Kisses for Kate Ball

I had the honor last weekend of being asked to speak at the Kisses for Kate Gala. 

Precious Kate was a leukemia patient and went through treatment at Brenner's with Julia. She fought a long, courageous 3 year battle before earning her wings in September 2010. 

Her family, godmother, and friends lovingly stayed by her side every step of the way and helped Kate's dreams come true every chance they could. Kate had so many big dreams for herself, her family, and all the other kids fighting cancer that foundation was born to fulfill these wishes. They have done some incredible things for so many families. One of Kate's dreams was to bring the Beads of Courage program that she had used at Duke during her bone marrow transplant. In March 2011, the legacy of her dream came true.  Her parents, Susan and Joe were there with Kate's beads...

 

Julia was one of the many in attendance that day for the kickoff.

Julia's beads gave her an amazing voice to talk about the battle she had been through and to tangibly tell her story.

We had no idea how much those beads would come to mean as her struggles continued and she faced GI surgeries, tough procedures, daily medications, tube changes and tissue burns, and counseling for her PTSD issues.

She was so proud to be sharing her beads and her story that night.

Her strand now measures 8 feet and contains almost 300 beads!

The ball was Kate's idea. She wanted to have an "after treatment party" where the girls wore gowns and tiaras and the boys wore 'tortillas' (tuxedos). It was a magical night that we know Kate would have loved- amazing decorations, beautiful dresses, music, dancing, a delicious dinner, incredible auction and raffle gifts, and lots of friends and family.

Ms. Stacy introduced the Beads of Courage program and how it is used at the hospital.

Then I had the chance to share what this program has meant in our lives and how it has helped Julia to cope with her ongoing medical struggles and find the courage to do the things she dreads and take pride in her accomplishments.

There is also a sibling program that Carter has used that recognizes some of the complex emotions and experiences of the siblings of these cancer warriors.

It was an very emotional night and many tears were shed as we remembered, honored, and looked forward. There were several other cancer warriors there, too. The bonds between Camp Brenner families runs deep and every glance, hug, and encouraging word speaks volumes. We all talked a lot that night about the emotional scars of this world- the post-traumatic stress issues, the long term effects and surgeries, the losses, the relapse scares. Sometimes it just helps so much to share the burdens with people who are carrying the same ones.

We also had the chance to meet a lot of new people who came out to support the foundation. I was touched by how many people shared their hearts, struggles, prayed with us, and were changed by what we shared. Thanking God for the amazing opportunity to share what He has been doing in our life.

The evening continued with auctions, raffles, music, dancing, and fun...

By 10pm, Julia was all partied out...