diagnosis

According to Pema Chödrön, an American strong in Tibetan Buddhism, "maitri" means unconditional loving kindness to oneself. We often get down on ourselves; believing that we are unworthy of the good things that happen to us. But what about when something less than desirable happens to us, or worse, to someone we love?

I, Kaleigh Renee (also known as Dawg, KK, Krocket, Kalez, or Schmoo) was born on June 14, 1987 in Grand Rapids, MI. My family moved to Scottsdale, AZ in 1993. After graduating high school I continued my academics studding marketing at Northern Arizona University followed by a moved to Santa Barbara, CA in March of 2012. 

On Wednesday, October 9, 2013 I was taken to the hospital with extreme chest pains. It was there that a grapefruit size tumor was found resting between my heart and left lung. What began as a small tumor turned into a large tumor and spread to my bone marrow. That day I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

I started chemotherapy on Saturday, October 12, 2013 and am currently being treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital under the care of Dr. Daniel Greenwald.

After my diagnosis my friends and family created this blog for me. In addition to creating this positive outlet they have done many other things to help me through this difficult time.  

Here is a blurb from them:

"Kaleigh is creative, loving, and full of life. She has an amazingly positive attitude and sees the good in all people and things. She's a tough girl and is ready to fight. As she goes through treatments she continues to remember "maitri".

Please stay tuned to the blog and our Facebook page for the most up to date information on Kaleigh."