NADIA'S FUND

Nadia earlier this summer (before she lost much of her hair)

“Hey, I'm Nadia, but almost everyone calls me Nad. My story was pretty normal up until a few months ago. I'm just your average teenager tryin' to survive high school, except I also have leukemia. Kinda crazy when I think about it, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Nadia was 16 last January when she began to have frequent illnesses, recurrent fevers and joint pains that came up out of nowhere.  Unusual for our stoic “just suck it up when it hurts” soccer athlete who just never complained about aches and pains.  After eight visits to the clinic over a two-month period, Nadia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia March 23, 2007.  

Nad's 17th Birthday in the hospital

Life has changed drastically for Nadia over the past six months.  Little things like making it to school once in a while or grabbing the keys and heading out to a high school football game occasionally are major blessings for us to witness, since normal teenage life just doesn’t happen very often.  We’ve come to cherish those little nuggets of normalcy when they do occur.  True to her character, Nadia doesn’t complain.  She is so strong!

Nad's brother Kian. 11

We have been humbled by the love expressed to us by friends, family, and even strangers who write to say they are praying for Nadia and the whole family.   We are so grateful for the mission of people to help kids and their families when they are facing such challenging diagnoses and the financial strain that is inevitable. Even with health insurance, life with cancer brings many extra expenses as well as loss of income when, to care for the child, a parent is forced to quit or loses his or her job.