December 25th, 2007 Merry Christmas everyone. Ok, so I don’t feel merry and it doesn’t even feel like Christmas but I thought I best say it anyway. Everyday is tough but the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries are even more so. Whoever thought the norm for us would be going to the cemetery on Christmas….not a tradition one dreams of. However, that is our new normal, the three of us enjoying Christmas morning best as we can, going to church and then off to the cemetery. It just stinks. Because of Christmas we have hope and that is what we all should cling onto. Our event at Mott Children’s Hospital was so rewarding for me. We had about 20 kids per floor that came and shopped for their families, and then we gave them a blanket and took a Polaroid picture of them which we placed into a snow globe. They all seemed to appreciate it and it was the perfect thing for me to do this holiday season. Each baby was given a blanket and a $25.00 gas card or Meijer’s gift card too. The hospital seems to be the only place where I feel like I fit in. Maybe that means I should work at one? I feel that is where I am meant to be is with the children at the hospital. It’s a long drive but it is the one thing that makes me feel comfortable as crazy as that may sound. Thanks to all of my board members and friends that helped get us ready for this Christmas event and thanks to those that actually attended the event. I hope it was as rewarding for you as it was for me. Lastly, thank you to all of you that so generously donated money and items whether it be from our last fundraiser or sent directly to us as a donation towards this event. Thank you for we could not have done any of this if it wasn’t for all the warm-hearted generous people out there. This is something I hope we can do every Christmas and something I will definitely look forward to each year. Thanks to all the Girl Scout troops from Livonia and Northville that helped tie the blankets and for creating the purple heart gift tags. Thanks to Northville Christian school’s 4th grade class for making the holiday gift bags. It was so nice having these children be a part of this event. Please read the Mcare magazine’s upcoming March issue for a story of our event and Leah’s Happy Hearts. You just may see a picture of a gift bag that you created. For those that didn’t know, Channel 7 did a story on our event at Mott’s a week or so prior to it occurring. Please go to www.leahshappyhearts.org and click on the bottom link to see the interview. You will hear Leah talking and singing as they took video of our home video. God I miss that little girl. Another little 9-year old girl just passed away from this dreadful tumor so please keep the family of Kaley Smith in your prayers. 21/2 years later and still no progress has been made in curing this tumor. Kylie is doing well and just started wearing contacts and will be getting braces soon. Maybe that means it’s time for me to find a job! She is still in gymnastics and cheerleading so she keeps fairly busy. The other day she mentioned to me that she would never be an aunt and that made me feel so bad. Of course I explained how if/when she gets married her spouse may have siblings and then she would be an aunt to their children. I just hate that she has to go through all this pain too. As a mother I can see the hurt inside and I try to be the best Mom I can be to her in the hopes she will feel a bit of comfort from me. Well I’m ready for a nap so please keep all the families of children that died too soon in your prayers. We all know death is inevitable but when it happens to a child it is just plain not fair!!! These children do not deserve to die so young and be stripped of their dreams. Sure wish I knew why these things happen. Take care and enjoy the holiday vacation. God Bless, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

December 4, 2007 I’m having one of the worst moments I’ve had in a couple years and I really don’t know what else to do but write. The heart wrenching grief consumes me some days and unless you’ve lost a child you have no idea how difficult this is. On days like this it takes all of the energy I have just to shower and take Kylie to school. This really stinks. I miss Leah so doggone much and nothing feels right without my family of 4. How in the world does one get through something like this? There is no vacation, no amount of money, nothing that will fill the void. A hug and and an I love you from Kylie is the motivator for this climb back up the ladder. We are busy getting ready for our Mott’s Christmas event and thanks to Girl Scout troops and friends we have managed to complete all of the fleece blankets and heart gift tags. Now it is a matter of sorting the gifts into 3 separate piles for the 3 different floors we will be on. I hope these children feel Leah’s spirit and have happy hearts after receiving their gifts. Children continue to die from this dreadful tumor and it continues to tick me off. Why is there no hope for these kids? When will we find a cure? Kylie, boy thank God for Kylie. I have to think of how hard this must be on her too and then I think how much I love her and I know that I have to stay strong. Even after having hours like I just did I must pick myself back up and continue with this journey called life. I look back and you know what, I was just like you. Wow, I had this great family, we ate well, played a lot, worked hard, had many friends….life was good. And then one day out of the blue your child vomits. Your child who is intelligent, beautiful from head to toe, sensitive, caring, sweet, is given a death sentence. A 1% chance of living past a year. My how life can change just like that. At first you hate God and don’t believe in anything anymore. Slowly you learn you have to make a choice of never believing in anything again, or….. slowly climb the ladder of faith and inch by inch start to believe again. With understanding comes belief so I try to become as knowledgeable as I can about the bible and life. You know one thing that is difficult for people who lost a child is when someone says the wrong thing like “you know you should have fed them all organic.” Well zip it! I am in an online support group where we share thoughts and knowledge on a daily basis. There are families that fed all organic and their child still died from this tumor, there are families that breastfed and fed organic, families that even paid attention to where they would live to ensure the air and ground was not contaminated and their child still died from this tumor. So don’t guess because your little comment can make us feel guilty and that is the last thing we want to feel. Nobody knows how or why these children get these tumors but I sure hope someday they find out. I ordered a plain grave blanket for Leah so those that know her, please feel free to go and add an ornament or decorate her blanket. I am going to take some Christmas decorations and make it pretty myself but if you’d like to add something or just a note, I would love it. Thanks for allowing me to vent again and for listening. I will update soon and let you know how things are going. Please keep us in your prayers and all the families that may be mourning this holiday season. Take care and Warmest Wishes. Oh, almost forgot – please light a candle on December 9th at 7 p.m. in memory of Leah so that her light will always shine. There is a Worldwide Candle Lighting effort put on by The Compassionate Friends. www.compassionatefriends.org Thanks. Blessings, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

