“I feel like Pinky Swear gives families hope. With cancer comes a lot of darkness. Organizations like Pinky Swear can be a light in that darkness.” - Kimber, All-Star Josephine’s mom.
Kimber remembers the call from her daughter’s primary care doctor telling her to pack their bags and get to the hospital immediately.
“All I could do is write down the word leukemia in the middle of a sheet of paper,” Kimber said upon learning of her daughter Josephine’s diagnosis.
It was June 20, 2023, and Kimber was just three days shy of finishing graduate school. She had driven to class that morning with three girlfriends and was packing up when she received the call.
Kimber and Patrick have four children. Kimber and Patrick’s family are close-knit given all four children were born in less than four years. Josephine and her twin brother were the youngest. Kimber and Patrick work full-time. She is a teacher in the school her children attend. He is in manufacturing.
Before Josephine’s diagnosis, Kimber was pursuing a Master’s Degree to become a school administrator, which would allow Patrick to pursue a more fulfilling job.
Josephine’s diagnosis wasn’t the only hardship they faced when it came to their children’s health.
At 11 days old, Josephine’s older brother almost lost his life because of a narrowing of the large blood vessel that leads from the heart. He had been taken by helicopter to a hospital where emergency surgery helped save his life. Then in the summer 2022, one year before Josephine was diagnosed with leukemia, he had to have another surgery to prevent him from having a heart attack.
“We can do hard things” became the family's mantra.
“To be faced again with news that another child faced a life-threatening illness was unthinkable,” Kimber said.
Kimber said Josephine’s diagnosis came just days after an emergency room doctor dismissed her question, “Could it be leukemia?” She said the doctor suggested she was “making something out of nothing.”
Before Josephine’s diagnosis, Kimber felt a swollen lymph node in her daughter’s neck. Then Josephine got a fever. She started complaining that her left side hurt, then her right side. Patrick and the other children had left to go on a fishing trip and Kimber and Josephine were looking forward to spending their first ever time alone, just the two of them. But Kimber said her motherly instincts kicked in and she knew she had to take her daughter to a walk-in clinic.
Josephine was tested for a urinary tract infection, strep, an ear infection, and appendicitis. Blood work showed her platelets were low.
Josephine was moved to the emergency room but later released with instructions to stay home because the platelets help blood clot, and she would need to be careful not to get hurt.
A few days later, Kimber took Josephine to her primary care doctor who took chest x-rays, tested her heart, tested for mono, and drew more blood. Josephine received a prescription for a Z-Pak (antibiotics) in case her body was fighting an infection.
Josephine spiked a temperature of 103 so they returned to the emergency room where Kimber said her concerns were dismissed.
Then came the diagnosis. It was leukemia and Josephine had a rare genetic mutation. The steroids she was given caused her blood sugars to spike and she became diabetic.
She went from an active 4-year-old girl to a child who couldn’t walk. Josephine also stopped eating because her medication gave her sores in her mouth. The medicine for her mouth sores then caused her kidneys to shut down. She also developed an infection in her port where she received her medicine. All because of her cancer treatment.
The family spent countless days and nights in the hospital. Doctors lined up outside their door every day. It was exhausting and terrifying.
“You wait for the next thing to hit you,” Patrick said. “I felt lost, overwhelmed, and defeated. I never left her side though, and it has only strengthened our bond.”
Josephine’s siblings stayed with their grandparents. Kimber found herself constantly planning and trying to look ahead. Patrick continued to be Josephine’s primary caregiver.
When school resumed for Kimber, Patrick took time off from work. They went from two incomes to one and had to make some big sacrifices to make ends meet.
“It’s amazing what you do when you are put on the spot,” Patrick said. “You figure out how much more frugal you can be. We pulled our kids from every activity and stopped little things like picking up ice cream after practice. We used up all our savings and very much appreciated the help of everyone in the local community including a Meal Train [meal support schedule]. We were grateful for the love and support.”
Kimber said the only place Josephine went for 11 months was home and to the hospital.
Josephine was homeschooled by her parents and the only other people allowed in the house were her grandparents. “That was tough on the kids, but instead of complaining they showed an amazing amount of empathy and took pride in caring for their little sister,” Kimber said.
When the family received an Orange Envelope from Pinky Swear, they waited to use it until they absolutely had to. The Orange Envelope program includes a gift card for gas and groceries and letters of encouragement, among other things.
“When things got really bad it was our buffer for protection,” Patrick said. “We were able to buy gas and groceries for a week. We thought, these people are complete strangers, and they are loving on our family. We felt blessed, but a little guilty that we might be taking from others who needed it more. Then we realized that we had become a family in need. We had been used to working for what we have, and it required a big shift in mindset. It was easier because Pinky Swear is set up for this. They have no expectations in return. But we wanted to show our appreciation by sharing our story.”
The family also received help from Pinky Swear’s All-Star Fund, which helps cover the costs of a rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, gas, and car payments.
“The All-Star Fund paid our mortgage for a month, and we are so grateful,” Kimber said. “For that month, Patrick could be there with Josephine, and we could take care of our bills. It really helped us manage our stress.”
“It’s like an orange which keeps getting squeezed tighter and tighter,” Patrick said. “It’s not about the money, but the money helps. You need the money to help your child.”
“I feel like Pinky Swear gives families hope,” Kimber said. “With cancer comes a lot of darkness. Organizations like Pinky Swear can be a light in that darkness. We are grateful for you helping our family and we hope that we can help others by sharing our story.”