Want to Make a Difference This Holiday Season?

Put a smile on a child's face by donating a toy to the American Family Children's Hospital!!


(Now through December 23rd)


The holiday season is upon us, and I have had several people ask me lately how they can help my family.




The short answer is this-



Hey, we are okay!

So if you want to "help" my family, do us all a HUGE favor and make a donation to the American Family Children's Hospital.



That's right- I am running a toy drive for AFCH so that the kids that HAVE to spend THEIR holidays at the hospital have some toys and games.



I am looking for DVD's (pg13 or younger, used OR new), toys (easily washable preferably, though we are also looking for small gifts), and board games and books.



If YOU want to help my family, or someone else's family and help put hope back in the hearts of many this season, make a donation.



Gifts can be dropped off at Starion Financial in Middleton, or at Belleville Schools with Pam Christen, or with ME personally- Kristi Rufener.



Email me for more details: kristirufener@hotmail.com

The Chosen Mothers

The Chosen Mothers


by Erma Bombeck

Most women become a mother by accident, some by choice and a few by habit. Did you ever wonder how mother's of children with life threatening illnesses are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over earth selecting His instruments for rogagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.......

"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecilia. Rutledge, Carrie, twins, partron saint Greard." Finally, He passes a name to an angel and says, "Give her a child with cancer."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a child with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But, does she have patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it."

"I watched her today," said God. "She has that feeling of self-independence that is so rare and necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has it's own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she believes in you," said the angel. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child ccasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is the woman I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a single step ordinary. I will permit her to see clearly the things I SEE....ignorance,cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them."
"And what about her patron saint" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.
God smiles and says..."A mirror will suffice."

Made In The 80s

There I go again, waiting WEEKS between updating the blog, and even left it at a cliffhanger to those still waiting for results from our CT scan!

Long story short, Charlie's CAT scan came back AWESOME!

There was absolutely NO CANCER in her liver... *insert giant sigh of relief here, along with some enthusiastic fist pumping*

She has since finished cycle 6 of chemo, and has been doing fantastic.

www.curecharlotte.blogspot.com is now up and running- look there for updates on our war against childhood cancer. You will find articles to support my outrage and research.

On to today...

So, last Thursday, Bekah and her class got to visit the Intermediate School (where gramma pam works) to see the African Safari Acrobats. On her way out, she ran up to Gma Pam to give her a hug, and Gma noticed that Bekah felt warm... Upon further temperature taking, she discovered that Bekah was running a fever. And had a headache. And the crap hath hitteth the fan.

Because then there is ME, AT WORK, and KEVIN, AT HOME, having a war of the worlds on our Blackberry's over what Kevin and Charlie should do.

We finally made the decision for them to evacuate- and it turned out to be the right one.

When Gma got home with Bekah, I sent them straight to the clinic for H1N1 testing, and went off to Bekah's parent teacher conference. Which turned out smashingly- she needs to study her math more, but as it turns out she is quite an avid reader... Which, of course, I knew since she spent most of the summer with her head in a book.

The clinic then informed us we wouldn't have results for at least 48 hours, and since it was a Thursday we didn't expect to hear anything until Monday.

So, say helloooooo to the weekend from aych ee double hockey sticks.

A kid that was spiking a fever to 104 from 99 in less than ten mintues- faster than I could get medicine in her- followed by a rough cough, terrible headaches and chills, and a Mom (that's moi) who is running through hand sanitizer like it is ambrosia from the God's, and trying not to openly wince in front of my poor sick babe so she doesn't feel like she has the plague... Which is pretty much what it was like, since I can't risk contamination.

Right up until Monday she ran that fever until it finally broke. That's when I received the call that confirmed what we pretty much already knew- Yep. Check her for the curly tail and oinks- the kiddo has the (insert scary music here) Swine Flu.

Lord, why dost thou hate me so?

I finally shipped her off to school this morning just in time for her Halloween party (thank Jesus, otherwise she would have pitched a fit about that all weekend as well), and now we have to wait for her to be completely symptom free before hubby and baby can come home...

So, now it's been a week since I last smooched my husband, and last cuddled my Charlie girl... and it's getting weirder every day..

Like a throwback to my single life, when it was just Bekah and I, living in my parents house... And I would like to say its remniscent of the good ol' days, but lets face it-

I want my family back...

And my own laundry...

I'm starting to get recruited for... *gasp* chores!

