Keep Kira Smiling: October 2015

On October 14th Kira received her last chemo treatment and was released from the Alberta Childrens Hospital on October 17th!!! The hospital stay was filled with lots of visits from various hospital staff who helped with Kira's treatments, to congratulate Kira and say good bye! A lot of mixed emotions that week!!! Since Kira's diagnosis in February, the focus has really been day to day, unable to look too far ahead and not much time to look back! Now that the treatments are done, having read back through these blog posts from the beginning, it is shocking to see what Kira, and we have been through since February!! From the Diagnosis, treatment options and side effects, chances of cure, chemo therapy, surgeries and amputation, fevers, blood transfusions, heart concerns, needles, hospital stays, medication training, trips to and from Calgary and the list goes on...it's kind of hard to believe that she/we faced it all..and now it's behind us!!

Some final stats...

Trips to Calgary = 60

Chemo Therapy Treatments = 20

Total hours of chemo = 80

Blood Transfusions = 7

Nights in Hospital = 97

Longest Stay in Hospital = 11 nights

X-Rays, Tests, Scans = 34

Needles = 109

Surgeries = 6 (1 more day surgery to come)

Physio visits = 37 (a lot more of those to come)

Total number of "Beads Of Courage" beads = 464

We have more stats and beads of courage explanations that we will share in another update.

One of the things that kept us all going were the various FUN outings that were (tentatively) planned for Kira...

Movies attended = Home, Pitch Perfect 2, Cinderella, Minion Movie.

Broadway Shows = Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

Concerts = One Direction

Sporting events = Red Deer Rebels (dropped the puck), Calgary Stampeders (met some of the team),

Stettler Rodeo (Ladies of the Heartland musical ride - Tribute to Kira)

Various - play dates with friends, attending school, evening camp fires, head shavings, shopping.

These were tentatively planned because many (unknown) things had to line up at the last minute for these to happen. Hospital releases, blood counts, energy levels, health that day (fevers). Kira was unable to attend some outings due to the reasons listed above, however they still gave her short term positive things to look forward to when the end of the journey seemed so far away!

Last week Kira had to go to Calgary for a scheduled x-ray on her leg and a review with the surgeon. The X-ray showed her leg has healed really well and the Surgeon gave the OK for Kira to put her full weight on her leg! One surprise was found on the X-ray, shortly after Kira got her temporary leg, she fell and banged her ankle/knee. It scared her and was sore for a couple days but she never complained of too much pain. The X-ray indicated that the heel had actually been broken! Tough kid! After being released following her last Chemo, Kira visited Jon, her leg guy, to get her new permanent prostetic leg. Being allowed to put full weight on her leg is great news as it allows for modifications to be made to her prostetic leg. It will allow it to fit better and be more comfortable which will allow her to start wearing it more each day, with the goal being wearing it all day! Now with Chemo being done and having her prostetic leg we can start getting back into a more normal routine which will include physio therapy and fewer frequent trips to Calgary.

There is some positive that comes out of going through something like this, our lives have forever changed. We have a whole new perspective on life, our sky will always be a little bluer now. We will appreciate the small things in life and know whats truly important, family, friends, health, community, our beds, lol. We have learned so much, one thing being, it can always be worse. We are so lucky that Kira has been so positive and strong and she was able to beat this, some families aren't so fortunate. So now all we can do is pray that this evil cancer does not come back. So on to better things... growing hair, getting healthy and learning to run!!

Walking into the hospital for the last chemo! Walking in on 2 legs also!

Kira decorated her room door! Many people passed by, stopped, read her signs, and smiled! :)

She sure was tougher!!

We had a visit from our friends, Sam and her mom Kelsey! The girls had a chocolate milk celebration toast!

Kira's little buddy Beretta and her mom Kelsie also came for a visit!

The LAST chemo.

Last chemo going in.

We got to meet Medi. The robot that helps kids get through tough stuff! He's pretty cool!!

Jace and Kira watching Medi preform!

