pretty good. We had our fingers crossed the whole trip hoping that she would stay healthy. It was also nice Kerstin had her "easy" medicine week while we were on the road. We're hoping our new game plan for the "hard" medicine week works next week to keep her from getting sick to her stomach.

Thanks for the prayers, and please keep all those who couldn't enjoy spring break away from the hospital/clinic in your prayers as well.

Ice Skating

Kerstin and her sister got to strap on ice skates for the first time today. Both of the girls have been roller skating before, but they soon found out it's a lot different on the ice. We only lasted for about 45 minutes (which was long enough). The rest of the day was spent napping, going to the IKEA store, eating, and swimming. Tomorrow it's back to Nebraska.

Dinosaurs

After looking at all the fish, we went to the dinosaur exhibit. Kerstin's sister is studying dinosaurs in school right now so it was an excellent learning experience. (As well as a chance to sit down and relax.) Click on the title "Dinosaurs" for more pictures.

Aquarium

We visited the aquarium that is under the Mall of America. We even got to see them release a new sand tiger shark in to the shark tank with the rest of the fish. (Click on the title "Aquarium" for more pictures.)

Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny even made it to Minnesota.

Flower Show

We took the "light rail" train to downtown Minneapolis just to check things out. While we were there we went to Marshall Fields to see the infamous flower show. (Click on the title "Flower Show" to see more pictures.)

Meeting Friends for Lunch

Tuesday we met Rose and Alex Bouvier for lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe in the Mall of America. It was a fun lunch and we were all glad not to be back in Nebraska scooping snow.

Mall of America

We spent the day (and I mean all day) at the Mall of America riding all the rides at what used to be "Camp Snoopy". Kerstin and her sister had a really great time. They should sleep really good tonight. :) Click on the title "Mall of America" for more pictures.

Back in the Water

This is the first time that Kerstin has been back in a swimming pool since she was diagnosed in October. In addition to getting the ok from her doctor to travel, he gave her the ok to use swimming pools again.

Birthday Party in MN

We visited some friends that live just east of the Twin Cities metroplex. In addition to a great supper, they had an impromptu birthday party for the girls.

Sick Again

Kerstin got nauseated today and vomited several times, so she missed another day of school. We can kind of see a pattern now with her medications and her getting sick. One of the meds she takes only every other week, and it seems about half way through that week she starts to get sick to her stomach. We called the clinic and talked it over. The called in a prescription of Zofran to the pharmacy. That seems to be the trick. Kerstin will now take the Zofran during her every other week of ATRA.

After the Zofran, a really long nap, and some supper, she was even feeling good enough to go to the ballet (Snow White) for which we had tickets for.

Fairies for Friends

We wanted to let you know about a wonderful opportunity our friend, Abby, is offering. For a donation of $5 or more, you can get your very own hand-made fairy. Abby, who is being treated for Leukemia at Children's Hospital, is making the fairies as a fundraiser for In the Arms of Friends. This brave 8-year-old is using her time stuck indoors with very low counts to benefit a wonderful organization. In the Arms of Friends provides all families of children with cancer a wonderful bag of items immediately upon diagnosis. The items include a treatment journal to keep track of all the mountains of paperwork you receive, gift cards, a disposable camera, a stuffed pet, and much more. This group also provided snacks for families at the Oncology clinic and much, much more. You can visit their website at www.inthearmsoffriends.org to find out more.

In order to get your own gorgeous fairy, go to Abby's website at www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater and follow the directions. Tell them that Kerstin sent you. We are so proud of Abby and her mom, Kristi, for being so generous and giving. What an example they are for us all! Abby had hoped to raise $500. So far they have collected an amazing $1,825!!!

Thanks for checking on us! Have a blessed day!

Birthday Party

Kerstin and her sister had a combined birthday party this year, and this year they decided they wanted to have a movie theater party. They each got to invite five friends. The girls had ice cream and Barbie cake, opened presents, got a tour of the theater projection room, and then watched the movie "The Shaggy Dog". In addition to personal presents, each girl brought something to donate to the Children's Hospital arts and crafts room. (Thank you again everyone.)

Unfortunately, one of the invited girls was unable to make it to the party. Abby's (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater) counts were not high enough for her to be able to join us at the theater. However, we were able to meet up with her and her mom for a quick present exchange while they were on their way back to Omaha.

