✨ My Story

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In 2005, when I was 13, I was diagnosed with cancer. A year later, I was back in treatment. I was scared, and I didn’t know anyone my age who understood what I was going through. I wanted someone to talk to who just got it.

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After one of my first speaking events, I received letters from people telling me my story had given them hope. Until then, I hadn’t realized that sharing something so personal could help someone else. Those letters stayed with me and became part of the reason I started KHKidz.​

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🍋 Starting KHKidz

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When I was 15, I started giving teddy bears to children in the hospital. During my own hospital stays, having something to hold when my parents couldn’t be beside me brought me comfort. I wanted other kids to have that, too.

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The teddy bears led to hospital pizza parties, fashion shows, family events, and financial support for families facing medical bills. Since its beginning in 2008, KHKidz has reached thousands of families. Today, that work continues through Kindness Healing Kidz.

We can’t take away everything a family is going through, but we can show up, help with a need, and give them something to look forward to.

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💛 Life After Cancer

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I’m grateful to have survived cancer, but life after treatment hasn’t always been easy. I’ve faced ongoing health issues, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and loss. There have been seasons when I struggled more than people knew.

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My faith has helped me through those times, along with the people who have loved me through them. I’m still learning to ask for help and give myself some grace. Some days are easier than others.

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🌿 Where I Am Now

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Today, I live just outside Austin, Texas, with my husband, Brandon, and our three children, Noah, Elodie, and Izabela.

Being their mom is the most meaningful part of my life. Noah’s heart transplant brought us into a whole new world of medical appointments, uncertainty, and gratitude. Going through it as his mom has also changed how I understand the families KHKidz serves.

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Our home is busy, loud, and full of personalities. There’s a lot to manage, but there’s also so much laughter.

I created Laughing After Lemons to share more of my life beyond cancer and the nonprofit. It’s a place where I can talk honestly about motherhood, health, faith, and the things I’m figuring out along the way.

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Through speaking, writing, and sharing resources, I hope to make those experiences useful to someone else.

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✨ Why I Share

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When I was 14 and in treatment, I wanted to know someone who understood. That’s still a big part of why I share my life today.

I don’t have advice for every situation, and I’m often figuring things out as I go. But I can be honest about what I’ve been through, listen, and show up for people when I can.

I still think about those first letters. They remind me that we don’t always know what our words or a small act of kindness might mean to someone.

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