This is Naomi's first post

Hi everyone! I'm feeling great, things are funny: I'm in 5th grade now.  My life is good.  I'm about to turn 10 - double digit - and I hope there's gonna be a good party!

Good day!

- Naomi

Happy 9th birthday, Naomi!

Today is my Naomi's 9th birthday.  I will never forget how blessed we are to have her.  So many children with Leukemia don't survive.  I cherish every moment.  On her behalf, I encourage you do make a donation to the Leukemia Research Foundation

Naomi continues to be healthy, happy, strong and defy the odds.  Her hair is insanely long, she's become quite a comedian, pianist, singer, athlete and dancer.  She has many friends, is having some trouble in school (possibly a side effect of the chemotherapy - we're working on that), and is as sweet and kind as ever.

Happy birthday Naomi!!!

Happy birthday Naomi!

Naomi is 8 years old today! The toughest little girl in the world! She's a warrior princess, and 5 years after some of the worst news anyone could hear about a child ("SHE HAS LEUKEMIA"), she's a SURVIVOR and sparkling in the world like the angel she is. Of course, she has the support of her super awesome big brother helping her shine : > I love my babiez!!

Disney World via Make-A-Wish

Last week, Naomi received her wish from Make-A-Wish Foundation to visit Disney World! As a survivor of Leukemia, it was suggested that she wait at least a year beyond being in remission before enjoying her wish so that she could have an optimal experience.

Once the plane landed in Florida, Naomi came skipping down the exit hallway at the airport with a huge grin,

ready to start her adventure.

We left the airport, drove a short distance and checked into the Give Kids the World Village, a magical resort built specifically for children who are or have been dealing with a debilitating disease or health condition. Everything about the village is stunning, from the playful colors on the Wonderland-esque buildings, to the genuine kindness, patience and love displayed by the staff and countless volunteers from around the world. The children were in awe, as were we adults. It's built so that the children who are too sick to enjoy the theme parks can still have a great time. Read all about GKTW on their website.

Photos from the village:

Saturday night was orientation for the parents, and a party for the kids: hula hoops, dancing to music kids like, bowling games, jump ropes, etc. Naomi's mom, Nina, came back from orientation in a daze, utterly overwhelmed with amazement. We did our best to go to bed early despite the excitement, because the days ahead were going to be packed full of fun!

Sunday - Universal Studios. We arrived at the park just before noon (so much for trying to get there early - have you ever tried wrangling 8 people into being out the door early?? Sigh...) Naomi's grandmother had a couple of falls recently, and had to use a wheelchair, but thanks to our being escorted to the FRONT of every line for rides, shows, character photos, etc., she had a great time along with the rest of us. Naomi's brother, Jeremiah, is a ride fanatic. The faster, the more G-forces, the better! We managed to hit almost every ride in BOTH parks and wore ourselves fully out. However, the buzz was strong enough that we stayed up far too late Sunday night. Before falling asleep I noticed that Naomi's face was hot. Uh-oh...Yep. Fever. We gave her some tylenol to cut the fever and prayed for the best. By morning, Naomi said she felt better, so we went forward with our plans.

Monday - Disney Animal Kingdom. This particular Disney park didn't offer an escort to the front of the line, but we were allowed to enter the Fast Pass lanes, which made the wait significantly less than other folks standing in the regular lines, but slowed down our pace enough that we could only see this one park. But we had a blast! We did a safari, rode several rides, and the kids were invited to dance with the cast in the Lion King performance.

We had planned to head back to the village for dinner (3 meals per day per person are provided at the village - gratis), take a nap and then head back to the Magic Kingdom. I've always heard that it's amazing at night. But alas, Naomi was feeling terrible. Nina took her to the clinic and the diagnosis came back: strep throat! That meant that Naomi had to stay in bed all day on Tuesday. Since the fatigue had hit my mother particularly hard (the long flight, sitting all day in a wheel chair, etc.), it was decided that she'd stay at the villa with Naomi while the rest of us went to Disney Hollywood and Epcot. It was fun, but we missed Naomi and mom...

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to witness Naomi's joy in meeting her most beloved characters, being escorted to the front of every line for rides, participating in a theatrical presentation of the Lion King and just having a grand time. I'll never forget the smiles on the kids faces. Magical...

A Miracle at Disneyland

Naomi enjoyed a fun and full weekend! My sister, in her ingenuity, structured a plan to get 3 foster children (our little "sisters"), herself, her children and our mother a much needed mini-vacation. Given economic realities, in order to fund the trip, nothing short of a miracle was needed. Well, as we all know through Naomi's amazing healing journey, miracles do happen, and apparently in abundance. Thanks to an angel (who wishes to remain anonymous), not only was everyone able to travel to Los Angeles safely, but everyone attended Stevie Wonder's House Full of Toys Concert (the kids were especially excited to see the Jonas Brothers), and then the next morning visit Disneyland (the first time for the foster girls). A series of events led to serendipity of the highest order, and it was a beautiful weekend. Check out these happy faces:

Naomi feels better

LIVESTRONG!

Naomi was selected to participate in Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE event in San Jose. Naomi was one of several childhood cancer survivors being taking around the event course in pedi-cabs. These kids are the stars of the show. They have endured pain and faced mortality in ways that would give the toughest adults pause. Naomi requested that her big brother, 8 year old Jeremiah, and I, her Auntie, ride with her. We jumped and were chauffeured by our gracious pedi-cab rider, Rene. At the children’s request, Rene put on the speed and pedaled as fast as she could! It was a lovely day!