November 7, 2007 What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger they say? I’m missing Leah so badly right now. The mornings are the worst and going to sleep at night is no picnic either. I think of her and wonder if she can see me, and hear me now. If so then where is she? This is when I have to go back to faith because basically that is all we have. In the end when we are alone all we have is our faith and hope in God as our savior. I am grateful for Phil and Kylie and I’m also grateful for the 5 1/2 years we had with Leah but I still sometimes get angry. I’ll never understand why it was her and not me. Maybe I’m not deserving enough to die? I do believe that Leah taught us all something about life and it did show me that there are angels here on earth. She touched so many lives and I believe changed us for the better. She will always be in my heart and a piece of my heart will always be with her. That piece will never be replaced inside of my soul and there will always be this void. I honestly don’t think I will ever be truly 100% happy because I don’t feel whole. I will learn to cope with this void but that is all I will promise. I love Kylie and Phil and feel blessed to have them in my life and I’m sure they will always have the same void in their life. I’m reading a book called “If God is so good, why do I hurt so bad?” It is a great book for grieving parents and the real message in it is that suffering is Christ’s invitation to follow him. There is a very fine line between being so angry you want nothing to do with Him and turning your life completely around and believing. I choose the latter. Kylie is doing well and is in cheerleading right now. She is doing very well in school and I’m very very proud of her. She keeps me going that is for sure and I’m so grateful for that. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to be a Mother. It is the most important job in my life. I am so busy with the planning of the Christmas event at Mott’s. We have several Girl Scout troops helping us with blankets and gift tags and we have received help from Kohl’s as well. Things are coming along and we will be cutting the blankets next week. All 100 of them! Crazy busy but rewarding. You know I always think when it is all said and done what can we look back on and say we did with our lives? Worked 30 years in a cube? I want to do something that is meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for having had a great job and being able to help provide a good family life for our kids but there is more than just that. Speaking of Christmas, if you have children and would like a personalized letter sent to them from Santa please go to www.sentbysanta.net and order a personalized Santa letter. A portion of the proceeds will go to Leah’s Happy Hearts www.leahshappyhearts.org so check it out please. Well I just wanted to touch base and I promise I won’t wait so long next time. Please keep the families that lost their children to brain tumors recently in your prayers. Sophie (smilesforsophie.com), Chase, Hannah, and too many others to mention. We must keep fighting and praying for a cure and next June I plan on going to Washington (pending on money situation) and make my voice heard damn it! These kids deserve a chance, much more of a chance than saying they have a 1-5% chance of living past a year. That has to be the worst odds I’ve heard in regards to any pediatric disease. Take care and may you all have good health! I’m thankful for all of you and please know that this doesn’t get easier. Those that read this who have friends that lost their child, please don’t think that they are fine and that just because a couple years have past their hurt is gone. The hurt WILL ALWAYS be there and there are many days where we still cry. We long to hold, hug, kiss our angels again and we feel cheated and robbed. That doesn’t change!!! Blessings, Karen Kylie and Leah’s mommy forever Take God’s hand. He knows how you groan inwardly (Romans 8:23) and He understands and cares. He’s been there before you, and He is with you now, interceding for you with “groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26)

September 30, 2007 Hi everyone, It is Sunday morning so I only have a few minutes before church but I felt like it is time for an update. Speaking of church, I went to my first bible study last week and it was very enjoyable, in fact I look forward to my next study. I’ve actually always had a very strong faith but I’m not one that talks about it much; I actually feel uncomfortable opening up too much about it. Like I always tell Kylie, “Actions speak louder than words” so for the sake of keeping the peace, I will leave it at that. We have been blessed to have many angels around us and I thank you to all of those angels out there. You help us to forget the few that are oblivious to the fact that Kylie (and of course Phil and I) will always have a deep wound that will never be covered up but sometimes may lay dormant until some sight, word, or action causes it to bleed again. Thank you friends. I’m wondering how many of you saw “Private Practice” on Wednesday night. If you didn’t you can go to www.abc.com and watch it. During the last 15 minutes or so they showed a woman having a breakdown and when they checked her history they read from the doctor’s reports that her son died from a brainstem glioma, it is the most aggressive form of brain cancer and there is no cure. It was painful yet good to see that there is someone out there that recognizes this tumor is deadly and chose to publicize it thru the show. Good for them! When will a cure be found and when will they know what causes it. Oh I hate when people say, “it could be the foods we eat.” Shut-up!! You don’t know so don’t guess because anyone that lost a child to cancer doesn’t want to hear that we could at all be at fault so shut-up!! It takes months to get to a point where you can live with the fact your child is gone and the medical community doesn’t know why so one little phrase from an ignorant person can send us back to a dark place wondering “could it have been this?” Please keep Hannah in your prayers as she is battling this tumor and not doing very well. Also, the families of Chase who is from Birmingham, MI, and a little girl named Brooke. They lost their battle with this tumor within the last couple of weeks and my heart goes out to the families. I’m sure Leah is showing them around heaven. Good news! We have our date for the Christmas party at Mott’s which is going to be the 23rd of December. We have been asked to concentrate on a gift cart only and skip the food and games so that is what we will focus on. We will be looking for girl scout troops to help us wrap gifts and/or make fleece blankets to take with us so please let me know if you know of a troop that may be interested. We are only allowed to have 12 people helping at the most so I don’t think we will be asking for help that day but thank you to all of those that offered. I have a list of folks that are interested so if we need one or two we will work from our list. I’m looking forward to this event. Next year we will start planning a fun run/walk!! We have an ad that will be posted in the Detroit News but we don’t know when. We won’t know until the day of or the day before so I will post an update as soon as I hear. It is really cool and we were lucky enough to have JWT partner with us on this so I’m hoping it will promote the awareness we are looking for. It will run as part of the Partnership for Humanity program put on by the Detroit News. Kylie is doing well despite the typical girl issues at this age. I’m trying to teach her to do the right things and to rise above these issues but when your heart hurts it is difficult. She is so sensitive and some girls her age don’t have the maturity yet to know that you should treat others as you would like to be treated. I am doing my best to give her the strength she needs to deal with all kinds of people but it sure is tough. Kylie got to tube again this weekend and I was able to water ski last week so thank you to those that helped us have such enjoyable weekends this summer. Heck, I didn’t do too bad for my age!! haha! I miss Leah tremendously and think of her all the time. Hope is what gets me through and I hope she has a happy heart. Thanks for letting me vent today and I hope everyone enjoys this sunny weather and that you all stay healthy. I love you Leah and I miss you!!!! Forever and ever. Blessings, Karen Kylie and Leah’s mommy forever

