Claire is resilient, talented, and intelligent! 

Claire was diagnosed with leukemia right after her third birthday. She was an inspiration throughout her two and a half year treatment, always amazing us with her questions and understanding, her ability to be calm and in control even during awake lumbar punctures, and her sparkle that never dulled. We celebrated the end of Claire’s treatment this past December and Claire is thrilled to be starting kindergarten as a “real kid.”  

AAU was essential to our family’s stability during treatment. When Claire was diagnosed we had recently gone down to one income so that I could stay home with Claire and her new baby sister, Mia (5 months old at time of diagnosis). During treatment my husband finished his medical residency, and we had a large move to a new city that is four hours away from Omaha. AAU’s financial support throughout treatment was the biggest blessing because it allowed me to stay home with the girls, go to every doctor’s appointment, and ease the burden of monthly travel costs once we moved. When your child has a critical illness you worry about time- AAU gave us time with our girls because we knew we would be able to make our mortgage payment each month without additional work.