with Shelby & Cricket Children's Books
“I first became interested in doing a fundraiser for Shelby after I walked over to Shelby’s Tea Party at Lewis University. It was interesting to look around the room and watch the crowd during a short power point/video presentation about Shelby’s life. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. It was a very sad but very touching experience. During this event, there were various raffle tickets being sold. My mom sent me up to buy a few tickets because she says I’m the lucky one in the family. I guess she was right because the next day, we picked up the grand prize which was a beautiful tea set. My mom said it could be for my “hope” chest but for now we have it displayed on our china cabinet. I love when people come over and ask where the tea set came from because I get the chance to talk about Shelby and the tea party. While we were at Ms. Kathy’s office, she shared a picture from the tea party where we saw an orb. My mom & Ms. Kathy said it was Shelby’s presence at the Tea Party. It was the first time I ever heard of that. When we got back to my mom’s office, I started to google Shelby and read about her short life. I asked my mom what I could do to raise money for the Shelby R Foundation and she gave me a couple of ideas – one being the Breakfast Club Fundraiser. I really love to bake so it worked out well for me. I realized through what I read and have learned about Shelby that we all get caught up in doing day to day things and we don’t take time to think about what others have going on in their lives like being sick, homeless or unemployed. We have been very fortunate in my life so it’s important that I take time to do things for others to show God how grateful I am for the good life that I have.”
By Lauren Siegfried
John was diagnosed with Bone Cancer.
His leg had to be amputated due to the advancement of the cancer.
He received physical therapy with his prosthetic leg and chemotherapy in San Antonio. John is in remission.
John lives in Mission, Texas.
____________Kaitlin was diagnosed with AML and is in remission. She has extensive damage to her heart due to chemotherapy drugs. She lives in north Texas . 
Meet Emily It was a Friday night and Emily's chest tube had moved, and to avoid a lung puncture it had to be removed. The Doctors ordered close monitoring until Monday when her surgeon would return. The fluid built up but remained at low enough levels all weekend. Monday mornings x-ray showed her effusion had disappeared. Nobody knew how or why except me and my Pastor. Within two weeks Emily was allowed to come home for a few days between treatments and hope was returning. In March Emily was responding well enough to attempt surgery to remove her primary tumor, and hopefully get the secondary ones as well. On March 22, 2010 Emily endured an 11 hour surgery. Every hour the head nurse would call from the operating room with updates. I was never so scared to answer a phone. At 6pm the surgeon was done and ready to meet with us. Dr. Bruney's exact words I will never forget..."Emily did amazing, she is a strong little girl, but I came to a point of diminishing returns and could not get it all." Markers were left in her where the cancer remained for Radiation to attempt to target. 3 weeks after surgery and another round of chemo Emily was home for her birthday! She spent much of April and May in and out of the hospital and the time home was precious, never wasted, not even a second. In June though she still had living cancer cells her Dr's felt it was time for Bone Marrow Transplant. A miserable experience that starts with a round of chemo so aggressive her ANC fell to 0 the 2nd day. Constant nausea and pain all the time compounded by multiple infections and viruses. I felt so bad for her but could never show it, instead acted the clown and kept her laughing through it all. The hardest part became thinking up stuff to make her laugh on my way up the elevator. A two week scheduled hospital stay became five weeks, but she did it, and was discharged to "Brent’s place" a super sterile housing unit very close to the hospital, what I call a cancer half way house. Within a couple of weeks she had recovered enough to come home. OHH THE CLEANING, constant cleaning, I should get a thank you note from Clorox and Lysol. August was Radiation. actually Emily's easiest course of treatment. 1 hour a day, everyday. outside of the long term effects which are guaranteed, Emily had no burns or nausea and actually enjoyed going there. Emily was then offered a clinical trial called "Bio Therapy" only 112 kids in the world are in this trial but it gives her pretty much her only chance to finally beat Neuroblastoma. She is hospitalized 1 week a month in the PICU and the drugs are very dangerous as they lower blood pressure. she has been as low as 43/18 requiring Neuropeneffrin to control, this drug affects the brain as well. she is actually scheduled to receive another treatment this week 12/6-12/10. Overall Emily is doing well, when out of the hospital she is anxious to be a 4 year old again. She attended her 1st Sunday school last week. the First time she allowed me out of her sight in a year. Though she gets a lot of stares from kids for her Nose tube and pic line Her step sister loves to explain and stands up for her. Her next round of tests are at the end of January after her next round of "Bio Therapy." Those are some big tests and the results will determine the rest of our lives. But for now I can only be grateful she will be home for Christmas. Thank You, Rob -(Emily's Dad)
Emily's story began Two days before Thanksgiving last year (2009) For about 5 months prior Emily complained of mild stomach pain usually around bed time. At first we thought it a ploy to stay up late, but as it persisted we took her to see her pediatrician several times with no diagnosis and were told to give her a Tums. The Monday before thanksgiving the pain was excruciating and she was unable to do much outside of cuddle into my chest and cry. She was taken to an oncologist who x-rayed her and found nothing wrong. The next day being even worse her mother took her to The Children’s Hospital in Aurora Co where as Emily walked in the door Dr Kelly Maloney immediately diagnosed her with neuroblastoma, the only question now was what stage. Three days later while in pediatric intensive care the news came stage 4 and a plural effusion in her lungs draining at about 3 liters a day. Emily at age 3 1/2 was given a 30-40% chance for survival. Only the most aggressive treatments were even an option and her 1st round of chemotherapy was started Immediately, with the hope of controlling her cancer growth enough to one day attempt surgery. Emily spent the next 78 days in the hospital, constant nausea, was on a no fat diet, then a no food at all diet. On about day 60 Emily began to give up, the tube in her chest draining her lung fluid not only kept her in isolation but restricted her to bed, my once vibrant child was slipping away, nothing to do now but pray.
