Hannah

Hannah Smith 9 Years Old
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)



Story: On December 8, 2011 Hannah was knocked down on the playground during recess at school. Her right knee swelled up and after visiting her pediatrician, was told we'd do x-rays to determine what damage was done to her knee and why it was so swollen. After having x-rays done on December 15, 2011 we were told there was a tumor--the swelling was not caused by the "injury" on the playground. After an MRI and biopsy of her knee, we were told that Hannah has osteosarcoma--a type of bone cancer. Hannah also recently had a rotationplasty orthopedic surgical procedure on the 19th of March (they had to rotate her foot around). There will be 6 weeks of healing, they will X-ray to see how her leg is healing and at that time we'll start talking about prosthetics. She will have to do a lot of intensive physical therapy to train her foot muscles to flex the opposite direction so her ankle will become her knee joint. Hannah is not nervous at all at this point. This girl is "WONDER WOMAN" On her first Physical Therapy Session after surgery the 19th, she did almost everything on her own! She only had help from a physical therapist for balance. Hannah did not flinch or pout or complain or cry. She said it didn't hurt at all and was acting like it was no big deal. She stood up on her own for a 5-count then sat back down and did that 5 times in a row too!! In fact, she's rather EXCITED NOW at the prospect of having this cancer gone. She just wants to walk again on her own and this is the biggest and most important step for achieving that goal. We know we have a long road ahead of us, but Hannah is a strong little girl and we are all learning to take this journey one day, one step at a time. Thank you for continuing to lift up Hannah and all of us as we begin this new chapter in her precious life! WHAT A POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF A WARRIOR!!! You can follow Hannah's AMAZING journey here


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Kipton

Baby Kipton Krumland 1 year Old
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

 

Story: On August 26th, 2011 Kipton was taken to the doctor by his mommy after she noticed some bruises on his legs and small red spots behind his ears. The bruises were suspicious to his mom because it seemed as if he was bruising himself while grabbing his own legs. The office sent him to St. Elizabeth's for some blood work and sent him home. A few hours later the doctors office called with the devastating news. He was transported to Children's Hospital by ambulance within the hour. He is currently at Children's hospital in Omaha Ne where he had a PICC line placed, an unsucessful bone marrow biopsy (his marrow was too spongy to obtain a sample) and a dose of spinal chemo. Kipton is expected to remain at Children's for over a month. And will be receiving long term treatment during the next three years. The treatment started on Sunday September 4th, 2011 as inpatient therapy. With all your prayers and Kipton's amazing strength, he was able to leave the hospital just in time to spend his first Christmas at home with his family. As of now, he will be traveling back and forth for further treatments over the course of the next three years. As you can imagine travel expenses in addition to loss of income during this journey will bring a significant financial strain to the family, they appreciate any and all help they receive! SIBLINGSl 1 older brother Kody & 1 older sister Peyton THey would LOVE for us to send them a gift or two as well for all of their hard work in being supportive and helpful to their mom and dad!


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Taleah

Taleah Stevenson 3 Years Old
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

 

Story: Taleah Stevenson is a girl FULL of spunk and personality. She has always been a healthy baby. People have always mentioned how lucky I was that she was rarely sick. Then in August 2011, she had a really high fever (104) on and off for 10 days. Her parents took her in to the pediatrician's office and they checked for almost everything- UTI, kidney infections, strep throat, etc...doctors finally ended up with some lab work and chest x-ray. The x-ray looked fine but the labs were scary. The doc threw around the word leukemia, but said that it was likely not. What were the chances right?! He took great care of us and kept us up to date and we appreciated that so much. We even had a pathologist look and he said there was no leukemia. I was so relieved. The 3 hour wait until that point was brutal. At least it wasn't cancer, and I could move on with life. She eventually got over her fever and was pretty much back to her normal self. About 3 weeks went by and she was a little whiny, naughty, and needy...but what 2 year old isn't? Her mom kept thinking it had to be the age. Taleah's grandmother mentioned her pale skin and some extra bruising, but thought it was just lack of sun and a roudy 2 year old. On August 25th, Taleah woke up gasping for air. She had been waking up more often previous to that night. Her Mom ran in and checked on her, seeing was struggling to breathe and decided to give her a warm shower to see if that helped the breathing. And it did. Although the next day she seemed pretty good momma instincts started kicking in, and had a feeling that she needed to take her in. The doctor there said Taleah had croup and were given a steroid medication to administer for 2 days. Taleah's mom mentioned her history and asked her to pull up her labs. When the doctor reviewed them, she showed her the skin color/bruising...the doctor suggested labs be drawn again (even though Taleah had done it 4 times in the past 4 weeks). Tests showed her red blood cells were extremely low and that they were going to have the pathologist look over them. The family then received a call saying that things weren't looking great and Primary Children's wanted us up there within 5 hours... I knew it was serious. Then we talked about ambulance ride or driving up... I voted for the ambulance because I thought it would be quicker...it wasn't. He then called back to inform me that it was Leukemia.. my heart stopped and I felt like I was in a different world. That night was rough. Taleah screamed every time the door opened, every time someone walked in the room, every time someone touched her and even in her sleep probably dreaming about someone poking her. It was heartbreaking and the unknown was almost more than I could handle. We waited and waited the next morning for the news...they came in and my heart dropped. I will never forget the moment when the Dr came in and erased the AML from the board and pointed to ALL. I lost it (again). Since that day, Taleah has endured several blood transfusions Chemotherapy treatments and surgery, still fighting strong and staying hopeful with her family. You can read more about Taleah's journey here


