ALECIA PHOTOS

Alecia with brother Jace on their first day of 6th grade and kindergarten. A day filled with innocence, promise of the future, and hope. We had no idea what hell lurked just around the corner for Alecia and our little family.

(August 2003)

(3/2004)

Alecia, Timmy the pig, and Brad dad during one of Alecia's last chemotherapy treatments at Primary Children's Hospital. We were trying so hard to get Alecia ready for a Bone Marrow Transplant. If we had only know what a hellish nightmare of a treatment option this was, we would never have done it, and would have instead taken Alecia's Make A Wish Trip to Washington D.C., instead of spending her final good days in the dismal, depressing hospital with an equally disappointingly dismal and depressing doctor, who we feel mistated the odds and took us down a path we wish we had not gone. Sorry Leesh. You went through so much, and rarely complained. You are a saint and a soldier. You are and always will be my hero.

Alecia, Jace, Grandma Louder, Mckyla and Sierra roast marshmallow at and on the kitchen table in the middle of winter. This was one of our favorite things to do- just being together, loving each other completely, and living in the moment, hoping for more like them. Sadly there were not many more moments like this one. Hopefully they have marshmallows and chocolate in heaven.

(January 2004)

Alecia, Jace, Mckyla, and Sierra at Uncle Tadd's wedding. (2003)

Alecia holding her new cousin-Carsen, who was born in January, 2004. And of course where else would Alecia's faithful companion Sassy be but right there by her side.

Alecia with a few of her best friends in 5th grade. Friends come and friends go but best friends are the ones you can always count on and remain forever bonded in life and in death. Thank you Alex (far left) and Jessica (far right) for always being true blue best friends to Alecia. (PS I appreciate the carmel bars you leave for me as your way of remembering Alecia on those exceptionally painful anniversaries.)

The last family photos ever taken....at a photo booth in the mall on the weekend before we admitted Alecia for the nasty, awful, horrific, hellish "life-saving" (turned out to be life-taking) bone marrow transplant. As you can see, we lived in love, and kept love and a senese of humor as our shield against the horrors of childhood cancer. Sadly, Alecia lives in heaven now and there is a deep, heart-seering, penetrating pain in our hearts and a massive, indescribable hole exists now in our little family,where our beloved daughter and sister should be. Never again will we have a complete family photo. For now, we carry Alecia in our hearts, looking forward to the day when our family will be complete again.

(March 2004)

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