Alison R. - Quilt Finished in 2005

Born: March 24, 1987

Illness: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia B Cell

Thank you from Alison's Family!

Written May 16, 2005

We received the quilt!  It is absolutely gorgeous and just the right size for her college dorm bed!!  We had a great time reading where all the squares came from and would love to thank each person who made a square!

Once again thank you so very much!

XXOO, Marey and Ali

Alison R.'s Story

written by mom Marey

Ali was our first born. The perfect size, 7.1 oz and 22 inches long. She was born at 11:27 p.m. and we left the hosptial at 10 a.m. the next morning...we were on the go ever since. She went camping as a 7 week old and has loved the outdoors ever since. She was 2 years old when her sister Lex was born and 4 1/2 when her brother Nolan was born. She was a second mother to her siblings and they have always looked up to her. Ali was sick when on our annual camptrip before school began her sophomore year in August 2002. Her sister was concerned because Ali was always able to keep up when hiking and swimming...and on this trip Ali did neither. Ali ran a fever for a few days after and not interested in shopping for school clothes or anything else. On my first day back to work Ali woke up and said she had sweat so much during the night that she had to change her t-shirt...I thought that was a good sign since she felt better and I thought the fever had broke. When I returned home at 3 she had a fever again and I decided we should go to Urgent Care. When I phoned ahead, one nurse said to wait until tomorrow and another said to come in right then. Ali and I drove to Palo Alto and Ali was seen right away. The Dr's ruled out appendicitis and thought she was dehydrated. It was getting close to 10 p.m. so the Dr's sent us over to Stamford's E.R. - I let Ali out at the entrance and I had to get out and move orange cones from a parking space in order to park. I was sent through a metal detector and my bag was searched...there had been a shooting earlier and the E.R. was in lock down. After hours of tests and waiting I was told point blank at 3:30 a.m. "WE KNOW IT IS CANCER...WE ARE GOING TO ADMIT HER..BUT FIRST WE ARE GOING TO DO AN XRAY SINCE A PIECE OF HER BONE IS MISSING AND THERE ARE SPOTS ON HER LUNGS." Just like that...no bedside manner or concern for me. Ali was wheeled into Xray and as I was leaning against the wall reeling from the news when a nurse asked me if I had spoken to Dr. X...I said, "I don't know who I have spoken to...I haven't eaten since noon yesterday. She gave me some orange juice and I felt a little renewed. We were wheeled upstairs and spent the next 23 days in 2 north of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. In the last 2+ years Ali has had a few hosptial stays, one ambulance ride, numerous chemo spinals, bone marrow aspirates, pancreatitis, diabetes, blood transfusions, blood draws, 2 surgeries, etc. She also received severl F grades on her report card during the time she was in the hospital which have since been removed, but we also had an 18 month battle with the school district over an F grade received in a dance class since "Ali could not do what the other girls could do."

Through all of the above Ali has remained confident and upbeat. She is my hero.

Written by Alison's mom Marey