Kira cried on the way to the hospital to get her last chemo. She was of course happy it was her last chemo, but was crying because she wouldn't be able to see all the friends she's made over the last 9 months. She's very sad not to see this lady as much anymore. Cindy, Kira's Child Life Specialist, has been amazing! She absolutely made the last 9 months so much better! We will all miss her as well as all the amazing nurses and doctors!! We will visit them often!!

Kira checking our her leg in production.

Kira and Cindy getting messy in the Sunshine Room!

Kira and the music therapists. We had a lot of fun with them over the past few months. On Kira's last day with them, they put on a little One Direction concert for some of the nurses!

Kira taught them how to do the Cups song from Pitch Perfect.

When Kira was first diagnosed and getting needles was so hard, my cousin Cindy told her she would give her 1 US dollar for every poke! So after Kira's last chemo, Cindy gave her $109!

Cindy and Kira watching puppy videos. Many hours were spend watching puppy videos!

Kira and her Beads of Courage.
Photo credit, Just for You Photography.

Looking so forward to just being together as a whole family again. Just getting back to normal, or figuring out what our new normal will be.

YA SHE DID!

Kira has been very busy since the last update.
⁃Attended 13 full school days, which also included spending time with friends after school.
⁃Completed 3 more rounds of Chemo.
⁃Participated in the Terry Fox run at school and completed one lap around the sports track on her prostethic leg.

⁃Attended and dropped the puck at a Medicine Hat Tigers vs Red Deer Rebels exhibition hockey game played in Stettler.

-Started piano lessons.

⁃Attended a Calgary Stampeders game courtesy of the "Every Yards Counts Program". Kira got to go onto the playing field and again meet Randy "Chevy" Chevrier #56 who visited Kira at the Alberta Childrens Hospital back in June, Bo Levi Mitchell #19, Keon Raymond #25, Rob Cote #26 and Deron Mayo #42 after the game.

Kira has been practicing with her leg and is getting stronger and more confident each day. She is also getting a full head of hair! When at home and attending school we are getting a taste of what normal life will be like and are looking forward to being finished with Chemo Therapy. This week Kira is in Calgary for her final round of Chemo. This is the one we have been looking so forward too, however there are many mixed emotions. This has been the center of our world for so long, and we have met so many great people at the Alberta Childrens Hospital over the last 8 months. Following the Chemo Therapy there will still be numerous trips to the ACH for tests and scans and also to have the main line port removed from her chest, not to mention trips to see Jon, Kira's leg guy, who is nearly completed making Kira's final leg (until she grows enough that he has to start the process all over again!) which will be lighter, more durable, better looking and more comfortable than the temporary leg she had now!
Kira's doctor has given approval for Kira to travel 2 weeks after this last chemo session is complete. We will finally get to take the trip we had booked back in January, before Kira was diagnosed with cancer, to Palm Springs to relax and unwind before completing the final tests and port removal surgery. These will not require extended hospital stays and should be completed by Christmas so we can so finally unpack the suit case and stay home for while.

The road trips back and forth to Calgary are exhausting!

Leg fitting.

Music in the Sun Shine Room, Kira loves this!

Our cousin Cindy threw us a "3 More Chemos" pizza party to celebrate!

Things tend to get messy in the Sun Shine Room! Right up Kira's alley!

When at home, we always have to go check if there is any new puppies at Home Hardware! Kira LOVES dogs and can't wait to get her own puppy one day!

Kira is learning to play the Ukulele in The Sun Shine Room. She's learning a One Direction here!

Kira's Beads of Courage are growing!

A "2 more" party!

One of our favourite people in the hospital! Cindy, our Child Life Specialist! She has sure helped make our hospital stays a lot more fun! We are going to all miss seeing her all the time! Kira gets upset thinking about coming to the end of chemo because she knows she won't see Cindy as much. I told her we will always come back and visit!!!!

Kira at the Terry Fox run! The school gave Kira a "Terry's Team" cancer survivor shirt to wear for the race! Her and a few of the teachers rocked the red shirts!