Hi,
    I went to dance last week! It was amazing that I could stand on my head.  After dance, I was real proud of myself.  When I got home and went to put my bag in my room...it was redone!  I dropped my bag, my mouth and eyes were wide opened.  It was so special!  What made it so special was that my Aunt Dee, Uncle Rob, and Grandma C. did it all!!!  I would like to thank them!

    Over that weekend, I had my birthday party.  I had my first sleepover with most of my friends.  We all had so much fun!  We even decorated bandanas to wear.  That was very special!  I want to thank everyone for coming to my party.  Sunday evening, I celebrated with my family, but it didn't last forever.  My r

     I had some sad news last week too and I want to share it with you.  My Aunt Jonelle passed away after battling cancer more than I've been through.  But I still know she will be with me all the way through.  She's now my guardian angel.  I'm going to miss her!
    

     I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of my family, especially my Aunt Ida, Uncle Rick, cousin Adriane, and cousin Andy who came from Florida to see me.  I'm really thankful for allthe messages that you've sent me.  They make me smile from ear to ear and know that you're with me.  I'm thankful also that I have a great family. :)  I'm very thankful that I'm getting better and know that it's working with your help, your prayers,   

eal birthday was on Monday.  I got Lanie, the American Girl of the Year Doll and matching pjs!  It was very special!
    

and your love.  I've kept up my faith.  Wishing you a great week!

               Love, Kayleigh

Kayleigh's Doing Well

She's done really well since her last treatment, no side effects really at all this time. :)  She was able to dance last Thursday.  She had a wonderful birthday which included a very special surprise.  We all had a nice Thanksgiving too and enjoyed spending time with family, especially our special guests from Florida.  I'm not going to give away any details as Kayleigh will share those with you all soon.  Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  Her next treatment will be this coming Tuesday, the 30th, lumbar puncture day. 

Difficult Treatment Day

Today was Kayleigh's third treatment for phase 3.  We entered the appointment with hope that Kayleigh's blood and liver counts would all be good so that her treatment wouldn't have to be delayed.  We really try to remain positive as much as we can and feel that keeping positive along with prayer (ours and yours), is what helps Kayleigh stay strong, have peace, and do well. 

Her blood and liver counts were all good today, so she had no delay!  The doctor was able to increase one of the two chemos, her Methotrexate, just as her road map calls for.  The plan is to increase this chemo every 10 days.  So far, they've increased it twice.  We hope this increase doesn't intensify the side effects she has, at least not this time, as Kayleigh's birthday is just 5 days away.  I will say, she did have a bit of a difficult day.  First off, she didn't have her favorite nurse taking care of her today.  The nurse she did have accidentally misplaced the needle in her port and had to de-access then re-access her with the help of another nurse.  Then, things took longer than expected creating more anxiety for her.  To top it off, she normally gets her methotrexate from a nurse pushing a syringe, but today was the first day it was placed in a pump, yet causing more anxiety.  We saw more tears shed today than we have in a while. :(

Kayleigh's Message

Hi,
     It's so nice to hear that you all enjoy our idea of putting up our Christmas Tree early! We can enjoy it longer too:) Except mommy might get tired of it being up so long. So it may be true. But I'm glad I got to help.The tree does bring me hope and peace:)
    Thank you for helping me smile each day!
Love,
Kayleigh

Up Goes the Christmas Tree

Good morning!  I wanted to let everyone know that Kayleigh was feeling more like herself this weekend. :)  Since she was feeling so well and to lift her spirits, we decided to put up our main Christmas tree.  I know a little early, but we wanted her to be able to enjoy every minute of doing it.  I'm so glad we did this, because it put a HUGE smile on her face.  I could tell it meant a lot to her.

Kayleigh's next treatment is scheduled for today and is count dependent.  This means that her blood counts have to be just right in order for her to receive the chemotherapy.  I will post an update later today or tomorrow and let you know how she did.  As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Jaw and Joint Pain :(

Well, we were really hoping that Kayleigh wouldn't have any side effects from her first treatment of this new phase.  Unfortunately, we couldn't keep her from getting them. :(  About mid-day on Sunday, she began to complain about jaw pain.  All day it came and went, off and on all day long.  Then Monday she woke up with other joint pain, ankles, hips, thighs, and arms.  Her jaw no longer hurt, but her teeth felt as though they were falling out.  Her pain has continued off and on through today.  She's also having sensations in her head as if she's losing clumps of hair :( although it's not currently falling out.  I'm assuming it will begin to thin more as the next couple of weeks go by.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers and pray that she is able to continue to have strength, hope, and peace.