EMILY MCKINNEY

#EKCRUSHESCANCER

DREAM TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD

$794.16 OF $5,000

Emily Kate was a normal 16-month-old girl prior to her diagnosis. Busy learning and growing, finding new foods to love, and always snuggling.

During the 2 months of trying to find a diagnosis, we were all so stressed (I mean, what I would do to go back and tell myself that everything was going to be ok...), life got so busy so fast going to doctors appointments twice a week pushing and pushing for an answer. Then the news came and we all just.. changed, almost immediately. My ears were ringing during the entire phone call with our doctor. I was shaking and terrified. I was trying to google the words he was saying – “neuroblastoma”… the google page opens “a solid tumor cancer”… my heart fell to my chest. Chris was driving home from work and both girls were downstairs watching a movie… I screamed, sobbing into my pillow as soon as I hung up the phone. When Chris got home, we all sat down and I shared the news. There will never be a feeling like Chris and I felt that evening- explaining cancer and its treatments to our 8-year-old daughter, fighting tears trying to tell her that her baby sister is going to be ok.

And then there was EK.. completely unchanged by the news. She had no idea what she was going to endure. Throughout her 9 cycles of Chemo, Emily Kate never let cancer keep her down. She courageously smiled even after throwing up all over the floor. She played with her sister as long and often as she could every day. Emily was up, running the halls at the hospital less than 48 hours after her 6-hour tumor removal surgery… she truly never stopped amazing us with her strength.
While our entire lives were flipped upside down immediately following the world “its cancer”, we truly tried to make the best of life. We had countless glow-in-the-dark dance parties, ate too much pizza and fried rice (because it’s all Emily would eat for any meal for most of the treatment), and soaked in every single moment.

Making all those memories at home, unable to leave due to low blood counts or fear of picking up an illness, brought our little family of 4 so close, but did not come without missed opportunities… countless weddings, almost a full year of Maddie missing her friends’ birthday parties, vacations, time with family and friends, and even the simple joy of going to a playground or park. We canceled two trips to Disney World and a week-long cruise which absolutely stunk!

Emily Kate’s favorite thing in the world is Disney. I mean all things, Disney… So much so, that Disney/Pixar sent her a Lightyear-themed package when Lightyear came out!! She’s obsessed with Toy Story, Mickey and all his pals, and all the princesses. Most days she will only put on an outfit if it has a Disney character on it or looks like a character’s costume.

Giving her a dream trip to Disney World would mean the world to our family - Endless smiles, snacks, and being able to meet all of her favorite characters in real life but most importantly the ability to spend a week forgetting all about this nasty beast called cancer.

- Stefanie McKinney