Kaidan update!!!

Sorry it took me so long to update - Kaidan has lots of needs :)

Surgery went well. She was really nervous about getting an IV, but it went smoothly and she was a champion - like always! The staff loved having her there because she is so cheerful and cute.



The surgery took about 2 1/2 hours. The doctor said her left ankle was worse than the right. She has 2 small incisions on her right ankle and 3 on her left. They removed loose cartilage and bone and drilled some holes to promote bleeding and new growth. Dr. Saltzman is a great guy and I felt like he had a genuine concern for Kaidan. He said this is a tough thing to treat. He said it's just not fair because her life has been so rough already and this is really going to be another hard thing for her.

As Kaidan woke up from the anesthesia, she was as cute as ever. The nurse asked her if she had brothers and sisters at home and she thought about it for a minute and then confidently told her NO. We were pretty surprised by that response! I guess she was living in a fantasy where she's an only child! She also told me that the last thing she remembers is falling asleep and then the doctor gave her a wedgie! I guess she was in and out of sleep when they scooted her down on the operating table, so her unders rode up. It was pretty funny!

The rest of the day yesterday went well. We got home, and you never would have known that Kaidan had surgery earlier the same day. She was alert and stayed awake most of the day. She was even rolling around in her wheelchair. She had been given morphine, oxycodone, and benedryl and she was still functioning! She obviously got her tolerance from someone else, because I would have been down for the count with any one of those drugs, let alone all three!



Last night and today have been a little more difficult. She's had more pain and she's slept more. She did get out for Preslee's soccer game (which was a win...GO IMPACT!!). She's in bed now and tomorrow we'll try to get her to put some weight on her feet for a minute or two.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks for caring!

Surgery time...

Kaidan's foot surgery is scheduled for 8:00 tomorrow morning. It is scheduled to be a two hour surgery. I'll keep you posted when we get back home :)

double foot surgery...

This will be very short and sweet, but I wanted to let you all know that Kaidan will be having surgery on her feet next Tuesday, Sept. 13th. We are really, REALLY hoping this will reduce some of her pain. It's outpatient, but she'll be home recovering for at least one week and then it will be about six weeks before a total recovery. I'll keep you posted.

So... it's been 3 months...

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I have updated! Let me start by saying that my lack of updates does not mean that NOTHING has been going on! We have been busier than ever! I'm sure I will miss something - but I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet :) I'll let some pictures do most of the talking, but my computer is archaic and it doesn't cooperate most of the time - so forgive me for the quality of some of the pictures, I don't have the ability to edit them. Also, Preslee is not in many of our pictures :( That is not because I don't love her, it's just because she's never around! She is always at soccer or doing her own thing...she's growing up!

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Porter has started Preschool!! Yes, this means I have 4 hours a week with NO CHILDREN!! I'm slacking in the picture department, so I don't have any pics of him with his backpack :( Mom of the Year?!? I don't think so...

He also took a good tumble on his scooter and cracked his front tooth vertically up the middle. His nerve was exposed, and he was in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, the tooth couldn't be saved, so he had to have it pulled. He'll be toothless for several years now because my kids take forever to get teeth - he hadn't even had this tooth for a year yet!



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Cash graduated preschool and started Kindergarten today! Again...no picture of the first day of school and his graduation picture is super blurry :(



He also gave karate a try, but he lost interest after a week.



He had a birthday August 1st and he's now 5!! He's growing so fast!



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Preslee has turned 11, competed in a local soccer tournament (2nd place!) and a tournament in Colorado Springs (we learned how to lose at this one). She is really becoming an AMAZING goalie! It's a lot of fun to watch her progress. She is in 6th grade this year and growing up WAY TOO FAST!!




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Kaidan has had lots of happenings. She continues to struggle with GI issues and bone pain. We have seen a new GI doctor - who we LOVED!! - and we have a new plan to try, so we are hoping for great results with this. We also saw a new Orthopedic Doctor - who we LOVED!! - and Kaidan will be having surgery on both of her feet soon. She has necrosis (death of the bone) in every single bone in both feet :( This doctor was the first to be honest with us, and even though it wasn't what we wanted to hear, we are grateful that we can move forward. Hopefully we can help her to find some pain relief.

Kaidan participated in the Survivor Lap of the Draper Relay for Life.



She got special treatment at Hill Air Force Base - thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation!



She also started swimming lessons this summer and she was AMAZING!! She progressed through the levels very quickly and I think swimming is going to be her 'thing'! She was invited to try out for the non-competitive swim team on September 20th! She is so excited!!

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We had a busy summer, so here are a few of the things that we did...

4th of July! We spent time with cousins, saw a parade, and watched lots of fireworks. Cash was fascinated by fireworks this year.