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Greysen

Greyson Hitchens 5 Years old
Diagnosis: an inoperable brain tumor

Story: In 2010, Greysen was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy and was referred to AI DuPont Children's Hospital where Dr's discovered a mass deep in the cerebellum. Over the course of this past year we have gone for frequent MRI's to monitor the growth of this tumor. When the tumor began to grow we chose to proceed with surgery to remove it. So on July 21, 2011 Greysen went into surgery. His recovery amazed us. Our first followup scan was scheduled for October 4, 2011. The news was not what we had expected. Greysen's neurosurgeon informed us that not only had the tumor regrown, but it was nearing the size of the pre-surgery scans. The tumor is (DIFFUSE)meaning it is an infiltrating tumor, invading the surround healthy brain tissue and nerves, rending it inoperable. Greysen's case was presented to the Tumor Board at AI Dupont Children's Hospital where a team of Dr's decided that moving forward with radiation may do more harm than good. Greysen's brain is still rapidly developing and exposing him to radiation may bring about neurological deficits prematurely. On November 9, 2011 we visited John's Hopkins in Baltimore, MD to see world renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson. After careful review of Greysen's scans he agreed with the findings of Dr. Piatt of AI DuPont., the tumor in Greysen's brain cannot be removed through surgery. Unfortunately, the tumor involved the deep nuclei of the cerebellum which is the center for all physical abilities and disturbing this portion of his brain is not an option. With surgery and radiation both ruled out, chemotherapy seems to be our next course of action. This would require a port to be placed in Greysen's chest. We would make a weekly trip to Wilmington where Greysen would receive a six hour chemo infusion. Currently the plan would require treatment once a week for an entire year, but could vary depending on how the tumor responds to the treatment. WHAT HE LIKES: ANYTHING Mario and Luigi! Grey loves to color so art supplies make him smile. Grey is a cuddle bug so he loves his "lovies"... stuffed animals, blankets... the boy loves soft! Follow on Facebook



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Logan

Logan Sinclair 5 Years Old Diagnosis: Anaplastic Medulloblastoma Brain Cancer



Story: Logan was your average four year old-he enjoyed running around and playing; he especially loved playing with his best friend and sister Lexi. Then things started to change. At first it was just headaches, headaches his doctor told mom, Jennifer were normal... Mom wasn’t so sure- something just didn’t seem right. Over the next five months Logan’s headaches continued and soon there were new symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Finally on July 6, 2011, an MRI discovered the cause of Logan’s headaches. That is the day the Sinclair’s life was forever changed. The MRI found a brain tumor. Two days later Logan underwent a delicate surgery to remove the tumor from his brain. Five anxious days later the Sinclair family heard the words every parent fears most- Logan has cancer- Anaplastic Medulloblastoma to be exact. On August 3, 2011, Logan began his treatment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Ehrough 31 treatments of chemotherapy and radiation, Logan's surgery to remove his tumor has left him with Posterior Fassa Syndrome, a syndrome that has left Logan unable to swallow, sit, stand or even speak. Logan’s family could not even hear their precious son's voice for over a month. This syndrome has also affected Logan’s cognitive skills. Logan, who is now 5, began another 6 month round of chemotherapy on November 3rd. Along with the chemotherapy Logan will continue the hard work of rehabilitation. What the future holds for Logan is unclear, what is clear is that little Logan is a fighter and his family has been blessed by the love and support of many friends and family members. Please pray for the entire Sinclair Family and that Logan is completely healed! ♥ He is a sweet and gentle soul and so far he has proved to be a real brave fighter too! Thank you for all of your kindness and support for the Sinclair family. To read more about Logan and Share your support for the Sinclair family, follow them on facebook


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Emma

Emma Bulich 5 Years Old
Diagnosis: T-Cell Acute Lympoblastic Leukemia




Emma was diagnosed with T Cell ALL Leukemia on Christmas Day, which occurred after Going to the ER on Christmas Eve because I wasn't feeling well.

Soon after, I was taken by AMBULANCE to Children's Hospital in Norfolk, Virgina. I had some tests done and the doctors found a mass that was across my heart and other masses on my liver and spleen.

I was in the Pediatric ICU for five days and then the cancer ward for 2 days. I was discharged on New Years Day.

I still go to a special clinic for Chemo every monday to keep me feeling better, and I still take some medicine at home too!

SIBLINGS! Emma is part of a nice blended family, she has a total of 5 BROTHERS, Sammy 9, Matthew 7, Micha 3, EJ 2, AND Kaleb 10 MONTHS. She also has 1 sister named Kalani, age 5


THINGS SHE LIKES: EMMA LIKES ANIMALS, AT THE PRESENT TIME PUPPIES ARE HER FAVORITE

She loves playing with baby dolls and sometimes uses her baby brother Kaleb as a baby too! EMMA LOVES ALL THING PRINCESS THE DISNEY PRINCESSES ARE HER FAVORITE.

You can follow Emma's story here


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