To see all of the pictures from the day, click on the title "Birthday Party".

Uncle Phil's Diner

The youth at our church are doing a fundraiser this weekend called "Uncle Phil's Diner". Annie and 3 other gals get to sing a song as a part of the dinner theater. Kerstin, McKinsey and Annie had a blast dressing up in 50's costumes for the event. What a wonderful opportunity to wear those Halloween costumes from 2 years ago. Kerstin and McKinsey are quite the dancers! They even did the Hokey Pokey! It was a fun evening, and the girls are looking forward to bringing their uncle and cousin to the show tomorrow night. They are trying to talk Mom into bringing them every night. Is it the dancing, the sloppy joes, or the root beer floats??

Thanks for checking on us! Have a wonderful weekend!

Hair

Kerstin's hair is really starting to come back in. Not quite enough to use any hair accessories, but it's getting there.

Feeling better

We just wanted to let everyone know that Kerstin has felt much better the last two days. We are not sure whether she caught some sort of "bug" or whether it was the side effects of her medicines that were making her feel yucky. We will start her back on her meds tomorrow and hope for the best. We had a nice weekend hanging out a home. Annie and the girls even did a little bit of clothes shopping on Saturday. All of McKinsey's jeans have holes in the knees. I guess that is the new style??? Kerstin is looking forward to going back to school and gymnastics tomorrow. Thanks for your positive thoughts and prayers.

Home Sick Again

Kerstin stayed home sick again today. She was lethargic, no appetite, and just didn't look good. The about mid-morning she got sick to her stomach. She was not happy about missing another day of school, but we knew we had to keep her home. We contacted the clinic about her nausea (and four day headache). They advised us to take her off her meds for a few days to see if that helps. It all seems like trial and error. After a long nap she seemed to feel a lot better. She even ate TWO pieces of pizza for supper and looks to have plenty of energy. We're ready for the weekend and some R and R.

Just A Reminder

We've been having beautiful weather the past couple of days, so the kids have been spending a lot of time outside playing. Kerstin, of course, has to keep up with everyone else. After going to the park with Annie and playing with Jeff in the back yard this morning, Kerstin started complaining of a stomach ache, and she looked wiped out. She didn't have any appetite and really didn't seem herself. We ended up keeping her home from kindergarten where she slept most of the afternoon. Even though she is looking like any other cancer-free six year old (minus some hair), I guess it's just a reminder of the disease and chemo that is going on inside of her. No complaints though. We still count our blessings everyday.

Kerstin is 6!

It was a fun and busy day for the Leaf family! Kerstin turned 6 today! Actually, she isn't officially 6 until 11:58 tonight. She was 2 minutes away from being a Leap Year baby.

Annie made Kerstin a Barbie doll cake. Thanks for the idea, Sharon! She made one for McKinsey on her 4th birthday. Now she remembers why she waited 5 years to make another one! All I can say is you need LOTS of frosting! Kerstin and McKinsey were very pleased with how it turned out. We had cake tonight for our bedtime snack. Yummy!

Kerstin got to visit her friends at Annette's house this morning. We brought doughnuts to help celebrate. It was fun to see all the kids having a ball together again. Kerstin especially liked holding baby Porter. She loves babies. She told me that she likes babies the best when they are "real." She even got to feed him a bottle. I am sure he was ready for a nice nap by the time we left.


Of course birthdays are extra special when you are a kindergartener. Her friends made her a birthday book and she got to wear a birthday hat and sticker all day.

Kerstin opened a few gifts tonight. Her favorite was a toy electric guitar from her sister and parents. It even came with a built-in microphone. We were treated with quite a concert tonight. I am sure that there will be many more to come. Tickets anyone???

We can certainly count our blessings today and every day. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to celebrate the big and little things in life.

Wonderful Weekend

We have had lots of company lately, and we are loving it! Annie's cousin, Todd, got married at Sheridan this weekend. Uncle Brian, Brenna, Grandma Clarice and Grandpa Gene were able to come and stay at our house. We also got to chat with many other aunts, uncles, and cousins at the wedding. It was so nice to see everyone. Best wishes to the happy couple.