August 31, 2007 Hi there, Well I don’t know where to begin or what to say but I’m wearing this pain everyday and it feels like a heavy coat as Kenny Chesney would say. I am missing Leah every minute of every day and the nights when I go to sleep are the worst. Will I ever accept this? I went to church today after taking a long summer break from it. I want to get back on track spiritually because that is the only way to go on after a tragedy like this and still have hope. Hope! That is what I am hanging on to and with that I know I will be with her again. I’m loving not working and spending good quality time with Kylie. One thing I notice that is different now is that I do everything with patience where before I was always hurrying. I had a great job with a great schedule where I could work from home but I was still always in a hurry. Now when I bake a cake, cook dinner, drive my daughter to school, go shopping I don’t have all of these other worries on my mind. It is so nice! I am without that hefty income but I will survive, we will survive. I want to get something part-time by December just so I can get out of the house and be with people a bit. Well okay, I’d rather never work again but I feel like I should do something. Retirement is great!!! We did about a month of soul searching these past few weeks and we had to make a major decision that would have been life altering. I can’t say where or when but it would have involved a move down south and for a bunch of reasons we chose to stay, but mainly because we are afraid we would not be able to sell our house. It was a great opportunity and they really thought Phil would be a great asset to their company. Yes, it’s difficult to give up a career opportunity like that but we did what we thought best at the time. I would have come back for the Christmas party at Mott’s and would probably come back often but we would have been starting a whole new life somewhere else. We traveled there twice and other than the journey I walked with Leah and still walk, this had to be the second toughest thing we had to go through. If some of you haven’t heard from me in a while that is why…we were totally consumed in making the right decision and I still don’t know if it was a good one or not. At any rate, our house is up for sale and it is a beautiful 3 bedroom ranch so if you know anyone wanting a ranch let me know. I think a fresh start in a different home will be good for us. Thanks to those few that offered to take care of Leah’s site while we were gone… that meant so much to me! I love you gals for offering and I may still have to take you up on that in the future. The paperwork for the Christmas party at Mott’s has been completed and we are just waiting on finalizing a date. I will keep you posted. I’m excited about being able to help others. I’m also going to see John Edwards in October and I’m looking forward to that as well. I am open to anything that could possibly allow me to contact Leah. Yes I’m a Christian but when you are living without your precious daughter you will do anything, and I mean anything to try to reach her. It is Labor Day weekend and we have had a blast this weekend. Where has the summer gone? Kylie started school and will start gymnastics next week. I hope everyone has a great week. We are in the process of organizing our home and believe me it will take months!!!! If anyone is interested in hosting a clothing party at your home please let me know as I’m looking for new customers J God Bless everyone and may your families stay healthy. Enjoy them! I miss you Leah and I will love you forever!! Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

August 9, 2007 Hi everyone, Sorry it has been so long since I have updated but life has been hectic. We had a sump pump overflow in our basement so that is taking up a lot of my time and fortunately none of my Leah pictures or artwork were affected. I don’t know what I would have done if that was the case. Thanks to everyone that remembered the anniversary of Leah’s flight to heaven. I have been missing her so much and the ache in my heart is sometimes unbearable. God I miss her and sometimes I feel like running away or hiding in bed and never coming out. It is this piercing kind of pain that I hope none of you ever experience. It is a grief that has got to be the worst kind there is,,,,the death of a child that you loved and the fact that we were able to get to know her personality and her spirit. ugh! I miss you Leah so much and I know it was not fair. You did not deserve this nor did Kylie. I think of the pain Kylie must feel when in school and she is told to write about her family. How unfair! I just read about another child that passed away and another little boy that is going on about 8 months and his tumor is showing growth. I get so angry. Something has got to be done!! Leah’s Happy Hearts delivered our first mini-wish to a little boy named Jacob and we brought him a Nintendo Wii for his 10th birthday. Jacob has multiple tumors on the brainstem and is currently going thru chemotherapy. We took pictures which I hope to post soon on the Happy Hearts website. Because of your donations, this little boy received a gift he really wanted and please know you brought a smile to this little boy’s face. He is having a hard time keeping food down due to the chemotherapy so please say a prayer for him. I will see if it is okay to post his website and you will all see the pictures soon. Next job will be planning the Christmas party. I will try to include as many people as I can. That is all for now. We actually have a lot going on right now and I will post more as soon as I can let the cat out of the bag. Take care and please pray for Jacob, Sam, and all the families that lost a child. May this week find you with many blessings and good health. I love you little Leah and I miss you forever. When I look to the stars I always say you are that little star looking down on me. xo Kylie and Leah’s mommy forever, Karen

