Dance Marathon 19: Another Year, Another Miracle.

$1,529,650.19!!!!
FOR THE KIDS!!!!


Dance Marathon is a truly inspiring, amazing, incredible and simply remarkable organization. Each year it grows bigger and gets better. This past year I have had the wonderful privilege of working at the U of I Children's Hospital as a Child Life Assistant so I have gotten to meet several of the newly diagnosed patients and families as they start their journey to battle childhood cancer and join the Dance Marathon family. It is not a journey any family and child should ever have to join but I am grateful they have DM and that I am able to be there to help support all of them and form relationships with them and be there through it all. Being reunited with my closest friends that I have met over the past six years through DM and seeing some of the bravest, strongest and most inspiring kids (and their families!) made my heart so, so happy. The atmosphere of DM gave me chills and a smile I couldn't wipe off my face. Hearing the list of names of those children who have earned their angel wings brought tears to my eyes and a sadness in my heart that I can't explain. And it made me remember why we were there and do what we do and why each year this beautiful organization gets bigger and bigger. We have to keep fighting the good fight. Day in and day out. For those kids who are still fighting. For those kids who will have to start fighting tomorrow. And for those kids who won their fight and are dancing for life in our hearts.
Make a difference and make a miracle.
Remember, it is all FOR THE KIDS.

a surprise visit...

Today while at work at the hospital, I got a very sweet surprise visit from a former patient who was back for her 3-month check ups and scans. I hadn't seen Izzy since she left after her last chemo treatment well over 3 months ago and I was not expecting to see her sweet and sassy self! When she was first diagnosed, Izzy didn't take it very well at all and was terrified of anyone and everyone who walked into her room, and rightly so for only being four years old! She refused to come to activity and didn't want any of us to hang out with her in her room to play a game or do a craft. She wanted her normal four year old life back and to spend time at home with her parents and newborn baby brother. And all I wanted was to make a difference in her stay at the hospital and her course of treatment. So every single day, I went to her room and knocked on the door, knowing she would get upset and tell me no and send me on my way just like she did to everyone else. Until one day, that all changed. Izzy finally said, "well I like princess books and puzzles." So I brought some in and together we read some books and worked on some puzzles. It only lasted maybe a half an hour until she got upset when her pole started beeping and she was snapped back to the reality of still being in her hospital room and undergoing cancer treatment. But that one day of books and puzzles was all it took. I returned the next day, and she greeted me with a smile and invited me into her room to play Barbies and princess with her. I guess you could say the rest is history...

We hit it off and she was always quick to give me a hug or snuggle onto my lap. My heart was overwhelmed and I think it was the first time her mom finally breathed a sigh of relief. Izzy then always referred to me as "her best friend" and rarely let any of the other child life assistants do the 1:1 activities with her like she let me. There will always be those adults, kids and patients that I will form different relationships with and a bond with in different ways but I'm so thankful for the bond I formed with Izzy. She trusted only me to chase her around the hospital while she rode the tricycle as we went from floor to floor. And the day she left the hospital after her last chemo treatment, she gave me a sign she had made and decorated that said, "i luv child life and katie. xxxoooooxxoxoxo" and she drew stick people giving hugs to each other. Straight from the mouth and mind of babes...so precious. And I was so beyond happy to see her today as she walked into the playroom healthy with a head full of hair this time, a smile on her face that no one or anything could wipe off, and a big hug waiting for me full of love. Nothing makes my heart happier than a surprise visit from a special kiddo who no longer fears the hospital and I know I made a difference in her life. I'm thankful for my job and the miracles I get to witness day in and day out!

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and today is the last day of the month. What have YOU done to make a difference in the life of child with cancer or for a family with a child battling this nasty monster? Remember, my brave little friend Coleman who has earned his angel wings once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." Once the clock strikes midnight at the end of the month, September will be over. But the fight to cure childhood cancer won't be. And we need to start facing the facts and amp up the funding so that sufficient research can be getting done. For instance on average, 36 kids are diagnosed with cancer EVERY DAY in the United States. That means, that 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer and the average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients. Not only this but cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children over the age of 1 even with cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, AIDS, asthma and juvenile diabetes combined. Childhood cancer cannot be prevented. It spares no ethic group, socioeconomic class or geographic region. It can happen anywhere, anytime and to any child. Scary thought?? Yes. Wish you could do something about it, yes? Then by all means, DO SOMETHING!!! Donate your time by volunteering at a children's hospital, Ronald McDonald House, or a sibling/parent support group. Donate money in any amount to a research based or hospital based credible source (always, always know where your money is going--it's sad how many people try to make a buck out of people trying to do something good.) Make hats or blankets for the children in the hospital. Donate gift cards to general places such as Target, Walmart or Visa cards, gas cards and fast food cards for families in the hospitals to use. Spread the word. Advocate for these kids and their families! 