We hosted a lemonade stand at Toys R Us to help promote their campaign for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.



Kennecott Copper Mine (my mistake...the kids were bored out of their minds. apparently you don't appreciate this until you are older)



The kids went to Camp Hobe!! This was a fun year because in addition to the girls going to the week long kids camp, the boys were able to go to the day camp! It was a Monday and Tuesday day camp, so we were able to make a little get-a-way out of it. We stayed in Tooele with several other 'cancer moms' and their cancer cuties. It was so much fun! I didn't get many pictures of the girls because I just dropped them off for the week, but I managed to get a few of the boys. The top one is Porter, less than 5 minutes into our ride back to the hotel the first day. They wore him out!!







We participated in the Urban Challenge Utah for the Make a Wish Foundation! We did a bake sale to raise money and then my sister and her boyfriend did the challenges. It was AWESOME!! They earned points for dressing up, so we named their team the Grid Gladiators (because SLC is a grid map system). We had a blast following them around! Kaidan also talked a little about her wish experience. The kids had fun at the after party, playing some carnival games and getting soaked in the water at Gallivan Plaza - it was a hot day!








And finally, we attended SLC's first ever CureSearch for Childhood Cancer walk!! I was part of the planning committee for this walk and we worked so hard to make it a huge success. I think we succeeded! We raised over $72,000 dollars for childhood cancer research! This is something we will be participating in annually and I am so excited about it! Thank you to everyone who supported our family. It was an amazing day - from the support of our family and friends, to the balloon release for those who have passed on, to the medal ceremony, to the actual walk! It was a fantastic day. If you weren't there this year, I hope you'll make it in 2012. I promise you that it will touch your heart and it will be an event you can be proud to be a part of.

Kaidan received a champion medal - she is definitely a champion!


Many of our local cancer friends were in attendance. The stage was not big enough! That is both sad and happy for me. Sad that so many children have to battle this cowardly disease, but happy that so many are winning the battle!


Kaidan and Brielle!! Brielle has a form of leukemia called AML - she received a bone marrow transplant from her younger sister! How awesome is that?!?


So, there you have it! Summer 2011! I'll try to be better about keeping this updated, especially as Kaidan has her surgery and all of that. Thanks for keeping up with us :)

Please walk with or donate to CureSearch in honor of Kaidan and all of her "cancer friends"... www.curesearchwalk.org/saltlakecity/kaidan

I have sat down many times to update this blog, but I just can't seem to do it. It's been a rough few weeks for our local childhood cancer community, and my concerns and complaints are minuscule compared to what other families are dealing with. So, I'll update you all on the happenings of the Sudbury's another time, but for now, I am asking (actually...BEGGING!!!) you to support us on July 9th. CureSearch is holding their 1st walk in SLC and we NEED you to join our team! If you can't walk, please sign up as a virtual walker, or just make a donation to our team. Even $5 helps. www.curesearchwalk.org/kaidan

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re post:

As you may or may not know, CureSearch for Childhood Cancer is holding their first-ever walk in Salt Lake City!! This event is especially important to us because of our daughter Kaidan, who is our hero and a cancer survivor!

CureSearch is a non-profit organization that funds the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children's Oncology Group (COG). The COG is the largest children's cancer research organization in the world!! They have over 6,000 physicians, nurses, and researchers at more than 200 hospitals in North America. 90% of children in the US with cancer are treated at COG hospitals.

Every year, more than 13,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer and more than 40,000 are undergoing treatment. Overall survival rates have increased in the last 40 years from 10% to 78%, but 1 in every 4 children still loses the battle with cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children.

Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) is a COG hospital. In 2010, between 170-180 kids were diagnosed with cancer at PCMC. That means that 3-4 families per week were given the same devastating news that we received on June 25, 2007 - they were told that their child had cancer.

You probably don't know that children with cancer are treated with chemotherapy drugs that were approved in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. We certainly did not know this before we became part of the childhood cancer world. The only thing that has changed is the doses that our kids receive! Children with cancer are given mega-doses of these toxic drugs - doses that an adult body could not handle. Our children are amazingly resilient, but even so, 3 out of 4 childhood cancer survivors will suffer long-term side effects - heart problems, neurological disorders, and even secondary cancers, just to name a few - from the chemotherapy that had to be given in order to save their life. Some of these effects are life-threatening. There has only been one new drug introduced for pediatric use since the 1980's - it is a drug for relapsed leukemia.

AWARENESS = FUNDING = RESEARCH = CURES!! Only research will cure cancer!

We would like to ask you to join our team for the walk in July. It would mean the world to us. Our goal is to spread the word about childhood cancer. We want CureSearch's name to be known in every household. We want CureSearch to be as well known as other foundations that have made an amazing impact on the adult cancer community, such as the American Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Susan G. Komen.

