Make A Child Smile

Kristina's Story
written by mom Mary

Stina has always been my golden child: giggly, sunny, always laughing! She brightens every life she touches, she brings smiles to people she meets.

Stina was a typical little girl, she laughed and played hard. Until April 6th,1998, Stina always caught everyone's cold, bug, flu, little stuff. She stayed sick all the time. Then, she just didn't "feel" good and wasn't getting well with antibiotics. We went to her doctor repeatedly, they just couldn't find anything wrong with her. I finally put my foot down and refused to leave the doctor's office, without knowing what was wrong with her.

Many doctors and many miles later, the doctor told us she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia, M5. This is a senior citizen cancer!! Why did my baby have it???

I was told she had an aggressive one that was hard to get rid of. She went through the most extensive chemotherapy available. Normally 8 months worth condensed into 5 months. I watched the light go out of my sunshine. Kristina totally changed. She went from this shy, quiet, sweet little girl, straight into somber maturity. The doctors gave her a 10% of surviving her cancer. She stayed only 9 months in her first remission. Her cancer came back full force. She was 98% cancer!!!

Again more high dose chemo, and a search for a bone marrow donor for a transplant. There was NO match. And the chemo did not work. She did not go back into remission. The doctors approached me with the idea of TRYING a cord blood transplant. Then it was, still very experimental and new. The doctor's told me I could take her home and I might have her with me for 3 more weeks, before she passed away OR I could TRY this transplant. With the transplant they gave her a prognosis of less than 10% survival for 6 months. She had to have full body radiation.

July of 2006, marked 6 years since her transplant!!!! They said the transplant would not heal her, only buy her time. But we will not give up.
Kristina has great fatigue still. Her hair is beautiful now. Many of her organs have problems because of the chemo and radiation. She will take her medications the rest of her life. She has constant stomach problems.

Instead of pimples like most teenagers, she has rough patchy looking skin from her transplant. Kristina knows now, she cannot have children. Yet she NEVER lets her cancer stop her. She will not use her illness as an excuse to NOT give her life 100%. She meets and talks to new children diagnosed in her clinic, trying to help them. For the little ones, she buys toys and she is always visiting the ones she says "Are really sick".

She is in college now, full time. She works at the hospital full time. She also cross stitches squares for quilts for sick children. I used to use sunshine to describe her, now I have to say HEART. Kristina is a true example of all heart. She has taught me to be thankful, humble and compassionate. More than that she has taught me when I think I absolutely cannot go any further... I can... Kristina taught me... NOT TO GIVE UP!!!

Some days she needs to take a time out and just do "nothing" and we spend weekly instead of monthly visits in the doctor's office and then the CANCER comes full force and hits us between the eyes. You can't hide from it, only keep busy enough to not think about it for a little while.

Sometimes, I believe Stina has to work TWICE as hard, just to keep up and be "normal". But I have to admire her spirit and courage!!