Many people look at me with a sad look when I tell them what I'm going to school for and the professional field I have picked to work in. They think, "isn't that so sad? how can you stand that? what a depressing job..." Yes there are sad days and yes, there are days that I can't stand because it is so unfair seeing cancer strike such innocent kids. But otherwise, I don't think of it as a depressing, downer of a job. Every day I get to the hospital, I find hope. The halls are filled with laughter and I'm always greeted with hugs and smiles. The kids I meet have the cards stacked against them every day and they still wake up more optimistic than even the most well off people I know. My heart hurts for them all more than they would ever know but because of their spirits, they make my job worth every minute. I cherish all of my time that I get to spend with them. Every day I am inspired by the kids and families I meet to do more with my life, try harder, be a better person, don't give up on myself, not to stress over the little things, and to let go of my worries. The toughest lesson I've learned though from too many of these kids is to love wholeheartedly every minute of the day because we never know when our last minute will be. The fight doesn't end because the month of September is ending. And thanks to mine and Jordan's amazing family and friends, we were able to make a $350 donation to Dance Marathon, the student organization at Iowa that raises money to support kids treated for cancer at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital! We raised this money during our Dollar Dance at our wedding reception and honestly, that is one of our favorite decisions we made about our wedding! We are grateful for the money we received and are honored to be donating it For The Kids. This organization is very near and dear to our hearts as this is where we met each other, both of our closest friends and it led us to our career paths. 

This is why we fight for the cure and why we keep dancing. For sweet kiddos and precious babies like Jasmine. For the kiddos who have earned their angel wings. For the kiddos who have fought the good fight and won. And for the kiddos who put their gloves on day after day and fight back. Make a difference for them. Be the miracle. For The Kids, always and forever.

http://dancemarathon.uiowa.edu/
Donate and get involved!
Creating Tomorrow By Dancing Today!

About that baby bandwagon....

Lazy Sunday loungefest with T & K

So. I know I've said it several times how bad I want a baby and kids sooner than later. After having my niece and nephew stay with us the past three days, I still stand by that thought, mostly, and I'm not sure about Jordan. Shortly after the kids left, we both just passed out on the couch and recliner. For about a solid 3ish hours. We had the kids for 3 DAYS and were 100% exhausted and worn out! Not that I would trade it for anything because we had an absolute blast, but still!!!! It all started out Friday night with the electricity going out. Scott got here with Kat and the kids so we got a movie going for them and just sat down to eat dinner and every light went out. And then I quickly realized I don't have a single real candle anymore because all I have and use are Scentsy plug-ins!!! Damn it!!!!! We found about 8 tea light candle and used those hoping they would hold us over.....thankfully as Scott and Kat were walking out the door, an hour later, the power kicked back on and we had lights!! Ahh crisis averted!

Saturday morning rolled around and Teagan came into our bedroom wanting milk and to watch cartoons. Naturally, because the sun was up, she determined it was time for all of us to wake up. Until I realized it was 5:45AM so I convinced her that it was so early cartoons weren't even up yet, hung a blanket up in the extra bedroom window to darken the room and convinced her to sleep until 8:00. Now that's what I'm talking about! Once the kids woke up, we lounged all morning and watched cartoons then we got cleaned up to make a trip to the mall to see the movie Brave and to play at the playground. The movie was pretty good but kind of disappointing for a Disney/Pixar movie. It didn't have the classic "adult humor" in it like the Shrek movies and it actually had some pretty intense and scary parts that freaked out Teagan...Kemper was too busy chowing down on his popcorn to be scared! After the movie, we played at the mall playground then stopped at Target quick before coming home to pick up some new bath toys because my plastic cups just weren't cool enough or fun enough they said! On the way home each of the kids passed out for an afternoon nap and slept for about an hour once we got them inside.....looks like we do know how to watch, entertain and take care of two kids for a full day! We got them to eat an entire dinner and take a bath and they were asleep again by 9:30! Oh yeah, go us!!!

Sunday was our typical Lazy Sunday only with the kids this time....we had cinnamon rolls and watched How To Train Your Dragon and UP. Teagan and I played dress-up with all of my jewelry and some dresses and tank tops I let her play with. She is such a little diva! We did that while Kemper climbed up on and jumped off of everything in the living room with Jordan just laughing and encouraging it all.....boys will be boys I guess! It was the perfect lazy sunday just hanging out until Scott came back to pick them up! All in all, it was a fun and amazing weekend with the kiddos and I'm so lucky they live so close to us! Can't wait til our next fun weekend and sleepover in the future!

On the highway and across the state, to Aunt Kate's we go!

Tomorrow my niece and nephew, Teagan and Kemper, are coming to stay with me and Jordan for the whole weekend!!! Yipeeee!!!! We're all stocked up on fruit snacks, M&M's, chicken strips, milk, nesquik, chocolate chip waffles and doritos and lots of Disney movies so I think we're ready!!! My brother and his wife are getting ready to put their house on the market so we get the kids for the weekend so they can finish up some house projects and get it market ready--win win for all of us! Can't wait to spoil my two favorite kiddos all weekend long!! Hurry up 6pm Friday and get here!