July 19, 2007 Hello everyone. Well we were in Denver for 5 days and then I was in Chicago for 2 days. Denver was great and it is definitely a place I could live. Beautiful fresh clean air, hot weather with LOW humidity and gorgeous mountains with snow in the distance. It was some good Mommy and me time with Kylie while Phil was taking classes. We were introduced to the Nintendo Wii as they had some Wii challenge games at the conferences. Much fun!! We also met up with another couple we met in Vegas last year who live in Denver that suffered the loss of their little boy from the same tumor as Leah. It was great to see them again and we had a nice night of sharing stories while crying and laughing. A nice little break. We are going to attend the 2nd annual DIPG conference in Vegas again this year and I’m looking forward to bonding with parents that are walking the same journey due to the same monster of a tumor which took their child. There will be a doctor speaking about the obstacles that are being faced in finding a cure and there is also a session called Hello God that sounds interesting. Speaking of God, everytime I fly I look out the windows at the clouds and above and say, “Where the heck is heaven?” We grow up with this image that heaven is up their in the sky yet when I look around I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. Yeah, I know God is all around me and the wind, sun, birds, blah, blah, blah are all signs of God but I’m looking for a place where my little girl is at!! Where does the spirit go?! There is much beauty and good in this world as well as ugliness and crime and I know I have to choose to focus on the good or I will drive myself crazy. So that is where I am at today. Today I am choosing to focus on the positive and thank God for the 51/2 years WE had with Leah and the wonderful memories I will carry with me forever. I will forever struggle with “I could have been a better Mom by ….” but hindsight is everything. I miss Leah every minute of every day and I’m constantly thinking of her. Leah taught us what it means to have strength, be brave and courageous and to enjoy every day and I thank her for that. I sure hope she thought I was a good Mom. I miss her sooooo much and I’m constantly talking to her. I want to thank everyone that goes to visit her at the cemetery. It truly means a lot to me that some of you who never even met her have gone and I know Leah appreciates that. I feel like a lot of people think we are fine now and that couldn’t be further from the truth. We put one foot in front of the other and that is about all we can do. Losing a child has got to be the worst pain one can experience – I am convinced of that. Everyday is a struggle and I sometimes wonder if this is all just a dream….a bad dream!!! Our new little kitten is adorable and I think Batman finally has accepted him. They chase each other and fight a little bit but then they snuggle up and sleep together so I think he is a good addition for Batman. We named him Jack and yes he is another Cornish Rex. It sure is a lot more work with 2 cats though as the litter has to be scooped at least twice a day. Ick!! Phil’s allergies have been acting up with the new kitty so I’m hoping that subsides as his body builds resistance to the new kitten. Kylie is doing fine and went to volleyball camp for 1 week. She is now in Catechism and will be taking swimming lessons again next week. She has had fun tubing with friends, swimming, and jumping on her trampoline. It is so nice to be home with her but I find that I get lazy and don’t do a whole lot. I do manage to run or walk once a day and have a glass of wine :) Summer is flying by and it seems like there is no time. I go to my Dad’s every other week to clean and grocery shop and then just plain everyday chores fill each day. I took part in a focus group at U of M hospital for their radiation/oncology department. They are partnering with families so that they can enhance their patient relationships and become an even better hospital. I plan on helping out with several other focus groups in the near future and I have to say it is nice to be listened to and taken seriously. Who knows, in a few years when the new U of M children’s hospital opens I may be working there? Speaking of work, I plan on spicing up my resume in September and then probably look for work. I have a couple ideas and leads but I really don’t want to focus on it now. I will also be doing CAbi home parties as well and the new fall/winter line is awesome so it should be easy to sell. What will Leah’s Happy Hearts be doing this year? We still plan on hosting a Christmas party at Mott’s Children’s hospital in addition to helping to fund pediatric brain tumor research. Stay tuned. That is all for now. Thanks for checking in on us and please continue to pray for strength for us in addition to praying for the children still battling this tumor (Skylar, Chase, Sam), and for the families missing their children that are now in heaven. I miss you Leah and I love you forever. Karen Kylie and Leah’s mommy forever

June 16, 2007 Where is God? This is something I ask myself a lot. I have been having some rough days and sometimes I feel like an outcast in this world I’m living in. I would feel much better if I was living in a town that had nothing but ill children and families battling illnesses with their children. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t want to live thru that grief again, nor do I want other children to get sick, but it sure is easier being around the environment that ripped my world apart. It’s easier being around families that really understand because they are in the same place as us. Perhaps being in a hospital is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life. I look around and I’m constantly reminded and saddened of the life Leah was cheated of. I’m constantly reminded of the sister Kylie was cheated of. It must be so very difficult for Kylie to hear other kids talk about their siblings and have school projects where you have to discuss your family. ugh! It must be so hard for her to cope with. I see kids that are 7 and I say, gee that is how tall Leah would be. I see communion dresses, 2-wheel bikes, sprinkled cookies and cupcakes, Dora, Sponge Bob, etc. and I’m always thinking of the life that Leah was cheated of and the horrible tragedy we as a family have to cope with the rest of our lives here on earth. We love you Leah and miss you so very much!! We always will. The summer has started out very busy. I’m not working at Ford anymore and it feels good but busier than ever. It is much easier working and having a cleaning lady I sometimes think. For once in my life I am home with my daughter everyday and that is a blessing that I hope Mom’s that can afford to do that appreciate. I’m not sure how long we can afford it (not long) but it is truly a blessing. There are so many little things I realize I never had time to do with Kylie and now I’m going to have the opportunity to do these things. I’m still selling clothing and that keeps my busier than I would like but it does allow me to have nice clothing at a discount and be around people, in addition to making my own hours. I’m telling you this clothing is beautiful and comfortable and the parties are a lot of fun so if you want a fun girl’s night you should think about having one. Enough said. Kylie’s dance recital is this weekend so that coupled along with Fathers Day makes for a busy weekend. Kylie is in hip-hop and she also takes gymnastics. I’m hoping she continues staying physically active and busy because personally I love watching her do these things. When things calm down I would like to take a bible study in the hopes I will find some answers. Anyone want to join me?? There still are a couple support groups out there that I haven’t tried yet and that is on my list as well. We are heading to Denver within the next few weeks for a few days. Phil will be taking some training there so Kylie and I are tagging along. We are looking forward to that as we haven’t been there. When we get back we will have a new kitty waiting for us. His name is Jack and I’m hoping Batman will welcome him and not get too jealous of the little guy. I’m also hoping Jack keeps our new carpeting clean if you know what I mean. The Pontine Glioma support group is meeting again in August in Vegas and I’m hoping we have the opportunity to go but not sure what to do with Kylie. Do I want to leave her again? Do we take her and have someone watch her? Something for us to ponder for sure. Here is a cool thing to share that we noticed. Leah’s favorite color is purple and we happened to plant pink petunias in the front of our house this year. The flowers are bordered by some landscaping edging. There is also a heart on the ground made of white Christmas lights with a halo that lights up at night and there is an angel statue at the top of the heart. Anyway, we noticed a PURPLE petunia growing between the landscaping edging and the sidewalk and it is right at the point of the heart. A sign…..maybe? I’m going to think it is. I go to the cemetery often again since the weather is nice and I can walk there. It is so surreal each time I go. Unbelievable. Thanks again to anyone that supported our fundraiser. We will get thank yous out but we are just a little behind. We have 6 months right? Anyway I really mean it, thank you so much for all of your kind-hearted support. It means so much to us and I think the next event we will plan will be the Mott’s Children’s Hospital Christmas Party. I’m hoping it will be the biggest and best one they have ever had, thanks to all of your donations. There are 200 beds so we want to have enough gifts for each child, each child’s siblings and parents, so we are talking a lot of gifts. The children that are ill will shop for their families Christmas presents and we will wrap so it should be a rewarding event. Any left over monies will be donated to Children’s Brain Tumor research. Well this is a long post so I’m going to end and say thanks for checking in on us. You are all a blessing to have in our lives and I thank you. Happy 11th Birthday to Kylie! We love you. Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

