Infinite love for Isla

12/17/2025

Last week we made a Christmas “Bingo” poster, we are loving checking off the activities and have made a pretty good dent in it so far. One that she is certain won’t happen is “Go to the North Pole”. I am so stinking excited that we have been chosen as one of the families for operationnorthpolechicago this year and Isla will get to cross this one off of her 2025 Bingo card!!!

I will share photos and all about our experience after this weekend, but I can honestly say our friends with Operation North Pole have already gone above and beyond to make sure this experience is incredibly special!!

We so need this weekend, I so need this weekend ❤️

12/15/2025

We’ve been busy soaking up the holidays! Isla has officially graduated to every 4 month scans (we were every 3 months)! This is wonderful news but a little scary for my mama heart. Her therapeutic phlebotomy continues to give us some trouble, her poor veins are just so tired and her ferritin levels have gone up when they’re supposed to be going down. This is normal with illness and she’s been sick a lot lately. ‘Tis the Season.

We have been celebrating “two years no chemo, still cancer free”! And loving ever minute of it. Our amazing friends at the Creamery in Homer Glen gifted Isla a “12 days of Christmas” package and we will be enjoying the heck out of it on the coldest night of the year so far! We also loved spending time with her best friends in one of their igloos, eating all of the ice cream and hot cocoa our hearts desired. If you’re looking for something fun to do with the family, or friends/date night, definitely check it out!!

Tonight we will be decorating a gingerbread house and eating ice cream in our jammies. I am completely soaking up every second with these kids and trying my hardest to make this season magical for them ❤️

11/19/2025

Two years ago, on Jason’s 9th birthday, Isla took her last chemo!!

Words are escaping me at the moment, but we will be celebrating extra today! 😭💛

11/17/2025

Please say some extra prayers this morning for our girl. She has her 2 YEAR post treatment scans today. These are big ones.

The rhabdomyosarcoma relapse rate varies significantly, but roughly one-third of patients with initially localized disease and over two-thirds with metastatic disease will experience a relapse. Studies show that for patients with initially localized disease, 78% of relapses occur within two years. For those who survive the initial treatment and are cancer-free for five years, the risk of late relapse is low (around 9%).

This is why it was so important that we did not stop treatment when her initial team suggested it. I am so thankful that we found her current team and they have always been on the same page as me.

Isla had metastatic disease, so my daily fear is relapse. Each year that risk gets lower, so each year marks a greater milestone. The next big one will be at the five year mark, when she will officially join the survivorship program.

I need these scans to come back perfect. My heart and mind need some good news 💛

11/10/2025

On the 19th we will be 2 YEARS off treatment and I will have an 11 year old!! I can’t believe either of these things. How special that Isla took her last dose of chemo on Jason’s 9th birthday 💛

This weekend we took a special “staycation” trip to the city and spent two fun filled nights in a hotel, with a pool of course, and enjoyed all of the things we love… American Girl, Lego, Harry Potter and of course yummy food and desserts.

It was so much fun spending some much needed quality time together. Especially since I’ve been struggling with my anxiety lately. I thought the further out we got the easier things would be, but they seem to be getting more difficult for me.

Anyways, enjoy some cute pics of the kids enjoying our weekend 🥰

A huge thank you to achotels for the hospitality, they were absolutely fantastic and we can’t wait to stay again! They helped me surprise the kids with movie night snacks on Saturday and took care of the cost of the snacks, it was totally unexpected and so generous.

10/30/2025

This girl has a busy few days coming up! Yesterday she got this super cute “butterfly” haircut, tomorrow we are doing all the trick or treating, Saturday is her cousin’s birthday party and Monday she goes in for her monthly blood therapy!

We also have her 2 YEAR post treatment scans coming up on the 17th! Crazy how time flies, but remains so fresh on the mind. She took her last chemo on Jason’s birthday, so we will be spending a couple days in the city coming up to celebrate the extra special date!

