OakieStrong- Oakie Jo's Brain Cancer Journey, Howard, WI (2026)

03/31/2026

We escaped from the hospital, but Miss Oakie's face has now broken out in a rash and is swollen, and I'm debating taking her back in
😫🫤🙏

03/30/2026

Well it was a very long night and our little warrior ended up admitted to hospital last night 🏥
Doesn't seem to be anything to serious but we still welcome any and all prayers for our sweet girl 🙏

03/18/2026

A few videos from trip!

03/18/2026

Oakie Jo’s Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World in Florida was truly beyond anything we could have imagined with every moment about her ✨

From the moment we arrived, seeing her light up, smile, and giggle so freely just melted my heart. These are the moments you hold onto forever 💕 Of course, we still had our share of “typical Oakie” moments—meltdowns and times when everything became a little too overwhelming—but even those were easier to navigate this time. The mesh tent hideout mama made for her stroller ended up being an absolute lifesaver. It gave her a safe, cozy space to decompress and reset when all the excitement got to be too much, and it made such a difference in helping her enjoy more of the experience.

Oaklynn was completely in her element with the princesses 👑 She had a magical half-hour private visit with Elsa & Anna that felt like a dream come true. She walked, hopped, and skipped alongside Rapunzel like they were best friends, and meeting Snow White was another special moment she won’t forget. She had her heart set on meeting Belle, but we didn’t get the chance this time—so we’re holding onto that for “next time” 💛 She definitely prefers characters where she can see their real faces—anyone with a full costume coming too close was a little too much—but she was perfectly happy watching them from a safe distance and soaking it all in her own way.

She was tall enough to try a few rides, which was such a big milestone! Even though she was nervous and a little scared, she was so brave—and the best part is she’s still talking about them and saying she had fun. That says everything 🥹

One of her absolute favorite parts of the trip was Animal Kingdom. She LOVED all the animals, but the giraffes completely stole her heart 🦒 Watching her excitement and pure joy in those moments was just incredible.

We also did a character dinner with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy. She was definitely unsure at first and took her time warming up, but she handled it so well—and best of all, no tears! That felt like such a huge win for her.

We stayed at Give Kids the World Village, and I truly can’t say enough about how amazing it was. Every single person there went above and beyond to make our family feel loved, supported, and cared for. It’s such a special place filled with kindness and magic. If anyone is ever looking for a meaningful way to give back—whether through volunteering or donations—I wholeheartedly recommend them.

This trip gave us memories we will cherish forever. Watching Oakie experience so much joy, on her own terms, in her own way, was the greatest gift of all 💖

03/06/2026

Oakie Jo had a busy week of appointments, and we have some encouraging updates to share. 💛

She had her MRI this week and we are so grateful that her tumor remains **stable** on her current chemo treatments. Her oncologist is hopeful that if things continue this way, we may be able to take a **break from chemo in early summer** to give her little body some time to rest. The hope is that the break will allow her to grow a bit, since she hasn’t gained more than a few ounces over the past year — something that can be a side effect of her treatments. During that time they would keep a very close eye on her, and if the tumor shows any growth we would simply restart treatments.

They also switched out her NG tube for a new one. This one is **yellow — “just like Belle,”** according to Oakie. 🌼

Oakie did an amazing job for her MRI, but she had a pretty rough time coming off the sedation this time. She kept spiking a fever, was very pukey, and just didn’t feel well for most of the next day. Poor girl had a tough recovery, but she pushed through it like the little warrior she is.

We also learned that ophthalmology will mostly be followed now at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee with a neuro-ophthalmologist.

Nutrition was a bit bummed that she still hasn’t gained weight, but they were very happy to hear that she’s eating a good variety of foods and that her little body **is slowly growing**. They reassured us that she is getting what she needs — her body is just working incredibly hard fighting cancer, which doesn’t leave much energy for growing at a normal rate.

Even with all the appointments, Oakie still made the trip fun. She had the best time playing with Auntie Cedes, getting a **Princess Makeover**, swimming, and the highlight of her trip — eating breakfast downstairs at the hotel! 👑🥞

Thank you to everyone who continues to love, support, and pray for our sweet girl. She keeps showing us every day just how strong she truly is.

03/01/2026

Thank you to the ones who helped with items for the MAGIC CLOSET @ Mayo Clinic pediatric oncology!
Here is our load that will be delivered while we are at Mayo monday-friday this week!

