UPDATE: Good News!!!! Keri is cured and getting married this September in Evansville! Her undeniable spirit, all your sincere prayers, and her wonderful medical team has made her upcoming wedding day extra special indeed. The day after her wedding, she and her wedding party is participating in Race for the Cure! She said she'll be in her veil and her bridesmaids in special shirts. How world class cool is that!?!? We're not photographing her wedding day, but we couldh't be happier for her and her husband-to-be!!
BELOW WAS POSTED April 14, 2008
I received some news from one of our 2007 brides, Julia Hornung, about a girl we were fortunate to be able to meet while photographing Julia's wedding. Though we met Keri for only a relatively short time, both Lajuanna and I fell in love with her beautiful spirit and how much she delighted in Julia's big day and how she was always there to help Julia (her entire party was awesome). Keri is facing some health challenges and I'd love anyone who reads this to simply say a prayer for her and her family.
Below is Julia's message. If you decide to donate, please send it to the address listed below.
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Sometimes life is so unfair. Keri is one of those people everyone loves to be around. Her charisma is undeniable and her positive attitude is contagious. Keri has always been a fighter, a leader, and a pillar of strength for those in her life.
She is a down-to-earth, true Mid-western girl who has called Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana home. As a Physical Therapist, she makes her living by caring for others, and now is the time for us to return the favor.
On March 14, 2008 Keri’s life changed forever. At the age of 26 she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. On April 2, 2008 she underwent a bilateral mastectomy and began her fight with a disease that knows no limits.
Her bright future is clouded with the cold hard facts: 8 rounds of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of daily radiation, multiple reconstructive surgeries, hormonal replacement therapy, and infertility treatments. When you attack cancer with chemotherapy and other estrogen suppressing drugs before you’ve had children, your dream of becoming a mother is jeopardized. Keri’s doctors have said her treatments will most definitely stop ovulation for the rest of her life, throwing her young body into menopause. So Keri will freeze her eggs to give her hope of having a baby—a procedure that comes with a $10,000 price tag but not covered by insurance.
Helen Keller once said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.” If everyone who reads Keri’s story contributes to her fund the financial burden of cancer could be lifted from her shoulders. Any amount would be greatly appreciated and every dollar counts. Why not make a difference in someone’s life? And what better time than right now?
Please make your tax-deductible donation check to:
Keri Wilkie Breast Cancer Medical Fund
P.O. Box 833
Emporia, KS 66801
If you’d like to follow Keri’s online journal please go to:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/keri
Thank you so much. Sincerely, Julia Hornung
2 comments:
Wow, thank you Michael. I really appreciate it.
I still laugh when I think of Lajuanna pinning Keri's dress together before the wedding. And the fact that Keri kept saying that whenever she gets married, even if it's a long ways off, she is totally going to call you up. So the feeling was mutual with you guys:)
Hey Julia! I hope Keri DOES call us. We'll go WHEREVER to photograph her wedding!!!!
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