Hello friends and family! Great news to post.....Taylor had her check up today and she continues to be NED - No Evidence of Disease. She is doing great. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

The girls are doing great. They love school and have made a ton of new friends. They are getting ready to celebrate their 6th bday on November 11th. I still can't believe they are going to be 6!!!! They are having separate parties this year. Savannah is having a swim party and Taylor is having a Rock Star Party!!! It should be fun......

We are helping raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. We are walking in the annual Light The Night Walk on November 12th. Please visit our team page and donate if you can. Every penny truly makes a difference.....

http://pages.lightthenight.org/dm/Phoenix11/TeamTaylor

Taylor's next check up is December 16th.

Thanks again for your love and support.

Hello all - TEAM TAYLOR is at it again. This year we are hoping to raise funds for the Light The Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Please see our Team Page.

Thanks for your support.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/dm/Phoenix11/TeamTaylor

Great news.....Taylor continues to be NED - No Evidence of Disease. Her appointment was Friday and the doctors think she looks fantastic!!!

Thank you for your continued support, love and prayers. Her next test will be in October.

Love,
Kristen

We just did a 7 mile Climb to Conquer Cancer walk in Flagstaff. We walked with part of a team.....Doing it For Dawson. Dawson was a little boy who lost his life to Leukemia while Taylor was getting treatment. We were next door to him in the hospital and I also grew up with his Dad and Uncle. The walk was amazing and very touching. We continue to pray for all of those who are currently fighting cancer, who are in remission, and who have lost their fight.

Taylor's next test is Friday....we continue to pray for NED - No Evidence of Disease.

Hello all - I am very excited and emotional to post that Taylor and Savannah started Kindergarten today. They are so excited and LOVE being in "big girl" school. Sean and I went with the girls yesterday to meet their teachers and learn about the school and they officially started on their own today. It was a great day!!! Having children start kindergarten is very emotional in normal situations but watching Taylor and Savannah go into school together brought out so many emotions today. First, I am so thankful that Taylor is a HEALTHY 5 year old!! There were many times while Taylor was in the hospital that I truly wondered if this day would ever come.....and it did!!! I am also so thankful to all of you who have supported us during this journey....your thoughts and prayers mean the world to us!!

The girls and I also enjoyed a trip to Montana to visit Papa and Grandma Renee this summer. We had a great trip and the girls love Montana!!!

Taylor's next test is August 26th. She is doing so well that I can only imagine another great check up and continued NED!! I will post the results as soon as we get them.

Love,

Kristen

Happy Belated 4th of July. We had a great holiday and hope you all did also. We rented a beach house in Manhattan Beach, CA for the week and had a great vacation. We enjoyed much cooler weather, the beach, long walks and a special trip to the American Girl doll stores with friends. We also drove up to San Diego and went to Sea World and spent a couple days in San Diego. Sooooo much fun!!!!

Happy Summer.

Love,

Kristen

Another great check up for Taylor. Taylor continues to be NED - No Evidence of Disease. She continues to be doing so well that she is staying with every other month check ups. She is healthy, happy, and growing up so fast. I still can't believe that Taylor and Savannah will be in kindergarten this August.....hard to believe.

Happy belated Fathers Day to all. We had a great day and hope you all did also.

The summer is officially underway and the girls are going to numerous camps....tennis camp, Groovy Girl camp, American Girls Doll camp, Acting/Dancing camp, and swim camp. We are going to CA for a week to play on the beach and then I am taking the girls to Montana to visit my dad and step-mother. A fun filled summer!!!!

Thank you all for your continued support and love.

Please keep Taylor and so many of our friends who are still suffering from cancer in your prayers.

I apologize for taking so long to post. Time gets away from me these days.

Taylor had her test on April 15th and once again made me the happiest mommy on earth!! She continues to be NED!!!! Words can not express how happy we are that she is doing so well. We feel very blessed and lucky!

Things are fine for all of us. Sean and I are both busy back at work. Savannah and Taylor are just finishing up Pre-K and will start Kindergarten in August!!!

Taylor's next test is May.

Thank you all for your love and support. There have been so many new diagnosis of leukemia that I have heard of lately. Also, there are many children we have gotten to know that are not doing well. Please add all of these children to your prayers.

Love,
Kristen

Hello all - so sorry it has been so long since my last post. Since Taylor has been moved to testing every other month, I forget to update.

Things continue to go well. Taylor is doing great. She is in the process of getting all of her immunizations again. The chemotherapy wipes out her immunizations so we have to basically start over. She is not happy about getting the "shots" but as usual is being a very brave girl.

Savannah is also doing great. Both girls are extremely excited about starting Kindergarten in August....I on the other hand can't believe they will be starting!!!

Taylor's next test is in April so I will update with results.

Over the past month, I have been introduced to a wonderful family....The Blagen Family. Unfortunately, we were introduced through similar stories. Their beautiful 2 1/2 year old son, Brody is fighting AML. Taylor and Brody's stories are so similar. I have talked to the family a couple of times and my heart goes out to all of them. Friends of the Blagens have put together a golf tournament to help with medical expenses. Please visit the website and help if you are able. Also, please add the Blagen family to your prayers. www.brodyblagen.com

We hope you are all doing well....thank you for your continued support of Taylor.

Happy Valentines Day. We received a great gift today....Taylor continues to be NED (No Evidence of Disease). Thank you all for your love, support and prayers.

On another note, it is with much sadness that Sean and I had to put our 12 year old dog, Harley, to sleep today. He had a great life but in the end was taken by cancer. We love him so much and thank him for so many great memories.

Taylor will be tested again in April.

Love,
Kristen

So...it has been a really long time since I have "blogged". I apologize for the delay. I was so busy with the holidays that time really got away from me.

First, Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! We hope that 2011 is off to a great start for everyone and that the new year has brough HEALTH and HAPPINESS to all.

Things are going well for The Souza's. Taylor continues to be doing really well. She has been moved to every other month testing instead of monthly testing. This brings relief and stress at the same time. Relief that Taylor doesn't have to undergo a blood draw every month but stress not knowing each month what is going on "inside" of her. But.....I try to be positive and trust that the oncology team would not move her testing out if she was not ready!! So.....she is doing wonderful. She is enjoying normal life so much. Her next test is February 14th, so please join us in praying for continued NED!! We celebrated Taylor's 1 year anniversary from being home from the hospital on January 19th......very exciting!!!

Savannah continues to be GREAT and is such a joy. She also is doing really well in school and puts a smile on my face every day.

Once again, cancer has entered our family. Our 12 year old dog, Harley, has been diagnosed with a Sarcoma and is not doing well. Sean and I are struggling with what to do but know that we will most likely have to put him down soon. He has a tumor on his head that is causing pain. He is our baby and we are really having a hard time with our options but do not want him to suffer. So....please pray for strength for Sean and I to make a very hard decision in the near future.

Cancer has also reared it's ugly head again with our dear friend, Kate MacRae. We are devastated by this news. Taylor, Savannah, and I just had the honor of celebrating Kate's 7th birthday with her. We are just devastated by the news. Kate was our roommate and dear friend in the hospital while Taylor was receiving chemotherapy. Our hearts go out to Holly, Aaron, Kate, Olivia, and Will....we love you guys.

I will post after Taylor' blood test on Monday.

Thank you for your prayers and strength.