Meet Jenny Carroll
Meet Jenny Carroll I was first diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer on December 17, 2013. I was a healthy person and the shock was intense. I fought as hard as I could. My son was 13 at the time and was and is my reason for living. I am someone who loves running. I was...
Meet Leman Northway
I’m Leman and I live in Northwood, IA with my wife, Eve and our 12-year-old twin boys, Simon and Mason. I have lived a rather painful life. When I was in middle school, I started having awful hip pain. It was finally taken care of after my 3rd hip surgery more than 15...
Meet Jess Johnson
Meet Jess Johnson My name is Jess Johnson. I am a mother of 3 wonderful children Jordan, Cooper, Azalya and have 2 beautiful granddaughters. In January I went in for my fist mammogram. Going into this appointment I had not a worry in the world. I do not have a history...
Meet Sonya Kockler
SONYA'S STORY & REVEAL MEET SONYA In late 2021 Sonya began having issues with her left eye. She was having some blurry vision and experiencing “floaters” in her field of vision. She sought treatment and was referred to a Des Moines based retina specialist in early...
Meet Michelle Krysyowski
MEET MICHELLE I'm Michelle When I was 53 yrs. old, I found out I had stage IV colon/rectal cancer. I was the mother of four sons and a Grandma to my oldest grandson, who was only 2 ½ months old. All I remember from that day was the word "cancer". I was by myself when...
Meet Lorenzo Blaisdell
Lorenzo's Story On March 14th, we took our son Lorenzo to Urgent Care because of some odd pain in his joints. Less than 24 hours later, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which is a rare form of blood cancer. He immediately underwent surgery to...
Meet Bentley Takes
MEET BRANTLEY TAKES Bentley is a 9-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). He was diagnosed when he was 8 years old. We had always noticed he struggled with going up stairs and fell frequently, but we just thought he was a clumsy kid or was different than...
Meet Tanya Kapler
Meet Tanya Kapler My journey started after a late night ER visit, where I arrived complaining of pain in my lower pelvic area and unexplained bleeding. A doctor referred me to a gynecologist after an extensive workup, telling me he wanted me to see a specialist...
Meet Rourke
MEET ROURKE WACHOLZ Rourke is a typical 6-year-old boy. He loves dinosaurs, playing outside, camping, fishing, going on the pontoon and spending time with family and learning. On March 27, 2021, it was confirmed Rourke had B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A spinal...
Meet Terry Jenson
MEET TERRY JENSONTerry Jensen is a decorated soldier in the US Army National Guard. He never imagined that his biggest battle would not be the time he served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004-2005, but rather fighting the cancer in in own body. My Happy...
Meet Carol Olinger
My name is Carol Olinger and never did I think I would be a recipient of a bedroom makeover, although I can assure you that our room definitely could use it. Because of that, I think my dream team, led by Katie Klemesrud, will be kept busy. My oldest granddaughter...
Meet Olivia Steffensmeier
Olivia's StorySometimes the bravest of the brave come in tiny little bodies. Meet Olivia (Liv). She is an incredibly smart, creative, spunky 7-year-old with two little sisters who look up to her as their superhero, and for good reason. Liv has beat cancer in a BIG...
Meet Kim Mogk
MEET KIM MOGK I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer on November 11, 2016. I had a dble. mastectomy and remained cancer-free until November 11, 2022, when I was diagnosed with early lung cancer. Between cancers, in November of 2018, I entered Prairie Ridge for my...
Meet Cole Barden
On March 7, 2009 I was diagnosed with an Ependymoma (brain tumor) at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. I had brain surgery on March 11, 2009. They could not get all of the tumor so I had 2 rounds of chemotherapy and a second brain surgery on May 19, 2009. Dr...
Edye’s Birthday Fundraiser
Edye's Birthday FundraiserAs many of you know during the month of November I love to Give back to the Community that I am a part of. This year for my Birthday I am asking my friends and family to consider joining with me in contributing to My Happy Place a brand new...
Meet Caitlyn Petrie
I received the most gut-wrenching news this last May when I was diagnosed with triple negative, Stage 3 breast cancer. I was told it was aggressive and had spread to my lymph nodes. I’ve gone through 8 rounds of chemotherapy and am currently recovering from a...
Meet Jennifer Keeran
'm Jennifer Keeran. I am a 52-year-old preschool teacher living in Mason City, Iowa. In June 2022 I had been having some discomfort and visited my family doctor. After a referral, and exploratory surgery, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I was scheduled to...
Meet Chantel Stuart
My name is Chantel Stuart, I'm 38 years old and I have been battling cancer since March 27, 2017. My symptoms came on like a freight train and within 2 weeks I was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and I was diagnosed with Cervical Adenocarcinoma stage 2B. The...
Meet Jayne Ford
Meet Jayne Ford Following a colonoscopy on February 1st, 2022 the doctor told my husband and I that he found a tumor in my colon. I was 37 years old. I had been having symptoms on and off for one year including weight loss and blood in my stool. I attributed it to...
Meet Nancy Green
Meet Nancy Green Nancy is mom to 2 grown daughters and has 7 grandchildren. She met her husband of more than 40 years while at college in Mankato, and they stayed to raise their family locally. Nancy has spent the last 16 years working to help people with...