Brenna, and the girls got in quite a bit of play time in the new basement this weekend. They played house, polly pockets and prom (Yep, prom is a new one for me, too. It involves pretty dresses and Uncle Brian with a bow tie). Kerstin continues to feel great. She went in for lab work and a check up on Thursday. Her ANC is over 1,200 and everything looks great. Dr. G is very pleased with her progress, and we are too! She is taking her meds like a pro. Kerstin is also very excited for her big 6th birthday on Tuesday! Thanks for checking in on us and have a blessed week!

Early Birthday

Kerstin's grandparents from Colorado will not be able to come back for Kerstin's "birth day", so they held an early party for her complete with presents and an ice cream cake.

Fever...

Dance fever that is. Grandma and Grandpa from the mountains showed up Sunday evening to stay for a few days. The girls were very excited to have a new audience for their dance routines. The grandparents got quite a show.

Kerstin continues to stay healthy. We still get very nervous when someone coughs or sneezes around her. Her doctor has also cleared her to travel, so we are trying to make plans for spring break in March.

As Kerstin remains healthy, are thoughts and prayers are with all of our new friends who are fighting secondary illnesses in addition to their primary cancers. Please say a special prayer for them and all those who need the extra attention.

Thanks for checking in on us and we hope you have a blessed week.

Uncle Brian

Things kind of slowed down after Valentine's Day. The weather got really cold (single digits and below zero), so we basically just hibernated when the girls weren't in school.

Saturday Kerstin had the idea of going out to breakfast, so we bundled everyone up and headed to Perkins for "brunch". We braved the cold weather and the crowds and did some shopping after we ate. That afternoon Kerstin's Uncle Brian stopped by to play. He was actually in town to see his girlfriend, but knew he would be in trouble with the girls if he didn't come see them. They had a fun time using Uncle Brian as an indoor gymnasium.

Valentines Day

Kerstin had a great time at her Kindergarten Valentine's Day party. Her dad was also able to be at the party to help with the kids and read a story. See more pictures by clicking on the title "Valentines Day".

Spinoza Bear

Kerstin received a Spinoza Bear over the weekend. This is a great addition to her collection because this bear actually has a tape player built in and comes with several Spinoza audio tapes. She can also play regular music tapes in it as well. Thanks again Faye. If you would like more information on the Spinoza Bear, go to www.spinozabear.com .

Back to Gymnastics

Kerstin was thrilled to go back to gymnastics on Monday. It's great to see her getting back to a lot of her old activities. See more pictures of gymnastics by clicking on the title "Back to Gymnastics".

Visitors

We had visitors from the west today (Aurora, NE). Jeff's Aunt Shirley and Cousin Crystal made Kerstin and her sister each a blanket. Also pictured is Crysta's son Brian. Not pictured is Jeff's Uncle Max and Crystal's husband Jason. It was a very nice visit with some relatives that we haven't seen for quite a while.

Brownie Fun

McKinsey's Brownie troop got to celebrate a successful cookie sale by going to Paint Yourself Silly today. Kerstin and Annie got to got along to help supervise. This is a wonderful and generous troop. This group of girls sold popcorn for Kerstin a few months ago. We want to say a big "Thank you" to them for their kindness and generosity.

Kerstin continues to feel well and has been having a great time at school. She got to go to the lab at St. E's today for a finger poke(not fun in her book). Her ANC is 1558, right where they want it to be. Her hemoglobin and platelets were just fine, too. She will be able to continue with the same doses of her medicines she is currently taking.

Kerstin's friend, Abby is out of the hospital, but now has RSV. Another friend of ours from Children's, Hannah, is having surgery tomorrow to rid her body of her tumor. They are two very special little girls. Please add them to your prayers and visit their websites if you can. Tell them Kerstin sent you. www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahknudsen and www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbybridgewater . Thanks for your words of hope and encouragment.

Super Sunday!

Today was a Super Fun day (not just because of the football game!) Kerstin, McKinsey, and Annie got to go to Omaha for Abby's birthday party at Build-A-Bear. It was fun to see Hannah, Elissa, and Emma, too. It took Kerstin a while to get rid of a case of the "shy's", but we all had a very nice time. Thank you Bridgewaters, and Happy Birthday, Abby!

We were also able to visit our friends the Holsteins while we were in Omaha. Joshua, Jonah and the girls had lots of fun playing and even put on a little music show (with dinner, of course!) Thank you Holstein family!

It's back to school for all of us tomorrow. Have a super week! Keep all of our friends in your prayers, especially Hannah as she will have surgery on the 10th.