Naomi, Jeremiah and Rene:









You can see video of the pedi-cab ride here:

Starting line for LIVESTRONG San Jose 2009



During LIVESTRONG San Jose 2009


Approaching the finish line for LIVESTRONG San Jose 2009


Finish line for LIVESTRONG San Jose 2009




Today was Naomi’s bi-monthly oncology appointment. Everything went great! She's a healthy kid!

Naomi with her Nurse Practitioner:

Running and running

The kids participated in a timed race:

Naomi ran 13 laps in 10 min, Jeremiah ran 11 laps in 11 minutes.

Brown belt in the family!

I do apologize for not keeping up Naomi's blog on a regular basis. The good news is, she's doing great! So well, that we've all (well, at least me) fallen into a pattern of living the normal mundanity of everyday life, healthy children, work that's ever more consistent despite the economy, pleasing weather, shelter, food, all of the bare necessities of life. In other words, things are good...and so the blog suffers. Better that than the stressful impetus to write daily!

In the past few months, Naomi has passed her martial arts exam to receive her brown belt (at 6 years old!!)! Her big brother, Jeremiah, received his black belt (at 8 years old!!), but his mother has yet to email me a photo of him in his uniform...hint, hint...

We're all immensely proud of these tenacious, energetic, brilliant, beautiful children. : >




Blessings to you all!

Naomi the SuperStar!

My adorable niece Naomi is being featured in advertisements for the Keaton Raphael Memorial Foundation. Check out her beautiful photos on their website:

Keaton Raphael Memorial Foundation

We're all so proud of our little star!

Naomi's new keyboard

Naomi saw a keyboard in a store today, and bought it so she could be like her auntie...AWWWWWW! I'm biased, but this is the cutest video!

Naomi's 6th birthday!

Today we celebrated Naomi’s 6th birthday! What a miracle! Naomi is such a strong and amazing child! She is determined to put cancer behind her, and live life as a normal 6-year-old little girl (one with a depth of character and experience that will continue to be an inspiration for children and adults throughout her life). Naomi had a party with her school friends on Friday, a slumber party with her closest cousins on Saturday and a fun filled pool party on Sunday! It was a party weekend!

Naomi's Healing Journey

Hello friends,

As many of you know, my 5 year old niece Naomi has been receiving chemotherapy treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) since April 28, 2006. ALL is the most common form of childhood cancer, but Naomi is anything but a common child. This petite, yet strong willed, little girl has endured 2 years of regular chemotherapy, blood tests, blood transfusions, spinal taps, toxic medications, hair loss, physical bloating, bracing pain, and a number of other cancer treatment side effects, with grace and patience beyond her years.

We are all extremely grateful for the fact that Naomi is responding well to her cancer treatment (which ends in September 2008!) and is expected to live a normal, healthy life. Naomi's parents realize that they are blessed and want to use their experience as parents of a child with cancer to help other families in the same situation.

Naomi's family has decided to spend the summer of 2008 driving 10,000 miles across the USA in order to raise funds for the Leukemia Research Foundation. Lisa Thompson, a documentary filmmaker noted for her commitment to telling stories of social importance, with emphasis in the area of children's health, will be joining the family and documenting their journey. This fundraiser has the potential to make a huge impact by raising funds for Leukemia research. But it can not happen without YOUR HELP!

Please join Naomi's family in this worthy cause:

1) Visit Naomi's Leukemia Research Foundation web page

2) Make a contribution to the fundraiser TODAY!

3) Forward this information to your friends and family.

Let's help Naomi in her quest to find a cause and cure for Leukemia!

Blessings to you all!

Victoria
Music, art, education, prosperity, well-being, compassion, peace, joy and love!

End of Chemotherapy Party!

Today is Naomi’s last day of chemotherapy treatment! Friends and family gathered in her family’s backyard to express gratitude for Naomi having endured the past 2 and 1/2 years with more grace, strength and courage that should be possible for such a young child. The sun was bright and the air was hot as the scent of barbeque drifted by in wafts with the occasional much-appreciated breeze. The kids’ karate school came and did a demonstration, and Naomi and a couple of girls from her hula school danced for the crowd of over 50. After the formal activities, all of the kids jumped into the water slide and the jumper. Even this big kid got into the jumper and had a great time!

While Naomi is no longer receiving chemotherapy, and is a true survivor of cancer, she will continue to be examined on a monthly basis to confirm that leukemia remains out of her system. After 5 years of living cancer free, she will officially be declared in remission. Please continue to keep her in your prayers and thoughts.

Thank you to everyone for all of the prayers, contributions, visits, email messages, letters, meals, etc., that have been extended to the family during the diagnosis and treatment of Naomi’s disease. I am humbled and grateful for your kindness, generosity and energy. May you be blessed in all things in every way.

Final "in-hospital" chemotherapy session!

On Monday, Naomi had her final "in-hospital" chemotherapy session! Just a couple of more weeks of chemotherapy to go! Hallelujah!

NAOMI'S FUNDRAISER FOR LEUKEMIA

Naomi and her family are doing a major fundraiser for leukemia. Read about it here: Leukemia Research Foundation