More news soon!

Kristi Rufener

Abomination

Some dirty, rotten, low down scoundrel put this irresistably impossibly delicious looking tin of cookies on the corner of my desk... Someone had better do something about this... I am going to just have to march right up to them, point my finger in their face, and let them have it... Right after this one.... nom nom nom...

Lance Harris

I wanted to write a huge post for my year anniversary on the blog, and was all consumed with it until I heard my little buddy Lance was med-flighted to AFCH this afternoon...

I haven't heard much from Lauren (and I don't want to drive her nuts), so while I sit here and wait to hear something other than him being intubated, I am going to ask for everyone's prayers.

Please pray for Lance, we KNOW he is tough, and we KNOW he can make it through this just like he made it trough Neuroblastoma...

Pray for Lauren also, for strength and hope.

We are fighting with you guys, keep your head up!

We love you!!


Kristi Rufener

AFCH, Our Home Away From Home

Getting to the hospital for round five of chemo proved to be more of a waiting game than usual.

We were scheduled for Monday, but as luck would have it the entire hospital was full. I guess it's possible, but it's not something that would cross your mind.

We ended up getting our phone call to come in around eleven o'clock this morning.

When we finally got in and got settled, I snuck down to the nurses station to drop off a card for a family with a four month old who was newly diagnosed last week.

I offered to meet them, and sent them a gift card with the card- our nurse told us they were a bit "shellshocked" (and we certainly know how that feels) but that they were planning on stopping by to meet us in the morning. I totally understand, either way.

Charlie started chemo today around five, while I was at work, and got snuck in for a CT Scan at eight tonight. She was a trooper! Our nurse came in and asked if she would take oral Fluconazole- being the know it all mom that I am, I immediately insisted that of course she wouldn't. She hates her meds!

So, being the daughter Charlie is, of course she took them from nurse Amy.

Then, the nurse asked if she would drink her contrast solution in juice- it can't be mixed with formula. Again, I argued against that, saying that Charlotte was the only baby I knew that DIDN'T drink juice...

Charlie drank half of it.

Have you ever seen a grown woman's jaw hit the proverbial floor?

I am assuming from a distance it was quite entertaining.

We also got our pictures from Flashes of Hope Photography, sponsored by the hospital for families with ill children.

I will make sure to get some up tomorrow when I get a chance...

For now, though, I am going to pick my jaw up off the floor where I left it, grab my husband some hot chocolate, and go to sleep.

At least I am never wrong in my dreams.

God Bless!

Kristi Rufener

Em Ar Eye Day

Today was an MRI day...

After every two cycles of chemo, Charlie has what we affectionately call "progression MRI's". They monitor the progress of the chemo and make sure her tumor isn't becoming resistent. So far I am playing the waiting game as we haven't got any results back yet.

The good news about today is that we were told she could have sedation instead of full general anesthesia. And this time, we got to be with her when they sedated her.

Now THAT was an interesting experience... It was so quick. She just slipped right into it. Limp like a rag doll. The eyelids just fell shut and she looked so peaceful. It is beyond amazing to me that someone invented a medicine that can do that. Amazing. The anesthesiologist just laughed at me when I told him I could use some of that stuff at home.

To make a long (and exceptionally boring) story short, it ended up being a lot less time consuming because we didn't have the breathing tube to contend with (no croup cough! yay!), and once again she won over many hearts in the recovery room when she came to. I know this is going to sound horrible but I couldn't stop laughing at the look on her face when she reached for the paper that the nurse was holding, but couldn't get it. Because she was still "out of it" she thought the paper was closer to her than it really was. Her confusion was hilarious.

I have been bugging the infamous Lisa Keller all day, and still no results. But plenty of humor from her, which she is always good for.

Now I'm at work and having a war. My sister was exposed to H1N1, and now it is a struggle to keep Charlie from being exposed to it.

For some reason, waiting for the results from this scan are making me more nervous than last time. I have absolutely no reason to think this scan is not going to show improvement, yet here I am- heart pounding, stomach in my throat, staring at my phone waiting for it to ring.

Ridiculous.

Kevin sent me a video of Charlotte rolling today though that has helped pass the time. She has obtained the ability to roll from her stomach to her back, which makes her officially mobile. This is a HUGE milestone for a baby that wasn't moving at all at diagnosis.

I am going to jet for now, but I will blog more as soon as I get results.

God bless.

Kristi Rufener