Taking on Cancer with Leslea

Leslea and I have known each other our whole lives. In fact I only lived eight months of my life without her. Luckily she didn't have to live any without me! Though I had two of my own sisters later, she became what we called the fourth sister. Or in town the four of us were just clustered together anyway as the Williams girls. Our dads were brothers and some knew which girl belonged to which brother, but in so many ways were more than just cousins. We were sisters. We helped each other on homework, we stood on that ball diamond together on the same team from the time were five until we were eighteen. We stood in each other's weddings. We even got pregnant together!  Now in our thirties we are still like sisters if the massive amount of text messages that blow up our phones on a daily basis are any indication of the deep bond the four of us still share.  
          When we were kids a monster came knocking at her door. I watched a little girl- my cousin, one of my best friends, another sister to me- face what the monster of cancer can do to a family as her dad fought that demon for years, not only robbing her of the innocence of childhood but in the end it robbed her of her dad too. But the strength of this girl-that was becoming more than my cousin and my friend but my hero too- was just beginning. She could have been bitter, she could have been angry, she could have quit on life in so many ways. The way she went on and not just lived her life but flourished in life as a college athlete, a baseball coach’s wife, an elementary school teacher, a daughter that faced cancer again when it came for her mom, and as a mom herself to a son and two daughters in a way that radiated hope and positivity made her one of the most inspirational people in my life and I'm sure to so many others as well.
             Now at only 34 the monster of cancer has come knocking at her door again. In March of 2017 she has now been diagnosed with breast cancer. She-along with the rest of us that love her-are in for a long road. She is about as tough as they get; I don't honestly know many, if any, tougher than her. There's no doubt she's strong enough to fight this monster but she needs us-her sisters, her family, our town, all of us that have loved her and seen her become the warrior woman we all know her to be.  There are going to be out of pocket insurance costs and missed paychecks, travel expenses back and forth between her home in Iowa and KU where she's receiving treatment. Because I'm not the only one that knows her for the amazing person she is I know she has an army waiting behind her, ready to do what needs to be done to fight this battle with her so even if you can't offer financial support, we will take prayers for her and the family as we all face this tough road ahead; meals and babysitting I’m sure too would be helpful at times.

Any donations, any help, any prayers are greatly appreciated from the Williams and McKillip family.