The smallest gift can make a hard day of treatments so much easier to handle for Oakie Jo as well as all the other child warriors who are fighting right along with our sweet girl 🎗and to see the pure joy & excitement of getting to pick out an item helps my momma heart after watching the hard stuff that pediatric cancer visits bring.

02/25/2026

This EASTER isle at Walmart has sooooo many cute and cheap items for the "Magic Closet" if anyone would like to grab some goodies or venmo for me to pick some more up!
Ive grabbed some to deliver while we are at Mayo next week!!

01/12/2026

Oakies beautiful canvas heart painting will soon be available for auction to help raise money for children's cancer research to find a cure! 🎗
❓️ should I paint in the words or leave them unpainted white?

01/10/2026

It’s been a very long day for our sweet fighter, Oakie Jo. We’ve been at the ER at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee since this morning after she started having some symptoms that were concerning for a possible shunt malfunction. Thankfully, that has been ruled out and her shunt is still working beautifully — such a huge relief.

Her labs did show a high white blood cell count along with several other elevated blood counts, so the team is concerned about infection, especially with her being on chemo. Right now, the plan is to give her IV antibiotics and continue to monitor how she’s doing. If she’s strong enough and continues to look good, they’re comfortable with her going home late tonight, with close follow-up with her oncology team at Mayo.

Oakie Jo continues to amaze us with her strength and bravery. We are exhausted but so grateful for the incredible care she’s receiving and for everyone who continues to lift her up with prayers, love, and support. Please keep them coming 💛🩶🎗🙏

12/05/2025

Just wanted to share an update from this mama’s heart about our brave little warrior, Oakie Jo 🥰💛

It’s been an emotional week. Our sweet girl hasn’t gained any weight — not even a single ounce — and has actually lost some weight and muscle despite increasing her high-calorie feeds. 😕 It’s hard watching her tiny body work so hard.
Nutrition is recommending continuous feeds, which would mean wearing her backpack all day and night… and anyone who knows Oakie knows she’s not a big fan of that idea 😂. So we’re leaning toward giving her larger overnight feeds so she can get the extra calories while she sleeps. Hoping this helps her body catch up a bit. 🤞💤

Even with these worries, our girl found so much joy on this trip. She swam several times, and the hotel pool was so warm! And she absolutely lit up in the water 🏊‍♀️😍. At the SPARK Children’s Museum, she fixed a car, splashed in the water, played with the light board, filled up her “gas tank” over and over because she was driving her little car everywhere 😂, and had the best time building with LEGOs. Seeing her smile through everything she’s facing fills my mama heart with so much gratitude.

Her MRI was long, like always, but she did amazing. 💖 The tumor continues to look good — still a few enhancements, but overall moving in the right direction. Her oncologist felt comfortable waiting three whole months to follow up & for her next scans, which feels like such a gift. 🙏✨ We still need to come back in January for nutrition since she hasn’t made growth progress yet, but I’m going to check if we can do that appointment closer to home in Madison since Mayo works closely with UW. If not, we’ll make another quick trip to Minnesota for her. Whatever it takes for our girl. 🤍

On our last night, we took a sweet little Christmas lights tour on a trolley 🚎✨. It was magical and cozy… right up until the heat stopped working 🥶😂 but even then, we just bundled up and made a memory together.

Thank you all for the love, prayers, messages, and support for Oakie and for us. It means more than you know. Our girl is fighting with so much courage, and we’re holding on to every bit of hope. 💛✨

11/16/2025

Got the first batch of toys and activities ready to donate to the “Magic Closet” at Mayo Clinic on the pediatric oncology floor 💛✨ Kids get to pick something special after their long and often really tough appointments, and it’s amazing how even the smallest item can brighten their whole day.

If anyone would like to add to the next drop-off, we put together an Amazon list, but donations don’t have to come from there —
Dollar stores, Five Below, and even the small/cheap sections in most toy aisles all have great options. It doesn’t take a big gift to put a smile on a kiddo’s face after lab draws, treatments, and everything else they go through whild fighting. 💛🎁

Thank you to anyone who helps sprinkle a little extra magic their way. ✨

Check out this Gift List I just created. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3C3G17Z74LDIY?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_36J768GR80NKYYW5STM7&language=en-US

11/13/2025

This little lady was so excited for ice cream 🍦 after getting her new tubie 😋

OakieStrong- Oakie Jo's Brain Cancer Journey

03/31/2026

03/30/2026

03/18/2026

03/18/2026

03/06/2026

03/01/2026

02/25/2026

01/12/2026

01/10/2026

12/05/2025

11/16/2025

11/13/2025

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