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Our Story...Part 3
Kelsey:

I am here! The road back to normalcy was long, but I am here! It took about two years to have dad’s bone marrow engraft and get rid of any graft vs. host issues. I still had to be very careful around germs and be treated with immunosuppresents for a time while the doctors watched for rejection problems. Those could have been as life threatening as the leukemia was, but my transplant worked, and I now have passed my 5-year milestone. I am normal and I am as healthy as all my friends are. I did learn a few things through my journey. I learned that life holds no promises and we should live each day as if it were our last. I know that we all have the potential to change somebody’s life with just a smile or a pat on the back.

I know that love, humor, laughter and friendship should be at the top of our most important list because that’s what makes life worth living.

We need to trust and have faith and always work hard for what seems almost impossible. I believe in miracles now. I know that there are many people that care about me and others just like me. I also know that I care deeply about The Children’s Hospital and its kids. They have done a great deal for me. They have given me a second chance. They have been friends and teachers and will always be a part of my family.

Pat:

She is here! She is a healthy vibrant loving teenager. She breezed through transplant and her graft vs. host issues. She is here! I hear her voice daily, talking about her hatred of homework, the funniest thing a teacher said through the day, her opinion on a school or a family issue. I love that voice, and I thank God every day that I can still hear it. As I heal, I have come to realize what an impact the children and their hospital has had on me. I truly live a crystal clear life now. My journey and these children haven’t broken my heart but enabled it to open, unclenching it to be able to truly love without boundaries. That is my fortune… I have had the fortune of spending time with some desperately sick children but I now know just how alive they are. They are experts at life and know how to live in the moment.

These children are fearless. They have immense open hearts and their spirits can soar in the face of enormous pain.

These children suffer from unimaginable fear and pain but it never robs them of their joy for life. I have also had the great privilege to watch some of these survivors go back to the job of every day life. Their life force burns with intensity. They excel at school, add to their communities and are an inspiration to everyone they touch. They teach their families and cohorts to do the same. As for The Children’s Hospital… that is where my heart lies. The walls there hold legends of these kids and their medical professionals. I can walk the halls and see miracles around every corner and behind every closed door. Through this journey it was our home and the staff became our family. I too was involved in emergency medicine and pediatrics before Kelsey’s diagnosis. I know what good medicine is. These professionals are on the cutting edge of medical technology, yet they have the ability, compassion, and knowledge to care for the kids and their families with their heads, hearts, and hands. That is good medicine and their care goes beyond that. Imagine this team of dedicated caring professionals standing by the bedside of a child faced with a life threatening illness. Imagine their journey together. Imagine how these kids inspire their doctors, and better yet, imagine what these survivors will do with their lives after being a part of that medical team. The seeds of hope, compassion, imagination, dedication, and care have been planted deeply in their hearts… Imagine the miracles… I am truly wealthy to be a part of this cycle. I know where I want to be. I am here too, amidst these miracles.

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

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