3 & 1/2 Years Later....

Imagine your life being the best it has ever been then one day it all just crashes down. 

Three and half years ago my life was just about perfect. I was a senior in high school. I had the best family and friends in the world. But in an instant my life & my family's life took a wrong turn.

It was right after Labor Day 2010 when I found out the news. I came home from school because I was not feeling well enough to go to softball workouts that day. My dad came to my room and few hours later and said "your brother has cancer." My immediate response was "Whaaaat..." My dad just left the room. I am a very emotional person so I started crying and pondering a million questions in my head. "Why would this happen to my brother?", "Will my family be able to handle this?". Etc. Etc.

My brother had been diagnosed with Stage 3 Testicular Cancer. The most aggressive type. He had surgery to remove the cancer. That went well and we were all very optimistic. A couple of weeks later, the doctor called and told my family something no family ever wants to hear. The cancer had spread to his lungs. Of course I broke down again, along with my whole family. How were me and my sister supposed to be having the time of my life knowing my brother was so sick?

Jay, Renee (his mom), James (our dad), Terri (my mom, Jay's step-mom) went to Indianapolis to the doctors. My brother had the same cancer as Lance Armstrong. Same hospital, same doctors. I knew he was going to be in good hands. This gave me a peace of mind. Jay is only my half-brother but I see him as a brother, not half. Now that we have that out of the way, back to the point. 

He started chemo,which took a horrible toll on his body. He had many blown veins during his treatments. It made him very very sick. My family spent Thanksgiving 2010 at the hospital while he received treatments. After Thanksgiving, my brother developed pneumonia and pleurisy. This caused my brother to be hospitalized. He got to go home a couple of day before Christmas. In January 2011, he finished his last chemo treatment.

In February 2011, he was told that he was CANCER FREE!!! Yay, one of the best birthday presents I could have asked for. 

While Jay had cancer, I wanted to do something special for him. I made orange and blue bracelets that said Isaiah 41:10 on one side and Jay Buynar on the other side. They were only $1 dollar. I sold so many, this made my heart happy knowing people were praying for my brother. I raised around $350 dollars to give to my brother to help with medical expenses. I know it wasn't much but I'm glad I got to do something for him.

Isaiah 41:10 ::  "So do not fear, for I am with you;  do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." What a powerful verse. 

Today, he found out that he is 3 years cancer free! Thank you Jesus.

I will leave you with some pictures of my brother, sister, and me while he had cancer.

Thanks for reading!

Kristen Leigh Buynar

Marvelous Monday!

Well most of you are thinking "Monday's are not marvelous". I am right there with you but this Monday is going to be great! It is the last Monday off from school for a long time so I am being lazy while I can. ;)

I am anxious about getting my Marley Lilly package in the mail soon! They had a Pinterest Giveaway and I won. I was so excited because I never win anything. So, I won a $50 gift card! I can't wait to sport my new tote and baseball cap! 

I have 12 days left until the New Orleans Half Marathon. (crap, that approached quickly!) HAHA it will be fun to spend the weekend with my aunt&uncle, Kelsey (my twin), & Danielle (my best friend). We will miss Paige (my other best friend) so much but she will be there in spirit! 

13 days until I turn 21. Nope, I don't want to grow up. *cue Never Grow Up by TSwift* 

I hope you are enjoying this Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Thanks for reading!

Kristen Leigh Buynar

Longest Break Ever

I have been on break from school since December 5th, 2013. OMG, that was almost a month and a half ago. I will start back to school on January 21st. I am definitely not complaining but I am ready to get back into the routine of things.

Let's catch up!!

Past

December 5th-9th :: I was inside for 5 days due to the epic ice storm that Jonesboro had. It was the worst ice storm I have seen in my lifetime. No one could drive anywhere unless you were skilled. Walking was even a challenge for me. (laugh all you want) ;). One of my cousins was super nice and came to pick me up from my dorm and take me to their house. I stayed there for a day or so. There is this super funny video about snow and ice. You can find it here! GOTTA GET THE BREAD AND MILK! haha funny but true.

December 7th :: I was supposed to run the St. Jude half marathon but it got cancelled. Sadly, I wasn't going to be able to make the drive anyway. St. Jude handle this so perfectly. I applaud them for that. Since the race got cancelled we got to transfer our registration to another race. I transferred mine to the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon, which happens to be the day before my 21st birthday. I am super excited and have been training so hard this. If you want more information about the Rock 'n' Roll series you can visit their website here!

December 25th :: I spent an awesome Christmas at my grandparents house in Wynne, Arkansas. My mom, dad, sister, aunt, and uncle were all there, along with my grandparents. It was great to see everyone and enjoy some laughs.

December 28th-29th :: My family went to Jackson, Mississippi to visit my MeMaw and brother. It had been a while since I had seen both of them so it was exciting to see them and catch up.

January 1st :: WOO HOO! NEW YEAR! hahah no. I was so sick on New Year's day and for 9 days after that. Bronchitis is no joke y'all. I had a fever, horrible cough, and body aches. Surprisingly, I did not have the flu (Thank you Jesus for that). But now I am good as new and back to my training.

Future

January 21st :: School starts!

January 31st :: NOLA bound!

February 2nd :: Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon!

February 3rd :: 21st birthday!

FEEDBACK :: What do you want me to blog about? Let me know by leaving a comment!

Thanks for reading!

Kristen Leigh Buynar