Children's Cancer Community Courageous Kid - Kyra Gracie Allen

Child: Kyra Gracie Allen From: Santa Rosa Diagnosed with: Leukemia

Our Story -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kyra Grace was 19 months old when she suddenly started limping one day in our small apartment in San Francisco. Her mom had a gut feeling that it was more than a sprain or twisted ankle, but multiple pediatrician visits just got the old “give her some Tylenol and it’ll go away.” But something wasn’t right, so finally her doctor said “take her to Children’s Hospital and get some x-rays.” It was leukemia and we were stunned. What followed was two years of chemo and hospital stays, remission and community support. We moved to Santa Rosa to care for our terminally ill mother. Anyone who’s been through a family diagnosis of cancer knows the routine; surgery, chemo, inpatient stays, clinic visits, infection, emergency room staffs who know you by name. The lost work hours and unpaid bills pile up and add to the stress. It’s a whole new life. Through this journey we met so many great people involved in the fight against childhood cancer. Doctors, nurses, health care providers, social workers, non-profit organizations, friends and family all supported us in our fight. We’ve been lucky; Gracie went into remission almost immediately and has held it well. Now as a family we are deeply involved in helping others win the battle. There is room in the war for all types of organizations, but small, local non-profits like SCCF hold a special place in our hearts. They offered us contact with families traveling similar journeys, constant moral support, and help in fundraising to pay the enormous bills. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some day children won’t die slow, agonizing deaths from cancer. Some day the horrors of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation will be stories told about the “bad old days”. That’s the world about which we dream and toward which we work.

Sonoma Children's Cancer Foundation P.O. Box 2246 Sonoma, CA 95476-2246 Toll free: 1-866-402-HOPE(4673) marty@hopeforcancerkids.net

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