ONE YEAR out of treatment

365 days ago, Katie took her last chemotherapy pills...that night, she had to choke down 10 methotrexate pills and then she was done the long road that had begun on August 29, 2008.

Life is very different now. She started kindergarten in September along with gymnastics, soccer & girl scouts. The people that she meets now have no idea what she has been through. But, it always comes up eventually and then she is looked at a little bit differently than all the other kids. Not in a bad way, more of an admiringly way. Most people can’t believe how “normal” she is now. You would never know what she went through at such an early age. In fact, Kaitlyn doesn’t even remember most of it, which I am very thankful for. But, I consider it my job to tell her story back to her in a way that describes her as brave and amazingly strong. She will know that she fought and won a huge battle at the beginning of her life and that she can do ANYTHING that she puts her mind to in this life.

Although Kaitlyn does not remember much of what she went through, she has started to ask questions. Because we are so involved with the Relay for Life and Sherry's House, there is a lot of talk about cancer either in our house or just in conversations we have with other people. Katie has started to ask questions like, "What is cancer" and "Do I have cancer?" I explain that she does not have cancer, but she did have a form of cancer and that is why we still have to go to clinic and have her blood test done. As she gets older, I want to keep the lines of communication open about her experience and allow her to ask the questions that she is ready to ask.  I have never, nor will I ever lie to her about any of this. Even when she was 2 years old, we were always honest with her about what she could expect, even if it wasn't the most pleasant thing for her to hear. At least she always knew what to expect and mommy & daddy never sugar coated anything, so she was never surprised (in a bad way) by what was coming. I will maintain the same level of honesty as she begins to question what she went through during her fight for her life. What I struggle with is how to explain it all in a way that a 5 year old will understand - hell, I don't even fully understand it all and I'm an adult!!! But, I am blessed that my struggle now is just to explain what happened. We feel so fortunate to have made it through such a horrible thing and be returning to life as planned.

Our new "normal is very different than before her diagnosis. We now we have a new perspective on life. Now, we fully realize that life can change on a dime and you should never, EVER take one minute for granted. Katie is such an inspiration to me because she truly lives that way. I think her zest for life is amazing and I am in awe of her. You ask her to do ANYTHING and her answer is always an enthusiastic, "YES!" She loves to try new things and meet new people. I just love watching how she engages with others and learns new things. I find it truly amazing. I have learned a thing or two from her about stepping out of your comfort zone :-)

Before I had children, I knew I would love them, but I never knew how "in-love" with them I would be. I never could have imagined this type of love before having Kaitlyn. When I say that I am in awe of her, I feel like that doesn't even scratch the surface for how I feel about her and the battle that she has won. I imagine someday she will get sick of her crazy mom crying over every little milestone and being the loon in her corner snapping pictures of every "first", but I hope she can understand why. I am so proud to be the mother of such an inspiring little girl.

So, here's to ONE YEAR off treatment!!!