Doing great

Keira is doing great. Having a birthday party for her kitty and enjoying time with her mom-mom. This week she is responding great to her medicine and has had a great appetite. Hopefully things continue this way for a long time to come.

Just a little something to celebrate my amazing daughter.

Keira is doing well this week. She had overnight Chemo on Monday and so far she has not had any fevers. I was waiting to update everyone because I'm afraid of jinxing it. This week was tough for Brendan and I, we learned that one of the little girls that was in the hospital when Keira was first diagnosed passed away. I only met her once but the news is still heart wrenching and my heart aches for her family. She also had ALL and was just around Keira's age so it hit close to home.  It also got me thinking about my Kiki and how much this blog has been based on her cancer. Of course that is what everyone is concerned about but I know that a lot of people have been sharing the link and many of you might not know Keira so I created a photo slide show for my little hero to celebrate how amazing she is. Keira has always and continues to be very outgoing. She is   very generous and caring and even with everything she is going through the type of kid who is always concerned about how everyone around her is doing. We enjoyed looking at these photos together today, I hope you do as well.

The Lady Bug Ball

Last night we were able to attend the first annual Lady Bug Ball hosted by Kisses for Kyle a local area non profit that supports families battling childhood cancer. It was a wonderful experience. We met some amazing people and heard many inspiring stories. Most of all we had fun. This was the first time that all four of us went out anywhere together since Keira was diagnosed in December. We are so incredibly thankful that organizations like Kisses for Kyle exist and that people are generous enough to donate their money and time to making this horrific experience a little easier for families like ours.

Happy Valentine's Day indeed.

Keira went to the clinic yesterday we found out that they are not going to have her come back for Chemo until Monday. Her levels are a little low for the overnight chemo treatment but her white blood cell count is high enough for her to fight off infection. Today we went to the Valentine's Day party at her brother, Brendan's school (where she used to go). She had a blast singing songs, playing with the other kids and eating pizza. It was very nice to get out of the house and go somewhere other than the hospital. She had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Bald never looked so beautiful!

We've had two months to get used to the idea but nothing can really prepare you for this...today we shaved our daughters head. As usual Keira was absolutely wonderful, she told us getting her hair shaved tickled and Brendan "acts like such a baby when he has to get his hair cut". It would probably be tougher if she wasn't so absolutely beautiful, she really pulls this off! 

Keira is home!

Keira's ANC was high enough for her to come home today. She is playing with her brother and enjoying being home. She will need overnight Chemo as soon as her levels are high enough so one night next week she will be back at the hospital but for now it is nice to be home!

If you're happy and you know it....

Is there a Patron Saint of white blood cells?

Keira's  absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is still zero. She has had medicine for the past two days to help boost it but so far no luck. Apparently it can take days or weeks to rise so now we just wait. Keira is feeling great so we're just hanging out, reading books, watching movies and playing a lot. One of her new friends was admitted yesterday so if she is feeling up to it they will play today.

Good Morning

Keira is having a good day, her levels are still at zero so we can't go home today. This may be for the best since dad is home with some kind of nasty virus.