King 5

I know most of you have already seen this... however, there are a few people out there who have not... 

Franziska Widmer... Kathy... you must see this wonderful piece done by King 5 News in Seattle.  They did just a wonderful job...

Seattle King 5 News by Jake Whittenberg

Thank You!

Wow.

When we moved to Anacortes 12 years ago we didn’t know if “this was the one.”  The town we would settle in.  The town we would buy our first home in.  The town we would raise our children in.  But after only 12 months it was obvious.  This WAS home.  Peter and I bought an old home in Old Town and we opened our business, KP Studios. 

This town has been taking care of us ever since. 

When Madelyn was diagnosed Leukemia when she was 4 ½ years old, each one of us received an outpouring of support.  Meals delivered for a month by friends and people we didn’t know, church prayer groups focusing their energies and blessings on my girl, stuffed animals and blankets from our local Bunnies by the Bay, furniture and supply donations for our Seattle apartment, pictures to remind us of home, activities and toys for the girls, visits and daily calls from friends and family, a hat party when Madelyn lost her hair, new clothes when Madelyn’s no longer fit due to the medications, books for Peter and I to read, gift cards for restaurants close to our apartment... Not to mention the calls, the emails, the letters, the cards, the visits with people we loved and individuals that we didn’t know.  People were thinking of us, worrying about us, loving us.

But unlike most cancer families going through the same thing, that love and support has continued for 2+ years.  Unwavering.  Even as recently as just a few months ago Madelyn’s counts crashed and we had to drive to Seattle Children’s ER for a fever.  When we returned home, exhausted, 11 family members were there in the drive way waiting for us with smiles and cheers.  Then the Harrington’s delivered us a warm, home cooked dinner.

And now… at the very end… when families generally celebrate soberly and quietly together… our amazing town says “No Way!  Let’s do this thing right.”  That parade, my friends, was truly the most astounding moment of my entire life.  It is the people of Anacortes that make our town so unique.  Anacortes knows how to create a special kinda beautiful person and cultivates love and thoughtfulness.  This village is a family.  

The whole week was a special one.  From all the wonderful messages after she was officially declared cancer free, to the incredible amount of cards and gifts on Friday (her VERY last chemo pill day) and then the parade on Monday!  And all I can say is Thank You from the very bottom of my heart.  Thank you for making Madelyn’s battle AND victory something  remarkable.  Cancer touches every single person in some way.  That parade was a celebration of lives lost, lives won and the caregivers who spend every waking moment waiting and hoping.

Boy, Anacortes, do we know how to celebrate life!!!!

There are so many things I have to tell you about this week and the parade... I will be writing a full account soon.  For today I just to desperately say THANK YOU and I love you.  All of you made her last chemo day and her end-of-treatment something both she and Sophia will NEVER forget.

Here are some footage/article links that I know about.  

Skagit Valley Herald

Anacortes American

Anacortes Now

I am so glad King 5 did a piece on this.  I couldn't be more happy that all of Washington State is going to find out how remarkable the people in our town are.  It will air on King 5 tonight sometime between 5:30-5:45pm.

Here are a few of Peter's pictures...

What Madelyn found on her front door step Friday after school (Feb 1st) - last chemo day!!

Let's do this thing in style!

Last chemo pill down the hatch!

Then dinner in the hide-a-bed while watching a movie!

A little "Good Bye Cancer" chocolate cake!

Can you believe this?  This, again, is what she found Feb 1st.  After this, Peter and I kept saying "all this AND a parade!?? Oh my goodness."  

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for making them feel so special.

We decided they needed to sleep with all those balloons that night.

Saturday morning, Feb 2nd, we just couldn't keep all that gorgeous color at home.

Parade Day!!  Feb 4th.

Our original plan was for Madelyn's best buds and family to be at school on Monday.  When she came out we would all cheer and congratulate her.  Then she would get in the police car and drive to our house for a surprise after school party with everyone.  Chief Bonnie Bowers called and said.... "well, the police officers talked and we'd like to have a little parade down Commercial."  We were both thinking a few police cars and a couple fire trucks.  Well!  It was a tad more than that!  :)

Here are friends and family waiting for Madelyn to come out of school.

Here she is with her first grade teacher Ms Morrison seeing everyone for the first time.

