Kayla's Updates
Howdy everyone.
Welcome to my corner of the internet.
Life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way, and I've found that documenting this experience - the hard days, the small victories, and everything in between - helps me process it all.
What started as updates for friends and family has grown into something more: a space to process the hard questions, share what I'm learning, and connect with anyone facing their own impossible season. This is where I share deeper reflections on my journey through cancer treatment - not just medical updates, but the lessons I'm learning about time, presence, faith, and what it means to truly live when you're fighting for your life. Here you'll find honest exploration of the hard days and small victories, the fog and the clarity, and the grace that shows up in unexpected places.
Thank you for being here and walking alongside us through this season.
I am a software developer, mother of two, and classical Hodgkin lymphoma survivor-in-progress from East Tennessee. Diagnosed at 30 with stage 3B bulky cHL, I'm currently undergoing treatment and documenting my journey through cancer, motherhood, faith, and the unexpected gift of forced rest.
Software development is my career, but people are my passion - which is why I'm sharing my story publicly. What started as updates for family and friends has grown into something more: a space for honest conversations about living through hard things, finding presence in the fog, and learning what it means to truly live.
Recent Updates and Posts
My blog posts are deeper reflections on this journey - the lessons I'm learning, the realizations I'm having, and the experiences that might resonate beyond my immediate circle. These are for anyone navigating something hard, or loving someone who is.
If you're looking for my day-to-day updates - how treatment went this week, quick wins, or immediate thoughts - you can find those on my Updates page. Those are more for friends and family following along in real-time.
The blog posts are for reflection. The updates are for connection. Both have their place.
Here are some of my favorite blog posts below, and you can check out the entire collection on the Blog Posts page.
Sometimes I blink just to prove to myself that large gaps of time don't pass in a single blink of an eye.
This updates features an excerpt from the speech “Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven.
Picture this: me in my cancer-patient-chic outfit, complete with fashion magazine-style callouts pointing to each item and its price tag.
A katana becomes legendary through folds and fire.
So do we.
Life shapes us, sharpens us, and transforms us into something unstoppable.
Send a Message
Feel free to reach out and share what's on your heart. Whether it's a prayer, your own story, words of hope, or simply letting me know you're thinking of us - I welcome it all. Your support and connection lift my spirits more than you might realize.
Going through chemo has taught me it's okay to ask for help. If you feel moved, your generosity would mean the world to us. Thank you for your love and support during this time.
As I navigate this journey, I've put together some Amazon wishlists for things that would bring comfort and support to me and my family - from treatment essentials to items that bring joy to my kids and our cats, Remy and Mo. If you feel moved, your generosity would mean the world to us.
Essential items that will help me through treatment - things I genuinely need and would purchase myself. These practical items will make my chemo journey more comfortable and manageable.
Special items for my two kids that I'll save for birthdays, holidays, and surprise care packages throughout the year. These are things that would bring them joy and that I'd love to be able to give them.
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Comforting activities to help pass the time during treatment. These items will help me reconnect with hobbies I've loved in the past and give me something positive to focus on during chemo days.
Subscribe to Updates and Posts
If you'd like to receive an email when I post new updates or blog posts, please subscribe and I will ensure that you stay up to date. I share new posts when there's something meaningful to say - usually weekly, sometimes more, sometimes less. Real thoughts, not noise.
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