Pumpkin Carving

We had a fun evening of carving pumpkins with the Del Vecchios!

The girls spent some coming up with their jack-o-lantern concept

while the guys took care of the guts!

Akemi was happy to help with the sweets

 

which were enjoyed by all the kiddos   

Happy Halloween!

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Halloween Parade - Portal

It's fun having Keira at Portal this year.

She's been to the Halloween Parade before but this time she's part of the Little Blue Village!
She was happy to get a quick picture with some of her teachers

 and her principal, Mrs. Rowe
 

 The staff theme was Kimochis... our focus this year is all about FEELINGS!

How could anyone be cranky with such a cute butterfly?!

Of course we also had to get a picture with her buddy Grayson.
Check out that cool costume that he made by himself!


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Pumpkin Patch - Webb Ranch

The best part of the pumpkin patch... riding the horses of course!

Keira went for a ride on Travis and Akemi's horse was Wink.





The dads took the kids on the train



and the moms found a few pumpkins to take home
 

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Last visit with Dr. E

Saying good-bye is never easy.

Dr. Effinger has been a big part of our family for the last five years... today was our last clinic visit with her at LPCH.

 The girls wanted to make her something that she could take with her so we painted mugs.

 

They also made her sweet cards.
     

Although we are happy for Dr. E's new adventure we are going to miss her A LOT!
 The good news is there is no way we won't stay in touch... we have faith she will come back to the Bay Area someday or maybe we will see a random Dr. E sighing when we are in St. Louis someday. :)

 Regardless, our family is forever grateful for the love and care she has provided for Keira.

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Treatment Day #2

A week ago Naveen was riding up the coast with his PAA crew and today we're back at LPCH for Keira's next treatment.

It's always sobering to be back at the hospital with the hope that this will be her last treatment.

We spent the day together building and playing legos... and when we were done she didn't want to leave because she was having so much fun.


Also, thanks Mrs. Norman for the visit and the sweet treats.
Keira is lucky to have such loving teachers!

 

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St. Louis Walk-in-the-Park

For the past few years Naveen's parents have organized a Walk-in-the-Park in St. Louis to help raise money for Pablove Across America. Each year the group has gotten bigger and it's become quite an event! We are blessed to have people who continue to support our efforts to fund research for OMS year after year. We know that it would be impossible to do this alone... thank you doesn't seem like enough but it's all we can say... thank you St. Louis!

Ups and Downs, PAA Around The Corner...

PAA 2015 is right around the corner and much has happened since I last wrote, some ups and some downs. In my last email, I mentioned that Crystal wouldn't be joining me this year on the ride, but two amazing friends, Eric Cattell and Bill Begien, stepped in to join Team V and fundraise for OMS and ride with me from LA to SF. Thanks to the generosity and support of family, friends, and extended community, we are only $5K away from hitting our $40K team goal...Thank You!  And if you haven't donated already, there's still time, click here. Furthermore, many of Keira's close friends pitched in to support their friend -- from organizing a fundraising walk, to emptying their own piggy banks, to waiting until Christmas to ask Santa to make Keira better -- her little buddies have shown tremendous compassion. But unfortunately, there is also some sobering news to share. Last week we confirmed that after 9 months of remission, Keira was showing active signs of OMS again. After we got past the 6 month mark, and then started Kindergarten, we once again started hoping that her remission would last. But as has been her battle for the past five years, OMS reared its ugly head again. This time around, we aren't waiting and have decided to hit it hard again with a Rituxan/Dexamethasone combo. The trooper that she is, Keira is back at Stanford and sitting right next to me now hooked up to the infusion machine getting her medicine.  While the timing of this all may be coincidence, being on the heels of Childhood Cancer Awareness month and on the eve of PAA 2015, it's symbolic nonetheless. This is real and still a part of our lives even five years after cancer. Thank you for your gracious support, kind words, pictures, text messages, FB messages, emails, food, and donations. We are truly grateful for it all. And thank if you've donated to PAA already and if you have not, there is still time. Donate to PAA 2015 With gratitude, Naveen, Crystal, Keira, and Akemi

Treatment Day #1 - the power of "luv"

Keira is the poster child for someone who knows how to put her brave in front of her scared.



I suppose she's been in practice pretty much her entire life, however, I truly believe that the love and support of her community makes a difference. It's always less scary when you know you are not alone. The outpouring of happy thoughts, prayers, and good wishes go a long way to making all of this "bear"able.


Keira, Brown Bear and Dr. E


Only 1 poke to get the IV in this time - yay!


Grandma and Keira are twins! They both picked out blue today... one of K's favorite colors.

Daddy flew in from Boston and found cupcakes at the airport. Yummy!

Time for an afternoon nap... I think both K and BB are exhausted.


Soraya baked Keira some delicious chocolate chip muffins and drew her this beautiful picture.
Made our morning before check-in a happy one.


Grayson stopped by on his way to school to deliver this sweet note and drop off a bag of snacks to help get Keira through the long day.


Izzy stopped by last night to give K a hug and wish her luck. She also designed this super hero inspired by K... be sure to notice her super power... the power of luv!

A special thank you to Mrs. Gates and the Little Blue Village for the beautiful poster. Keira was happy to see her teacher at LPCH when she woke up from her nap.


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