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Kendall at his fourth birthday party, Holtsville, Park, May 2006.
Kendall and Zach at their third birthday party, May 2005, Nonni's house.
Kendall and Zachachary at their Second birthday party, May 2004. Kendall was diagnosed with cancer less than three weeks later.
I just love this photo of the boys. Even though they are not looking at the camera, I feel it captures their relationship so well. I can almost read their minds and they are both thinking, "How come I don't have a bunny/duck (whichever they don't have)?"
Kendall was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, a very aggressive childhood cancer, just after his second birthday. He fought with all he had for amost three years, but unfortunately he sucummed to his disease on April 11, 2007, just a month shy of his fifth birthday. Kendall has a twin brother,Zachary, who misses his very much. We all do.
Zachary "climbing" a building at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, 4/08.
Zachary "slides down" the building!
It's a long way down Zach!!
My nephew Nicky on the construction beam!
SOME FACTS ABOUT PEDIATRIC CANCER:
Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer in children.
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infancy.
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid tumor cancer in
children.
Every 16 hours a child with neuroblastoma dies.
There is no known cure for neuroblastoma.
Nearly 70% of those children first diagnosed, have disease that has already metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. When disease has spread at diagnosis and a child is over the age of 2 there is less than a 30% chance of survival.
Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in the US and it
kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy,
asthma and AIDS combined.
There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed
with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for
research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of
childhood cancer.
The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of
that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.
Kendall
When I was asked to speak today about Kendall, I was truly honored and humbled. I was also concerned that I could not put into words, this wonderful sweet boy who was a pleasure to know, to love and to teach.
How do you put into words…his smile. That smile with a sparkle in his eyes. Kendall always smiled no matter how he felt. A smile that reassured you, that it was OK. A smile that regardless of what was happening in his world made you smile. Not just a smile, that wry crooked smile that said, I know something that you don’t know- smile.
How do you put into words…a happy child with his father’s resolve and his mother’s inner strength, always a hop and a skip, always ready to laugh and looking for the punch line. And once laughing, leading his brother Zachary to follow close behind.
How do you put into words…Kendall’s desire to have fun. It was the ultimate goal. With the class songs, he was having so much fun that he had an extra beat. And you should have seen him do the chicken dance, he would take it to a whole different level.
How do you put into words…Kendall’s leadership and the things he and Zachary created together, like rolling down the hill after class with their classmates, outside The Morgan Center. On sunny days, this is how they ended every class with laughter and smiles. Kendall also had a lot to add to Show & Tell. He loved to share his toys, as well as souvenirs he got from his outings with Mommy, Daddy, Nonni and Poppy. Kendall and Zachary once had nothing for Show & Tell, so they sat in the front of the room and said, “Ask us where we’ve been”. Kendall also loved to ask questions of the other children which always included, “Where do you keep it?” & “Do you sleep with it?”. This was very cute, especially when Ashley brought her teenage sister for Show & Tell.
How do you put into words…A boy who adored his family. Sometimes Kendall would not be in the mood for arts and crafts. Then he would learn that it was for Mommy, or Daddy. He would then put all his effort into his project to make it just right. Kendall of course adored his brother, and even though Zachary was protective of Kendall, Kendall was always trying to protect Zachary.
How do you put into words… Watching a child go through his passions from Thomas the Tank, to Rescue Heroes, Power Rangers, Hot Wheels, Ninja Turtles, Webkins and eventually becoming the resident expert of Star Wars. Trust me, you could ask him anything.
How do you put into words …. the heaviness I now feel in my heart for a little boy who means so much to anyone who he has touched. But I assure you this beautiful little boy Kendall and his wonderful family will always be in my heart, and will always be a part of The Morgan Center.
Lastly, how do you put into words… what Kendall has taught us. To laugh when its painful, to smile even though you may not feel like smiling, to lead when it would be easier to follow, to protect those who are protecting you, and to love because love follows you everywhere.
Love,
Miss Nancy (& Mr. Rod)
I have NB HOPE bracelets and car magnets for anyone who wants one.
Order your NB HOPE Bracelet today.
Want to help? Give up your lunch for Neuroblastoma research. Together, we can find a cure. I've given up one lunch a month for the next year. Click on the fork ribbon below to donate.
Kendall's Photobucket site.
Journal
Friday, May 16, 2008 9:48 PM CDT I am so sad to say that Emily passed away on Monday. She was also a twin, and leaves behind an adorable sister, Mary Grace, and her devastated parents. Her path was strangely parallel to ours. She was diagnosed just a bit before Kendall, and her family choose to be treated at MSK, flying up back and forth from Florida for treatment. She relapsed just a few weeks before Kendall did. Now yet another brave little child is gone too soon. It is so wrong.
Please also keep Spencer in your prayers. He is having a tough time, and they are trying a new chemo in the hopes of making him more comfortable. Check out the photo essay link on the bottom of his page. He is an amazing little boy.
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I was hoping to have new photos by now, but I just can't seem to find the time to upload them. Anyway, sorry for the lack of updates, but Mother's Day was pretty quiet around here. It wasn't a terrible day. We spent the morning with my mom and Fritz, then the afternoon relaxing at home.
Zachary's birthday was a lot of fun. Thank you for all who came. He LOVED the Laser Kingdom party. His cousins were there, at least for the first couple of games, and several friends from school too, including Dominic! The kids all loved shooting Neil, who unwisely dressed in orange and gray stripes, making him an unmissable target. Later, we went back to my mom's house, and more of our friends came there. We didn't even see Zach for about two hours while he ran around with his friends and cousins. Thanks to mom for letting us use her place. I hope to have photos up soon.
We had another interesting coincidence, and yet more proof of the general kindness that is out there. Zachary came home last Friday with a package in his bag, and a note for me. I opened the note, and it was from one of the ladies on the PTA. I had met Victoria briefly when stuffing the treat bags for the children's Halloween celebration. She saw the St. Baldrick's flyers, and recognized me, and went onto our site and was very touched by our story. She wanted to do something nice for Zach, and she works for a company that makes the Star Wars toys. She was waiting for one of the special collector's ones to be available, these have black or gold coins on the package instead of the standard silver. On Zachary's birthday, one of the black coins ones was finally there! She sent it in his backpack. Zach was THRILLED of course. He didn't even mind making the thank you note.
(btw, we will be working on the Thank you's from his birthday this weekend, and probably a bit into the week!)
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UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS:
Alex's Lemonade Stand hosted by my brother's friend Charlie Curley: Curley Family Fundraising Page.
Walk to Make the SunRise: All of us are walking and you can look us up at www.sunrisedaycamp.org. But this is Neil's first walk, so he can use all the support he can get:
link: the Neil's page. I will have some raffles to sell for this walk, and will let you know how to get them as soon as I can.
I'll be getting more info on this walk shortly.
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Thank you everyone for your love and support. Thank you for all the kind wishes.
Aimee
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and
Stonybrook Hospital
Links: http://www.themorgancenter.org A nonprofit preschool for the immune supressed.
http://www.lunchforlife.org Donate your lunch money to help fight neuroblastoma!
http://www.stbaldricks.org/locations_shavees.asp St. Baldrick's Donations
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