Emily & sister Lilly
Russell & Jennifer Oliviera
with sons Charles & Liam
Russ:
"Drawing has always been a passion, and my father encouraged me to use my humor and my heart to guide my pencil along. My father was my hero. He passed away in 1993 from melanoma at the age of 53. I am so very humbled, and excited to be a part of Kim’s vision to help create the Cricket books. I understand the grief, and the healing process all too well, and I hope I can make my father proud in helping to honor Shelby’s memory. My wife, Jennifer, and I have decided to contribute ten percent of the proceeds from our website...http://www.waddlinonion.etsy.com
to the Shelby R. Foundation to help in their heroic efforts. To be involved with this project has touched our hearts, and has, after many years, started to help me heal. "
Jennifer:
"Two years ago, a co-worker posted a flyer of a beautiful baby boy in our break room. She was running in a marathon to raise money to help find a marrow donor for him. I registered as a possible donor and began to visit his caringbridge site often, hoping for good news. Sadly a donor was not found in time. I remember following the links of others who signed his guestbook and became astonished at the number of children with cancer. I had no idea. Somehow one site led to another and I found Shelby’s site. Kim’s writing and her open heart and mind spoke to me and I started to regularly follow her journal entries, seeing the sweet similarities between my youngest son and Shelby (very close in age) and marveling at the incredible angel orb photos. When I was in my early 20’s, far from having children yet myself, my friend Amy’s baby died. I knew she was hurting and tried my best to be there for her. But I didn’t realize, at that age and life experience, the magnitude of had happened to her whole world. 15 years later, separated by time and place, when the nurses placed Charles, my first born, in my arms for the very first time, all I could think about was Amy. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized what she’d lost. As Russ mentioned, I think this is a healing path for all of us. It is a chance to do something to help."
Rick & Carmen Simmons
with son Cade
I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in God's will, God's way, and God's blessings. After joining a Sunday school class over three years ago at a church I grew up in, I began praying with my class for a relative of friend. We were praying for a sweet girl named Shelby who was battling cancer. After weeks of praying for this friend, I was given a web site to look at to put a face with a name. From the first time I saw little, sweet Shelby, my heart felt something special. Little Shelby's eyes captured my heart. God laid such a burden on my heart to pray for her. After visiting the Caringbridge site several times, I read the guest book and couldn't believe how many other families were battling cancer. My eyes were open to a whole new world. The real world.
I think I had been so sheltered in life, that I often neglected to see all the hurt around me. From that moment on, God lead me down the road to do something more. The Bible states in Genesis 12:2 " I will bless you...and you will be a blessing!" God's word doesn't lie and I know that I can do more to help fight cancer. After months of praying for Shelby and asking God how I can help, God began to open up doors. First, God showed me that I can first just pray and encourage. Second, there are opportunities all around you that allow you to help fight cancer. I just had to open my eyes.
As a teacher I have opportunities to teach my students. I got my students involved. We gathered up our resources, sold shirts, sent out letters, had bake sales, and had collections to raise more than $4,000 in our first American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Our team honored Shelby. This was only the beginning. We have continued to raise money and help out local families who need help with cancer. My husband Rick is always behind me 100%. When I told him that Shelby's family needed a logo, he put his talents to work and created the Crickets for a Cure Logo. He helped bring Shelby's Foundation to life. From that point, we have tried to help fight cancer.
I ask myself often, "What can I do today to help fight cancer?". It is my heart's desire to stay involved in raising money for cancer and finding ways to promote the need for continued cancer research and better assistance to those families who are fighting cancer. My heart was crushed when heaven gained an angel on December 18, 2007. But God had a plan and has used Kim and The ShelbyR Foundation to be a blessing to so many families including my own. Without any reservation, I support The ShelbyR Foundation and all the work that Kim, Omar, and their family is doing. Through their blessing, Shelby, they are able to be a blessing to others.
goofy4633@charter.net
www.ricksimmons.blogspot.com
~ Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more ~ Anthony Robbins
