I know some pretty amazing women. I am truly blessed. Everyone I meet I truly care about getting to know them and hearing their story. When Lindsay and I decided to partner together on this blog, I met Kristin through Lindsay.
Kristin is beautiful. That’s it in a nutshell. She is stunningly beautiful on the outside, yes… however, on the inside… even more so. I have only talked to her in person maybe 2 times. We talked briefly the first time we met… I will never forget the life and passion in her BIG Brown eyes. She shared with me that she was a Cancer Survivor and her story. I was stunned and moved by her story. I began to follow her blog and we became friends on Facebook. She is a great writer, her passion for life shows through each post. She is into crossfit, which is totally impressive and intimidating to me.
She married her husband, Jimmy, shortly after completing her chemo treatments in a wig – but nothing was going to stop her! She was unsure if she was ever going to be able to be a mother. Amazingly, together they are parents to a very spirited, adorable little boy, Santi!
Here is a bit of Kristin’s story from a post she wrote in 2009:
Since my last note, I’ve completed chemo, started radiation, had another PET scan and gotten the results that I am 100% CANCER FREE!!!
There has been so much that’s happened in between; hair falling out, almost not getting my last chemo treatment because my veins were not cooperating, more hair falling out, fighting with Drs about starting radiation on time, and some more hair falling out, getting more xrays and scans, and yet more hair falling out-but none of that seems to be important or matter since I received the great news today!
One of the most common questions I’ve been getting is, “do you have to finish radiation?” The answer is YES! Good analogy ;)…think of it like taking antibiotics when you’re sick…you feel better after 3 days, but you still have to finish the rest of the pack. Same thing here. So, I have about 2.5 weeks left of “finishing the rest of the pack”, and then I’m completely finished with treatments!!!
Since this experience there are a few things that will never be the same. I’ll never be able to eat freeze pops, velveeta shells & cheese or smell a sharpie without thinking about going through this experience.
Freeze pops. Last summer I think Jimmy & I enjoyed them with the neighbor kids a few times. This summer I had to eat them while the nurses administered one of the four drugs of my chemotherapy. What a difference a year makes, and I’ll probably never eat one again.
Velveeta Shells & Cheese. 2 days after chemo is when I usually felt the worst (Thursdays). I learned how to make myself feel better, and shells & cheese was something I could eat to do just that. Hey, some people need to take percocets, have blood transfusions and get IVs…I needed shells & cheese-don’t judge 🙂 Either way, I could go the rest of my loooooong life without them & be happy!
Sharpie. Since July 10th I’ve had to draw & redraw the radiation markings on my neck and chest everyday with a sharpie & will continue to do so until I am done with radiation. It’s so I don’t have to get this tape put all over me that could cause blisters on my skin. In the end it’s definitely worth it, but the smell just stays with me…yuck!
Those tastes and smells will forever remind me of this experience, along with the many scars I have accumulated along the way from the biopsy, 2…soon to be 3 or 4 from the port and 2 from the picc line and, amazingly I am ok with them.
Although they are reminders of this experience; they are also reminders of what amazing friends and family I have, that have gotten me through this experience. They also remind me that I will now have a looooong healthy life because of them. We all know I’m a little vain, but I don’t even try to cover them up!!
If that’s not a testament to how important they are to me, then I don’t know what is 🙂
Now it’s on to the wedding for a true celebration. All this time it’s been my light at the end of the tunnel…what I was fighting to get to and it’s almost here! The fact that I’m, without a doubt, going to be healthy for it…just makes it that much better! All this time we’ve been saying that I’ll be healthy for it, but to actually know that I am is just incomprehensible!
Thank you all for your love and support throughout this process. You have kept my spirits up through this whole ordeal and I will be eternally grateful!
xoxo
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Kristin is currently checking things off her bucket list rapidly in true Kristin fashion.
She is up for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign. This is a spirited fundraising competition in communities across the U.S. in which participants build fundraising teams to compete for the title of Man or Woman of the Year.
All the money raised is for LLS blood cancer research in honor of local children who are blood cancer survivors, the Boy & Girl of the Year. Titles are awarded to the man and woman in each community who raises the most funds during the ten-week campaign; the top local fundraisers in the country also win the national titles. You can support their efforts by donating to or joining their campaigns, because everyone wins when cancer loses!
Please help Kristin meet her goal of raising $50,000.00 by clicking here and donating. Anything helps!!
Kristin you are my HERO!!! I am donating today!