May 25, 2007 Hi there. Well our Genitti’s fundraiser was a success!!! Thanks to all who came to support us and all who donated items and of course those that bid on items. I appreciate each and every one of you and I’m sorry if I didn’t get around to everyone. I’m looking back and remembering people I saw but didn’t get a chance to talk to so please know that you are appreciated and we couldn’t have done this without each one of you coming out to support us. Some of you drove an hour, others I just met for the first time, and some I haven’t seen since the last fundraiser at Genitti’s almost 2 years ago. We made approximately $19,000.00 from this event so thank you everyone. We will throw a heck of a Christmas Party with that and we can help fund some research for pediatric brain tumors. YOU make a difference and together WE will make a difference in this world. Genitti’s looked so nice and I have to say I was a bit panicked the night before the event when we saw 150 items and wondered where we would put them all. It all worked out and I have to say we did an awesome job so thank you to my board members. And Lindsey, you really know how to decorate!!! You all rock!! My brother-in-law pointed out the brick at Genitti’s that Leah wrote her name on 2 years ago. It was bittersweet to see it and we took a photograph of it which I will try to post on the website soon along with pictures of the fundraiser. I miss Leah so much!! I notice so many children in the spring/summer and it makes me feel so cheated. Then I think I would like to adopt but why does the government make it so expensive for these kids in other countries to be adopted. If they need homes so badly why do they make it so difficult to get these kids?? One of many things I will never understand. 2 more days of work and I am done for the summer. I’m looking forward to spending time with Kylie. I feel so bad for her as I can see this is so tough on her. It’s difficult because kids her age don’t understand and she gets hurt a lot as we all know girls can be catty. After all she has been through you would think people would be nice to her and include her but often she is left out and then that just adds to her insecurities. She feels cheated indeed and I know she is angry much of the time but it comes out in ways that only a mom can see. I pray for her and hope that she will grow up being a sensitive, compassionate person and very wise. I felt so bad for her that I agreed to get another kitten. Yes, another Cornish Rexx. I sure hope it works out as our cat right now is an awesome cat. I don’t want to change his personality. Speaking of kittens, there is a woman who breeds Bengals and if you buy one from her she will donate a portion of the proceeds to Leah’s Happy Hearts. The website is www.laptopleopardz.com if you are interested. Oh, they fixed Leah’s tombstone so I am happy about that. It is now nice and level. That’s all for now. Thanks for checking in and please continue to pray for Chase as is still on a ventilator and fighting for his life. Also pray for us and for all the families that have lost a child due to this ugly beast of a tumor. God Bless. Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

May 10, 2007 Hi everyone, First off, Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! We love you! I’m home sick today and I’ve had a lot of emotions running thru me lately especially with Mother’s Day just around the corner. I was going to title this update “Welcome to my World” but then I decided that it may be offensive to some and also realizing we ALL have our own “Welcome to my World’s” I decided against it. So instead I will just say please know that just because I’m being a good Mom to Kylie and going thru the day to day motions doesn’t mean that I am not bleeding inside. It doesn’t mean that I’m okay with this or that all is well in the world. It doesn’t mean I can tolerate the same personalities that you can. I’m feeling like because it will be two years soon, many (not all!) think that I’m not still hurting. I don’t want to make people more uncomfortable around me but sometimes just a hug is better than saying anything at all. Unfortunately Phil and I look at everything differently than we did before and we will NEVER be the same people we were before. Oh, I’d love to have Leah back and live in bliss oblivious to the world around me but that can’t be. Unfortunately, we live in a different world now. Kylie is our number one priority and I will do everything and anything to protect that child from the hurtful people in the world. I will protect her privacy but believe me she is going thru so much and feels so deprived that it just plain hurts me. Please pray for her and Phil and yes, me too. I go to the cemetery almost daily again and I don’t know what I have to do to get her tombstone fixed. It is slanted way down on one side and I’ve put a work order in to fix it but so far no luck. My plan for Mother’s Day is to go to the cemetery and hang a plant on a hook; Never thought that was how I would be spending my Mother’s day but that is what I want to do. I also hope to get time to visit my Mother’s grave. After spending time at the two cemeteries we will head to my mother-in-laws and then call it a day. It is a very painful day for me but yet I have to remember to be thankful that God gave me two beautiful girls. They are the best!!!! The fundraiser is coming soon and I have to say it is mentally exhausting. I’m sure when we host events for children it will be comforting but right now it is downright painful. I have to do something with what was given to me so I proceed on. We have so many donations for the silent auction that I’m sure you are going to get some really good deals. There truly is something for everyone. Sports tickets and autographed jerseys, Meet and Greet with Mike Babcock with tickets!, paintings, chefs from La Bistecca preparing dinner for 6 in your home, vintage wine, beautiful jewelry and cosmetic baskets, hair certificates, dinners, webkinz, you name it we have it. The money this year will go towards Pediatric Brain Tumor Research and we will be hosting a Christmas party for children at Mott’s Children’s Hospital. Come one, come all! For more information, please go to www.leahshappyhearts.org. You can also buy tickets at the door for $35.00. Take care and I hope everyone has a happy Mother’s Day. Being a Mother is a gift from God and God can take that gift back whenever he pleases for we all belong to one father. Blessings, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever

May 6, 2007 Hi everyone, Leah’s fundraiser is coming fast and the good news is that we reduced the ticket prices to $35.00. If you already paid $50.00, we will refund you the money at the door. We have so many great auction items I thought it was best if we bring in a lot of people hence, ticket prices are lower. It will be a fun evening and there is something for everyone. Remember, the ticket prices include gourmet appetizers, 2 drinks, a bracelet, and a DJ will be playing music all night. We will be showing our beautiful, sad, yet very powerful video which shows what we are all about. Please go to www.leahshappyhearts.org to view it ahead of time and you will see for yourself what a brave warrior Leah was and will always be in mine and everyone’s heart. To see what this child endured yet still could say her heart was happy is extraordinary and helps me understand a bit why God wanted her back. She truly was an angel!! I will miss her and love her forever and ever. I went to the cemetery today and yesterday and the day before, and the day before that and etc… Now that the weather is nice I find that I want to go and visit a lot more. Sometimes it feels like I’m in this horrible dream and I will wake up and everything will be fine and then the hours go by and I’m still in this life. Ugh! As I’ve said many times, what really keeps me going is remembering that everytime I told Leah I loved her she would say, “But do you love Kylie too?” This was Leah’s way of telling me to take good care of Kylie and that I will do. I still go thru guilt feelings such as wishing I would have turned her room into a nursery before she was born and not worrying about the fact that we would probably move soon so it seemed silly at the time. I feel guilty for not taking her grocery shopping 2 days before she flew to heaven and was crying to go with me. These things haunt me still. But of course I have happy memories as well and I wouldn’t trade any of those for anything in the world. Well enough. I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful weather and please try to come to the fundraiser on May 18th at Genitti’s. You can buy tickets thru Pay Pal at www.leahshappyhearts.org or purchase them at the door. There is supposed to be an article about the fundraiser and our organization in the Livonia Observer on Mother’s Day. It should be on the front page of the Hometown Life section. Take care and thanks for checking on us. Blessings, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

