KimPossible

The quintessential mom.

The one who shows up at all the elementary school parties, snaps photos of everyone else, but puts off getting any photos of herself with her kids.

The mom who organizes go-kart outings for boys, and even offers to take siblings along, just to give other moms a day off.

The one who has the answers to all the mom-questions about the new adventure of middle school because, well, she's already been there and mastered that. 

The one we have all counted on at one time or another. 

Kim.

And during all of those parties, outings, sporting events ....for the last five years and unbeknownst to most, she has been battling a rare cancer that has now infiltrated her body. The options have been exhausted and Kim has but precious few moments left to enjoy. 

Kim has silently endured treatments, major surgeries, trials, and procedures. She has traveled to The Mayo Clinic for the last five years to receive treatment, manuevering appointments and surgeries and recoveries around the schedules of two growing sons, who are the absolute joy and light of her life. Devin is a junior at BVHS and Dylan, a self-proclaimed mama's boy, is a 7th grader at BVMS. 

She endured surgeries to remove tumors from her eyes, a thorachotomy to retrieve cancerous lymph nodes from her lungs, only to find the cancer also was in her ribs. One oral chemo and then another.

She gutted out a painful procedure with radioactive glass beads on her liver to buy a promise of 1-5 more years; it held for four months. Another chemo drug.

And then they threw a completely unrelated Stage II lung cancer diagnosis into the mix. The answer was a cocktail of two more chemo drugs.

Tumors were found on her ovaries. They were removed. Tumors on her vertebrae;  she had radiation. Tumors on her adrenal gland. 

Did I mention that through all of this, she maintained a full-time career and never missed a mothering-beat?! She watched and supported friends who were diagnosed and cured, all while she continued her own fight in silence.

Kim will be the first to say she isn't a martyr; but she is one of the most selfless people I know. She made a conscious decision to travel the path her own way, until it came time to share  ... until now. And now, it's time to rally around Kim. And her boys. There is a last-ditch effort with a non-FDA-approved chemo. It's not covered by insurance, but it does provide a 10-20% chance of helping. And in the words of Devin, "Mom, you have to fight!" Here's where this team comes in. We need to help clear the hurdle of funding.

College funds and retirement accounts have long-since been traded for hope. That priceless hope turned into bonus years with her boys and brilliant perspective for her village. 

Now, we are asking for help to honor Kim -- by refilling the coffers for a long-shot attempt at some more time with her boys, as well as covering expenses for her family so they are able to enjoy this precious time together.