✨ My Story

In 2005, when I was just 13, I was diagnosed with cancer. A year later I found myself right back in treatment again. I was 14, scared, and felt completely alone. Back then there weren’t really online groups or social media to connect with other kids like me, so I didn’t know anyone else my age who had cancer.

One of the first times I spoke at an event after my diagnosis, I received letters from people saying my story gave them hope to keep going in their own battles. I’ll never forget that. It lit a spark in me — that maybe there was a reason for all of this, maybe I could use what I was going through to help someone else.

🍋 Starting KHKidz

When I was 15, I started a nonprofit called KHKidz. It began with teddy bears — something small, but meaningful to me during hospital stays when my parents couldn’t always be right by my side. That comfort meant everything to me, and I wanted other kids to feel it too.

From there, it grew into pizza parties in the hospital, then fashion shows, family events, and eventually financial help for families who were drowning in medical bills. Over the years, KHKidz has touched thousands of families, and it’s still such a big part of my life.

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💛 Life After Cancer

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Cancer shaped me, but it’s not all of who I am. After treatment, life brought a lot of other challenges too — health issues, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, loss. There were times I felt like I couldn’t keep going. But with each new season, I kept finding little ways to hold onto faith and joy.

I’ve learned healing isn’t one straight line. Some days I feel strong and proud of how far I’ve come, and other days I struggle and have to remind myself of the good. Both are real, and both matter.

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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 kids — Noah, Elodie, and Izabela. Noah is truly our miracle after his heart transplant, and our girls bring so much light and laughter into our home.

I started Laughing After Lemons as another way to share the realness of this journey called life — the good, the messy, and everything in between. It’s grown into something so much bigger than I imagined: a space for hope, community, and joy.

Now, through speaking, writing, and creating resources, I share my story to encourage others who are carrying their own lemons. Along the way, we launched Zestery, our mobile lemonade and event bar that brings joy to celebrations while giving back to families, and of course, I continue to serve through Kindness Healing Kidz, the nonprofit that started it all back in 2008.

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✨ Why I Share

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I don’t have it all figured out. I make mistakes, I get tired, and there are days I want to give up. But I’ve also learned that when we share our stories openly, it helps someone else keep going.

If my journey — from cancer to motherhood, from loss to joy, from lemons to lemonade — can encourage even one person, then it’s worth every bit of it.