April 29, 2007 Greetings, The first fundraiser which is our kick-off is approaching fast and I’m asking for your support by buying a ticket for this fun event. I realize with the economy the way it is, the price may be a little high but remember approximately $30.00 of it is tax deductible and because it is our first event we need to get some money in the bank. I foresee that future events will be less money. The appetizers are sure to please with beef tenderloin, and meatballs to name a few and there will be plenty so that you can get filled up. You also get a Leah’s Happy Hearts bracelet! We are going to have some awesome auction items I promise you. Do you like hockey? How about tickets to the game and a meet and greet with Mike Babcock and who knows who you will meet in the locker room. How about front row seats to the Tiger game? A signed Payton Manning jersey!! Jewelry, paintings, dinners, purses, massages, gift certificates, lots of kid’s items and more. I know we all give to at least one charity each year so why not Leah’s Happy Hearts. We met with Mott’s Children’s hospital yesterday and listened to many ways we can help them support other families battling illnesses that are life-threatening. One goal I have for this year is to have a Christmas party with a holiday gift cart. Children in the hospital could then shop for their families in addition to selecting a gift for themselves. We will wrap the gifts for them so that they can surprise their families on Christmas morning. These children are getting poked sometimes daily and life on steroids or chemotherapy is so difficult for these kids. It is so important to try to give their life some type of normalcy and see smiles on their faces. They deserve this and so much more. Won’t you help us? Life goes on and of course Kylie, Phil and I miss Leah terribly. I’m always looking at things she used to like and things that I think she now would like and it leaves me feeling empty. She never even made her first Communion. She never was able to ride her new Schwinn bike. She tried but just couldn’t get the pedals to go around as her one side was so weak. What courage and strength this child has shown. Whenever I am afraid of having a procedure done, I will think of Leah how she was bolted down to a table in the radiation room all alone by herself not able to move. How scary that must have been. She was my hero and I love her so much. I’m very blessed to have had both her and Kylie and I’m just sad that God had to take Leah back so soon. Why?? I can’t even begin to explain how badly it hurts still and all the time. She will forever be in my heart. All I can do now is take what I have learned and try to help others. I’m sure hoping Leah will send me some more signs soon. I know she is up there with my Mother and knowing they are together gives me some comfort. My Mother promised me she would give me a sign if she could and I haven’t received one yet (that I know of). My intercom on my phone which I have never used did turn on Christmas Eve when I was sick in bed and I still wonder about that one. Was it Leah or my Mom? I was so sick and Phil and Kylie went to my Dad’s without me for the family Christmas Eve party as I had been in bed for one week. Was that a sign? I like to think so. I’m working only a few more weeks at Ford (as agency) and then I’m done. I will take the summer off to spend time with Kylie and then off to find a job in the fall. I am selling clothing at night a couple times a week so if you want to host a party at your house please let me know. I can book a couple more parties in May or beginning of June and I am already booking for fall. The fall/winter line will be shipped to me in August so get your calendars out ladies. I know it is going to be awesome. (XS-XL and sizes 0-16) Here’s hoping you have a blessed spring! Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever

April 15, 2007 Hello everyone and I hope you all had a nice Easter. We returned from North Carolina where we spent 8 days on Carolina Beach. I was thinking it would be warm and beautiful like Florida but I did not care for it. Parts of North Carolina were nice such as Carey but the beach area is just okay. It probably would have been much better if it were 85 degrees and all of the ice cream stores were open. We learned a lesson and that is never to go anywhere without another family with us or a friend of Kylies with us. Kylie gets so bored by herself and it is just so sad. I know she misses her sister as much as we miss our daughter and it hurts watching her like that. I’m trying to decide what to do with my life as far as working. Should I open a daycare? Should I put all of my efforts into the CAbi clothing line? I’m just not sure which way to turn so I guess I will just sit tight until I feel a strong urge to move in one direction. Easter was difficult as I still think of Leah all the time and feel cheated. Passing Sponge Bob Easter baskets and especially seeing little girls in their dresses at church really hurt. It is like a sword going right thru the wound in my heart. Aggh! Easter does bring us hope and it is the reminder of the resurrection that helps me keep going. I can’t imagine going thru life without believing in God and the resurrection and I feel sorry for people who do not. Coming home from North Carolina we found some boxes and cards and I want to say thank you to both Diane’s for remembering us. It was so special to see that people still realize how difficult this is and it brought tears to my eyes. To those that sent Easter cards I thank you as well. It is like you are giving us a hug that day and saying that you understand we will forever be hurt and the special days and holidays are especially difficult. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! The fundraiser is coming quickly and I’m hoping I will see many of you there. We will have Red Wing, Colts, Lions, and Pistons memorabilia for sure. There will be chefs dinners offered at your home, restaurant certificates, a beautiful rug, jewelry, and many children items to name just a few. Something for everyone!! Please contact me for tickets or go to www.leahshappyhearts.org for more information. We still have bracelets so as a reminder, for every $5.00 donated to Leah’s Happy Hearts we will send you a free bracelet. They come in Small, Medium and Large. I am still seeing about 2 children a month diagnosed with this monster of a tumor and I’ve been watching those battling this tumor with the outcome always being the same. It just has to be stopped. I am going to take a tour of Mott’s Children’s Hospital this month to determine what area would be best to help fund. I dread walking thru the doors of the hospital but I know it is something I have to do. Please continue to pray for us so that we have strength and courage to help others in the same situation. Please also include in your prayers all the families that have angels in heaven from this tumor and those that are currently battling this beast. Blessings, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