Right now we’re at the dentist waiting for her to get some more dental work done. It never ends. We are thankful to be where we’re at though! 💛

10/15/2025

It’s been awhile, we are trucking along though. Isla is enjoying school and loves art and math. She painted this amazing “Crankenstein” in school and it’s now hanging proudly in our front window for Halloween!

She’s been doing great. She will get her TWO YEARS post treatment scans on November 17th and on the 19th it will be two years since her last chemo! I can’t believe how quickly time flies. She will also have some more dental work done in the next few weeks, treatment really did a number to her baby teeth, I’m praying it was kinder to her adult teeth. She recently saw ENT and Endocrinology and we don’t really have much to write home about there. She did get the okay to start growth hormone once she is 2 years off treatment, however I will be talking to the doctor about holding off until she’s a little older. She was able to resume some of her vaccines this week, but isn’t able to get all of them yet. Her immunologist left the hospital, so I am working on getting her into another one to make sure these immunizations take, there is a change that they won’t due to everything her body has been through. We will have to do testing in about 2 months to make sure the vaccines take, but I am thankful that she will be at least a little more protected from illness considering her immune system is still weakened and she did not receive IVIG at her last appointment like we anticipated.

Please no comments about whether or not you agree with this. I have complete trust in her care team and I’m not looking for opinions on this.

I am feeling incredibly blessed to be allowed these uneventful days. Thank you for the continued love and support 💛

09/22/2025

These shoes should have little feet in them, while running around with siblings and friends, climbing playgrounds and trees. Walking the halls of schools and shopping malls. Instead, they’re empty because cancer is a thief of dreams, of laughter, of peace.

Our kids deserve more 🎗️

Isla’s photo is being displayed at Cure Fest this year. I will share it in the comments.

09/12/2025

I hope you all have a friend that loves and supports you the way these two do 💛

In September we wear GOLD!

09/03/2025

This amazing mama, fellow warrior mom, and friend, started a podcast and will be hosting other moms of warriors on her show this month for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Up first was yours truly 💛

I’m so looking forward to hearing the stories of other local families and supporting the cause this month 🎗️

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-dose-of-reality-show/id1765924946?i=1000724674837

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Danielle as she shares her emotional journey after her daughter was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. Her strength, raw honesty, and deep faith will move you. 💛

🎧 Listen now to hear her story of resilience, motherhood, and hope.

09/02/2025

I couldn’t have said this better if I tried.

Her fight is, and always will be, my fight 💛🎗️

09/01/2025

Today Isla woke up and first thing she said was “mama, what dayyyy is ittttt?!” I said Monday… she said “IN SEPTEMBER WE WEAR GOLD!” She chose gold sunflowers (which is also the symbol for sarcomas) for her outfit of the day. I hate that she even knows what cancer is, but I know that she’s going to make a difference advocating for herself, her friends, and all of the kids like them.

This month I will be raw, I’ll be sharing photos that will make your stomach turn, I’ll be sharing little warriors stories and more. Please don’t scroll by, please don’t ignore me, please share my posts, please share Isla’s story. We need your help to make a difference.

Below I’m going to link Isla’s Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute campaign to help fund Rhabdomyosarcoma and other childhood cancer research, as well as some of the organizations I’d trust my money to go to.

Isla’s CC-TDI campaign:
https://cc-tdi.kindful.com/honor-pages-2017/infinite-love-for-isla

Local organizations that help in the fight:
Cal's Angels
Project Fire Buddies
Christmas Without Cancer NFP
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation
The Bear Necessities
Mulliganeers
cctdi (Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute)
Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)
Childhood Cancer Warriors
Julia's Legacy
St. Baldrick's Foundation

It is also super helpful to donate directly to a family in the fight.

Thank you so much to all of you for your continued support! Let’s give Isla the best “We go GOLD in September” she’s ever had! 💛🎗️🌻