Here we are at the Safeway parking lot, the staging area for the parade.  That is Chief Bonnie Bowers holding Sophia and that is our radical chariot in the foreground.  1963 Ford Falcon convertible owned by Colleen Smiley.

Flower crown from Jean at Donatellos.

Check out these cool signs my good friend Shelly and graphic designer extraordinaire (aka Auntie Shelly) made for the parade.

YAY!!!!  Seattle Children's!!!!!!  Thanks Nicole and Shelly for making this happen!

Madelyn meeting the mayor Dean Maxwell.

Here Madelyn is seeing Miss Monique, Miss Virgina, Stacey and Nurse Emily from Mt Erie Elementary.  She LOVED seeing everyone she new in the streets.

Mama having a hard time not crying...

Parade ended in front of our house!

LOVE this!  Some of the police officers had their kids with them.  

Here is Officer Leaf Jacobson with kiddos.

The two ladies of the hour... Madelyn and...

Chief Bowers ending the parade with a smile and a wave.

Yes, we had to sleep with all the balloons again.  Definitely.

All my love to each an everyone of you...

Lisa

LAST DAY

Here we go...  

Last day of chemo!!!  

One dose of steroids and one chemo pill and this girl is DONE.

Here is a detailed account of her LAST port accessing, LAST spinal tap, LAST biopsy and LAST infusion which happened on Monday Jan 28th!!!

Showing off her Emla cream - it numbs the skin so she doesn't feel the needle going into her port-a-cath.

First stop after checking in is always the coloring options and crayons.

After accessing she likes to take care of things.  Seattle Children's and their nursing staff are so patient, helpful and understanding.  She does the injecting of the blood in the test tubes, pushing her own heprin and saline and shaking the blood.

Into the bag they go!

Then there is the usual height and weight...

Sophia is crowding next to the MA so she doesn't forget her stickers!

Mommy!  Stop it!

Little reading while we wait.

After meeting with our Oncologist, she was called over to the "Sleepy Room."  We got lady bug pillow pet and flower blankie for snuggles.

Getting her "tubey" out for Nurse Emily.

Nurse Emily is always fun.  Always smiling.

While Madelyn and I went through the procedure of getting MJ prepped and asleep, sis sat in the next room playing a little Angry Birds.  She is an incredibly patient four year old.

Last Methotrexate in the central nervous system!!  Whoo Hoo!!

She falls asleep quite quickly.

Waiting for our girl.

All done.

Still asleep.

Starting to wake up...  She is always very discombobulated and groggy.

NOT fun.

We headed back to the infusion area next for her Vincristine and a bolis of fluids.  Here she is flushing her port...

LAST Vincristine!! ... and having some snacks after being NPO all morning.

(This is the one that causes the neuropathy in her feet and ankles).

Watching a little movie as we wait!

Now... for the hardest part of the day!

Taking the dreaded tagaderm off (the clear film over her needle)!

Again, she wants to do it.  No help, thank you.

Using a little Detachall to help remove it.

It takes awhile and nurse Kristin is so patient.

Ouch!

Tagaderm is off!

... and... out it comes!  Last time!

YES!

 

See ya people.   We're outa here!

Her biopsy site hurt and has continued to this week.  After the appointment we let the girls snuggle up in our hotel room for a little princess movie action.

THEN at dinner that night we got the exciting news that she was free and clear of cancer!  The results came earlier than we were expecting.  When I received the call we were at a restaurant in Wallingford, Bizzaro (which besides having great food is fabulous for a game of "I Spy").  Peter and I immediately broke down crying and the four of us had a big, long family hug followed by high fives and kisses.

We had a fabulous dinner which was donated to us by Bizzaro!  We, of course, made quite a ruckis when the call came and had to explain why.  They were simply wonderful to us!

After that we headed over to Trophy Cupcakes and each picked out a special treat.  Madelyn wasn't feeling too good by then (pain meds were wearing off) so we took them back to the hotel.  I made them wait to take a bite until I took a picture and, well, Sophia was NOT very happy about that!

After we were settled in Madelyn called everyone by herself.  Grandma Terry, Grandpa Jim, Auntie Jill, Auntie Jen, Auntie Kim, Ashley and her best bud Alaina and Peter called his parents in Hawaii because he just couldn't wait!  

It was a very, very happy moment in time for our little family.