Everly's Warrior Battle Against Leukemia

05/11/2026

We made it home safe and sound really late last night.

Everything with Everly's labs was great and she has now graduated to the ACT clinic! This clinic follows her after treatment for up to ten years or until her 18th birthday, whichever is the latest. They coordinate with her primary care doctor and any specialists she may have due to side effects from treatment.

We were done early with appointments for once and actually got to sit and enjoy some Wheel of Fortune in the family commons, Everly got her hair curled and Gwen got hers cut. When we got to Tri Delta they heard Gwen talking about her birthday and they have a new program where if it's a patient or siblings birthday while you are visiting you fill out a card and they will get presents for them 😊 They made sure Veronica got one too and let Everly pick something out of their prize basket ❤️

We tried to got to the zoo Friday but didn't get there in time, so we got up bright and early and made it to the zoo before they opened and continued the tradition of Everly getting a new giraffe every time we take a trip to Memphis 🦒 It was a great start to a long day and made for some tired kids on the way home.

St. Jude is the best place you never want to be, but I'm glad we have them on our team ❤️ 🎗

05/08/2026

Yearly appointments in progress. Can you tell she's not enthusiastic about it? 😂

10/08/2025

I know I stink at updating on here and I'll do a life update soon, but for now the thing I have waited 5 years to say!!!!

EVERLY IS CURED!!!!! 🎗🧡🎗🧡🎗

The day she hit remission and today!!

It is so crazy to see the difference from the last 5 years, but it makes me so dang happy too!!

If I am randomly emotional today I apologize. She looked at me like I was crazy when I was bawling and hugging her this morning 😅
_____________________________________

*I am not adding this to be negative, but to give perspective to those that don't live this life*

This does not mean that Everly will never get cancer again. This means that she has hit the 5 year milestone of being in remission, which a lot of children that fight cancer do not reach. By the standard of the current research she is cured. To those of us that live this life, we celebrate this milestone, but we will always say she is in long-term remission.

04/23/2025

We made it and Everly already has her stuffies on her bed. They were having dinner at Tri Delta tonight, so we didn't have to order dinner or go over to the hospital to get food.

04/22/2025

Mom and Everly are off to Memphis for her 2 year off treatment appointments!!

02/15/2025

What is ICCD?
International Childhood Cancer Day is a collaborative campaign to raise awareness and promote an increased appreciation and deeper understanding of the challenges faced by children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families. ICCD spotlights the need for more equitable access to treatment and care for all children with cancer, everywhere.

43 families today.
43 families that just yesterday probably never heard of childhood cancer.
43 families whose lives were changed forever with 4 little words “Your child has cancer”.
And...
43 families will hear it tomorrow, and..
43 more the next day,
and the next....

Pediatric cancer is NOT rare. ANYONE can become one of these 43.

With more AWARENESS, comes more VOICES, and more HELP toward funding to find a CURE! But most of all it gives a child and their family...HOPE!

Be a voice for the children.
Share the AWARENESS.
Not because it is your child,
or my child,
but.....because it is a child.



(Wording used from Jackson Strong Foundation.)

02/04/2025

Today is World Cancer Day.

It's not a celebration.
It's not a National holiday.
It's not even know by most people on the planet.

But we know.
The moms and dads that leave their children with a sitter to watch their other child struggle through treatments.
The siblings that know their brother/sister is sick, but still feel they pain of jealousy because they get all the attention.
The grandparents, aunts and uncles who want to do everything they can to help, but will still never fully understand what it's like to walk in our shoes.

You may not know, but we do.

Until there is a day where there is a cure for all cancers we will never stop trying to find a cure!

We're fighting for a cure in every color ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍🎗

02/02/2025

Have a little photo dump of our Warrior Princess ❤️

She has gotten to meet her new baby cousin Faye, earned pizza with her principal at school, had a great Halloween, voted with mommy, got more fun cards from Cards for Hospitalized Kids, lost her first and second tooth, celebrated Thanksgiving with Girl Scouts and family, went to Disney on Ice with her Girl Scout troop and had her Christmas concert, celebrated Christmas with family and was invited to mommy's school, Illinois State University Athletics Men's basketball Pediatric Cancer night! She had a busy end of 2024 and beginning of 2025.

Her counts have remained amazing and right where they should be the whole time! We have one more appointment this month before our trip to Memphis in April for her yearly appointment.

She did see neurology in December and she has been released from any further appointments with them. This is good news, but it did come with a little bad news. She has lower leg weakness and her reflexes are almost nonexistent from her knees down especially on her right side. Unfortunately, there is nothing that they can do to reverse this. The doctor said that we can talk with our team in the clinic and her P*P and see if they want to try PT, but it is possible it won't help much. This is her first long-term side effect from chemo. It will be something she lives with for the rest of her life. She tries her hardest to keep up with the other kids, but it is possible she may never be able to. The Vincristine wrecked her nervous system. We will focus on the fact that she is still here, she is able to walk and run and play with her sisters and friends and that on October 10th, 2025 she will be considered cancer free!!!

10/11/2024

4 years ago yesterday we got the call that Everly was in remission! Now we are 364 days away from her being CURED 🎗💛

The doctor called today and Everly's bone marrow aspiration came back NEGATIVE!!
OUR WARRIOR PRINCESS IS IN REMISSION!!!

10/03/2024

Our Warrior Princess is the big 7 today!!

She shines her light so bright and loves to make everyone around her smile 🌟🖤

Help us wish her a Happy Birthday!!

09/27/2024

The top beam going on the new clinical center at St. Jude was set out for patients, families and staff to sign.

Since we could not be there to sign it ourselves a sweet mama that is currently there put Everly's name on the beam, so she will forever be a part of St. Jude ❤️💛🎗