March 25, 2007 Hello everyone. Well I just learned that two more children have lost their battle with this horrible monster tumor this past month. Please keep Matthew and Katherine’s families in your prayers. Why? Still no cure and you still do not hear of this illness on the news, magazines, etc. Let’s all keep writing Oprah and Montel and hopefully one of these days there will be a show on it. This is crazy. These children are so brave and they certainly don’t deserve this nor do their siblings. I miss Leah with every breath I take and there are always little triggers that pierce my heart. Telling the restaurant there are 3 of us instead of 4, passing frosted cupcakes in the aisle at the store, seeing beautiful Easter dresses and kids coming outside on their bikes. It really doesn’t get any easier or at least not yet. I found that I react differently to a lot of things now and some things I just don’t give a hoot about. Other things that I didn’t care about before I now care deeply. It’s weird how things change. I don’t go to the cemetery as much lately and I’m not sure if that is because of the cold winter months or if it is just that I am realizing that she is not really there and it is just her shell. She is up in heaven and I can talk to her anytime and I usually use her pictures that are hanging all over our house to do so. I hope she knows how much I really miss her and that I did everything I could to try to save her. We are busy preparing for our first fundraiser (actually our kick-off) in memory of Leah and it will be called, “Leah’s Happy Hearts….the Journey Continues.” It will be held at Genitti’s in downtown Northville and the date is May 18th. It will be a night of delicious, hearty appetizers like beef tenderloins, meatballs, etc… and there will be a D.J. and a wonderful silent auction. The price of a ticket will include two drinks. Stay tuned or continue to check www.leahshappyhearts.org for details. We will need items to auction off at this event so if would like to donate please contact me. I hope to see you there ready to help make Leah’s Happy Hearts a success. This will be a night of awareness!!! Please also keep in mind that we have many bracelets left so for every $5.00 donation to Leah’s Happy Hearts, we will send you one bracelet. We have medium, and large right now and the small’s are on backorder. Happy Easter everyone and may God become a part of your life is he hasn’t already. Without God I don’t know how I would have ever gotten through what I have and in some ways it has made both Phil and I a lot closer to him. Oh, we are still angry as can be and there are some days where I yell at him but without him there is no hope so we go on believing. We go on appreciating Kylie all the more and we are just loving her to pieces. If I would have known I could lose one of my children so quickly I would have read more books to her, hugged her even more (if that is possible) and just did more day to day things with her. Don’t get me wrong, I think I was a good mother to her and we were very, very close but looking back I think we always wish we would have done more. I love you Leah and I miss you and I hope you know that. Take care my pumpkin and please protect us and send us more signs. I can’t wait to see you again but meanwhile I’m going to be taking good care of your sister. Sending you a big hug and kiss!! Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

March 11, 2007 Hi everyone, Sorry it has been so long since I’ve written but things have been really busy. I am officially retired from Ford however I went back as an agency person to help out for a few months only. I am working 3 days a week and for sure will be done before summer. I am looking forward to spending a summer with Kylie and just being a Mom wearing one hat for a change. I will continue to sell the CAbi clothing which is fun and allows me to get out and socialize a bit. Thanks to everyone that has come to a party, hosted one, or just bought something from this beautiful line of clothing. The days go by and I constantly think of what I would be doing right now if Leah was still with us. I pass the cupcakes with lots of frosting and think of her, I see Mom’s holding their little ones and I think how lucky they are to still have their children with them. Yes, I know I am blessed to have had Leah for 5 1/2 years and I’m also very blessed to have Kylie and my husband. With all those blessings I will forever still feel robbed and cheated. Time goes by, children keep dying and there is still no cure. Things are underway for Leah’s Happy Hearts and our “kick-off” fundraiser will be on May 18th which is a Friday. This will be our way of introducing ourselves and explaining what we are all about, what we plan to accomplish and what events we have planned for the future. We are just beginning to iron out the details but there will be a silent auction so if anyone has an item they would like to donate, please let us know. I know some of you already contacted me and I thank you. I’m excited to do something in honor of Leah and I know she will be with us in spirit. We are hoping that with each fundraiser the attendance will grow and that everyone will have so much fun they will want to return for future events. Please remember that if you would like to donate to Leah’s Happy Hearts you can do so by going to www.leahshappyhearts.org and sending a check to the PO box listed. For every $5.00 received, we will send you a free bracelet. I’m hoping Leah knows how much I loved her and always will. I hope she knows I miss her with every minute of every day and I’m always thinking of her. I hope she shoots a star across the sky, sends more frogs and grasshoppers, butterflies and rainbows. I love her so much and I miss her hugs and kisses. I love my Kylie too and am grateful for her every day. I’m enjoying just being a Mom to her and I feel like we are getting closer. Thanks for listening and checking in on us. We are okay. Please sign the guestbook if you get a minute and let us know you are still there. Take care and stay healthy. Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

February 14, 2007 Happy Valentines Day everyone and Happy Valentines Day Leah!! How I wish you were here with us and I could take you and Kylie sledding. Now we must find friends that will allow us to share in the fun as Kylie doesn’t want to just go with her parents. Everyday I still think of you. With each day I miss Leah. I’m dreading spring again because I will see kids on their swing sets and ours empty. I will see kids on their bikes and Leah’s still hanging in the garage for I can’t get myself to get rid of it. It was her first and last Schwinn. The hurt in my heart has become a permanent hole that will never be filled or scarred over. I must learn to live with this void. This will be the toughest lesson I’ve ever had to learn. Kylie still misses Leah tremendously. All of you that have your children are extremely blessed and lucky. For some reason God chose to take Leah back and I’m just not sure why. I like to think that God is not a punishing God so why?? Couldn’t you show us and those touched by Leah the same lesson in some different way? 10 children have died of the same tumor Leah had in the month of January alone. And these are just the children I know of. Please continue to pray for our family and all of the families that have lost a child. It is a pain that you never want to know, believe me. It is like no other loss. We have almost selected a date for our first fundraiser. It will be the beginning of May and probably on a Thursday or Friday night. I’m hoping a lot of supporters will come for we will have a wine-tasting and appetizers along with a silent auction. It was difficult deciding how large of a place to book so we have decided on going with a middle of the road size. I want to ensure we get back what we put into it and then some so that we can host an event for all the children battling a life-threatening disease. I really need to do this so please come to our event. Also, if there is anyone that knows of a great item you would like to donate for the auction please send me a note. Since we are a legitimate 501c3 you do get the tax write-off. I will post the date/place as soon as I have it which will be soon. Thanks again for checking in on us and I hope everyone has a safe day today. Have a blessed, healthy week. Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