The CureSearch walk will be held on July 9, 2011 at Liberty Park in SLC. This is a family walk, so we'd like you to have your entire family register! The cost is $10 for ages 16+, there is no fee for anyone under 15. Of course, we'd love your help with raising funds for childhood cancer research; however, our family goal this year is AWARENESS, so what is most important to us is that we have your support and that we have you on our team. If you are not able to walk, you can join as a virtual team member. If you prefer not to use credit card information online, you can join off-line - just send us an email and we'll get all the information to you. We also need sponsors, volunteers, and in-kind donations for food/beverage items and family friendly entertainment for the day of the walk. If you can help in any of these areas, please let us know.

You can join our team, donate, or find more information by visiting www.curesearchwalk.org/saltlakecity/kaidan. Our team name is TEAM AWESOME - in honor of AWESOME KAIDAN.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to call (801.205.2905) or email (mysteejsuds@q.com). Also, please forward this email on to anyone that you think would be interested in supporting us. We'd love to have youth groups, sports teams, and companies join us. Please join us, not just for our family, but for the entire Utah childhood cancer community - especially the children fighting this cowardly disease. Together, we can REACH THE DAY where we can guarantee every child a cure followed by a lifetime of health!

We have been consistently humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received since Kaidan's diagnosis in 2007 and we can't wait to share this event with all of you!

CureSearch for Childhood Cancer...

As you may or may not know, CureSearch for Childhood Cancer is holding their first-ever walk in Salt Lake City!! This event is especially important to us because of our daughter Kaidan, who is our hero and a cancer survivor!

CureSearch is a non-profit organization that funds the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children's Oncology Group (COG). The COG is the largest children's cancer research organization in the world!! They have over 6,000 physicians, nurses, and researchers at more than 200 hospitals in North America. 90% of children in the US with cancer are treated at COG hospitals.

Every year, more than 13,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer and more than 40,000 are undergoing treatment. Overall survival rates have increased in the last 40 years from 10% to 78%, but 1 in every 4 children still loses the battle with cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children.

Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) is a COG hospital. In 2010, between 170-180 kids were diagnosed with cancer at PCMC. That means that 3-4 families per week were given the same devastating news that we received on June 25, 2007 - they were told that their child had cancer.

You probably don't know that children with cancer are treated with chemotherapy drugs that were approved in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. We certainly did not know this before we became part of the childhood cancer world. The only thing that has changed is the doses that our kids receive! Children with cancer are given mega-doses of these toxic drugs - doses that an adult body could not handle. Our children are amazingly resilient, but even so, 3 out of 4 childhood cancer survivors will suffer long-term side effects - heart problems, neurological disorders, and even secondary cancers, just to name a few - from the chemotherapy that had to be given in order to save their life. Some of these effects are life-threatening. There has only been one new drug introduced for pediatric use since the 1980's - it is a drug for relapsed leukemia.

AWARENESS = FUNDING = RESEARCH = CURES!! Only research will cure cancer!

We would like to ask you to join our team for the walk in July. It would mean the world to us. Our goal is to spread the word about childhood cancer. We want CureSearch's name to be known in every household. We want CureSearch to be as well known as other foundations that have made an amazing impact on the adult cancer community, such as the American Cancer Society, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Susan G. Komen.

The CureSearch walk will be held on July 9, 2011 at Liberty Park in SLC. This is a family walk, so we'd like you to have your entire family register! The cost is $10 for ages 16+, there is no fee for anyone under 15. Of course, we'd love your help with raising funds for childhood cancer research; however, our family goal this year is AWARENESS, so what is most important to us is that we have your support and that we have you on our team. If you are not able to walk, you can join as a virtual team member. If you prefer not to use credit card information online, you can join off-line - just send us an email and we'll get all the information to you. We also need sponsors, volunteers, and in-kind donations for food/beverage items and family friendly entertainment for the day of the walk. If you can help in any of these areas, please let us know.

You can join our team, donate, or find more information by visiting www.curesearchwalk.org/saltlakecity/kaidan. Our team name is TEAM AWESOME - in honor of AWESOME KAIDAN.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to call (801.205.2905) or email (mysteejsuds@q.com). Also, please forward this email on to anyone that you think would be interested in supporting us. We'd love to have youth groups, sports teams, and companies join us. Please join us, not just for our family, but for the entire Utah childhood cancer community - especially the children fighting this cowardly disease. Together, we can REACH THE DAY where we can guarantee every child a cure followed by a lifetime of health!

We have been consistently humbled by the outpouring of love and support our family has received since Kaidan's diagnosis in 2007 and we can't wait to share this event with all of you!

Love, Nate and Mystee Sudbury