January 24, 2007 Hi everyone, I know it has been a long time since I updated but I just really haven’t felt like it. The days go on and I’m missing Leah every single minute. The gut-wrenching pain is there and will probably always be there. I miss her so much. I just learned of another little girl that passed away last Sunday. Okay, that is two beautiful little girls in the last 2-3 weeks that have passed away. I’m angry again. Why? I feel like so many children are getting these tumors, dying, and nothing is being done and that there is no awareness out there. I know, same thing I always say but with each child I tear up and get angry all over again. There are currently 3 in comas and 2 that have passed away this month. The most recent angel is Bailey and you can read about her heroic story at http://www.santanacrane.com. God Bless us all. Kylie has become my main priority and I know that is how Leah would want it. Her unselfish nature continues to remind me to take great care of Kylie!!! I often feel so bad for my Kylie as she is now an only child and I see the twinkle in her eye when she plays with babies and small children. I’m kinda old for a baby so we are debating on whether or not we should add another cat to the family or a dog. If we get a kitten it will have to be a Sphinx since they are bald and I think that would be the least annoying to Phil’s allergies. If we get a dog, I want a Chinese crested. Yes they are ugly but for some reason I am attracted to the ugly bald pets. hahahaha! Kylie loves to nurture, so a kitten would be good for her but I’m not sure how Batman will handle it. He has never messed on the rug and I’m afraid he may get jealous and change his good behavior. What to do??? I will have to think on it. Sure wish we could afford a pool but I understand the built-ins are very expensive. Well I’m retiring for sure and I am looking forward to getting rid of my pager. It is scary, sad, and exciting and I know we will have to cut down on our spending but I’m looking at it like a challenge. I only wish Leah was still here so that I could spend time with both of my girls. We would hang out at the swim club all summer and I only wish I had that opportunity when Leah was still alive. I do have Kylie here with me so I am going to enjoy my first summer as a stay-at-home Mom even though I may head back to work in the fall. I look forward to spending quality time with Kylie and sleeping in!! I think vacations will become a thing of the past but as long as we all have our health that will make me happy (and of course pay the bills too!) Phil keeps saying I should have a party after working in the same building for 30 years but I just can’t seem to decide what to do if anything. A day at the spa sometimes sounds better than anything. Thanks for checking in and please know your continued support and prayers mean a lot to us. Thanks to everyone for sending balloons up to heaven. I know Leah saw them and she is smiling at all of her true friends that continue to remember her. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and I thank you for coming into my life. Again, if you want to donate to our non-profit, Leah’s Happy Hearts www.leahshappyhearts.org we will send you a bracelet for every $5.00 you donate. I hope everyone has a happy heart today and may Leah’s spirit live on in every minute of every day. I love you Leah and I hope your heart is happy. We will see each other again and I hope you are the first one I see. I miss you Leah; we all miss you. Bye for now. Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever

January 11th, 2007 Good morning Baby Girl, Happy Birthday to you in heaven. God I miss you more than words can say. I wish I could throw you a party and hug you tight after you blow out your candles from your cake. 7 years old!! I still think of you every minute of everyday and you become more and more beautiful to me each minute if that is even possible. I loved everything about you and I cherish the time we had with you as a family. You took a piece of my heart with you and in turn you left a piece of your heart inside of me. We were all cheated; You were cheated, Kylie was cheated, Daddy and I were cheated. I will always love you baby girl and I will never stop thinking about you. I love Kylie too and I will take care of her – this I promise you. I just sent 7 purple balloons up to heaven for your birthday and I’m asking others to do the same. If everyone could send at least 1 purple balloon up to heaven in memory of Leah’s life I would appreciate it. Tie a note on it if you can and send my little Leah a message. We took the Christmas tree down the other day and it was so difficult. The tree is filled with pictures of Leah and artwork by Leah and as I wrapped each one up and put it away it hurt. I felt like I was boxing up her memories and it just killed me. I have to remind myself that I have pictures everywhere of her but it still really hurt and I cried and cried. For now I’m going to cherish the days we had together, the hugs and kisses we shared, the giggles and fun we used to have and keep them close to my heart. I encourage everyone to enjoy each day and every minute for you never know what the next hour will bring. There are many crosses to bear in life and some are greater than others. I have no choice but to try to do something good in memory of my precious angel Leah. I thank you all for listening and please stop by the store, pick up a balloon and release it in memory of Leah. I love you Kylie, Phil and always and forever Leah. Blessings, Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever

January 3, 2007 I check on several children each day and it is with great sadness that I learned of Ariana’s passing today. Ariana was a beautiful little girl that was 4 years old and she had the same damn tumor as Leah. http://www.arianasamaras.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ When will there be a cure for this tumor? I don’t want to see any children diagnosed with this horrible beast but I bet that if a big star in Hollywood had a child with this tumor something would be done. These kids keep dying and I feel as if the world just keeps going on and the world is saying, “Oh well”. Don’t get me wrong, I know all of you Leah’s journey followers care deeply but when is the world going to start recognizing this awful disease and have some huge benefits for a cure like they did for breast cancer and prostate cancer, and juvenile diabetes. I’m just very angry right now. I miss Leah terribly and I’ve been very depressed lately. I don’t know if it is because I’m losing my job on top of everything but I just want to sleep away each day. I know I am blessed to have Phil and Kylie and I thank God for them everyday but the bottom line is that things will never be the same without our little Leah. I’m having a tough time getting used to the new normal; it doesn’t feel normal at all. Awkward and lonely is more like it. I hope Leah knows that we did everything we could for her and that we love and miss her sooo much. Thank goodness for all the pictures I have of her for surrounding myself in her photos and paintings is the only way I feel a bit of comfort. I hope everyone has a Blessed New Year and a healthy one at that. Please keep us in your prayers as well as all the families that lost their child to a tumor. Thanks for being there to support us and for signing the guestbook. Just another reminder - If you decide to donate to Leah’s Happy Hearts you will get a free bracelet for every $5.00 donated. www.leahshappyhearts.org. Write your hurts in the sand but carve your blessings in stone, Karen Kylie and Angel Leah’s mommy forever and ever I love you Leah and I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006 Updates

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