Last Sunday, Annie and Kia were happily watching the Patriots punch their ticket to the Super Bowl (or the Ravens punch the Patriots' ticket to the Super Bowl).
Before the game ended, Kia started having trouble finishing sentences and her fever shot up to 103.1. Annie and the rest of the family made the decision to take Kia back to Stanford. Tests revealed a widespread return of Kia's lymphoma with possible infections.
At this point, Kia's brain has been affected. She's been in and out of sleep and, here and there, family and friends get to see short but very sweet bursts of the Kia everyone knows and loves. Kia has been surrounded by a constant stream of very close friends and family. Visitations are very limited at this point but if you have a message for Kia, please leave it below in the comment section or email Annie (annielclarke@gmail.com) by clicking here.
The family is keeping Kia comfortable and honoring her wishes through these hard times as best as they possibly can. At this point, they expect Kia might not make it through this particular battle. They're thankful for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes and they'll do their best to keep everyone updated from this point forward.
I love you, Kia! I just want you to know that my friendship with you is one of my most valued in my life!
ReplyDeleteKia - I just wanted to say that I have always thought you are an incredibly beautiful girl. You lit up the room at all of our Project Runway nights and were always so much fun to be around when I ran into you.
ReplyDeleteYour blog has touched me deeply, and I wanted to let you and Annie know that I'm keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.
xo Katie
Kia, the Russells have always considered you a sister. Sisterhood is filled with love and friendship. Eileen can tell you how much each of us care for you and send you love each day.
ReplyDeleteKelly
James and I love you very much Kia. You, and everyone else who loves you, will be in our thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteI love you, Kia. You are everything that is wonderful and good in the universe and...well...everything I write falls short. You, Annie, your parents, all of the many people who love you are in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSending all the prayers I possible can!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you, Kia, and sending you a smile.
ReplyDeleteKia, Annie, and family-
ReplyDeleteWe have shared a lot of joy and fun. From the first time I met Annie when we crashed your (first?), date at the dirty truth, to endless 'say yes to the dresses' and office episodes (the tacky brides are the best), gluten free pizzas, having the great honor of attending the most beautiful wedding of the two most beautiful people with your exceptional families.
I love you Kia and Annie. I know we will share more fun times somewhere else in some other time- I will bring some nice tequila and some gluten free beer.
You were once the quiet girl stuck doing club listings in the middle of the CityBeat offices, but soon became one of our most talented writers and one of my dearest friends. I'm going to try my best to model your courage, humor and grace. And when I play my guitar, I'll imagine you're jamming along with me on your ukelele. Love you forever.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, graceful, thoughtful niece, with your infectious laugh and the beautiful undying love you and Annie share in giggles, fond looks, a touch, a smile, a snicker.... your wedding, you directing and filming a play for cousins, you sprawled across my bare feet high in the air at Grove St., curls cascading around your cherubic face. All this and more I hold in my heart as I think of you, dream of you, sending you Love and Light, prayers for healing in all ways. I love you.
ReplyDeleteDear sweet Kia, my love and prayers are with you and your family! please know that! I love you and hope you can get through this!
ReplyDeleteLove always.
Caroline
Kia, it took me about a month to finally introduce myself to you in the CityBeat office, and even then you had no idea who I was ("I'm the editor," I said. "Oh," you replied). It was all smooth sailing from there. How quickly I realized what a talent you were. How touched I was by your openness and warmth. You were there for me when I lost my dad. You were there when I wanted Brian to burn Derrik's underwear. You are a special breed of person, and I love you deeply.
ReplyDeleteKia, I've been a secret fan from afar, even though on the surface I only know you as Kinsee's beautiful friend and bridesmaid. Privately, though, I marvel at the talent and the light that pours from your writing, whether I'm wishing I, too, was ballsy enough to do participatory journalism at a nudist colony, or grounded and charming and evolved enough to write what is probably the world's most enchanting cancer blog. Thank you for letting people like me follow along with you from the periphery. You make a huge impact.
ReplyDeleteOh mercy. I do know this difficult, painful time. My heart breaks but yet it is full and bursting to be able to follow & witness the love exchanged here.
ReplyDeleteKia and Annie, We think of you every day. And because of this blog we see smiles, and joy, and fullness, and overflowing love, spilling out and beyond, touching us all. We are with you. Much love to you and all who embrace you . Mary
ReplyDeleteHi Kia. I am so happy you and Annie moved upstairs from me and kept PARKING IN MY SPACE!! :) While it might've started out weird – and who are we kidding, I guess it did – obviously it turned into something great. You've helped me through so much and always had my best interests at heart. And it's really meant the world to me. Honestly. It has been so important to making me who I am now. I'll always cherish our camping trip. The three of us sitting by the river, reading, taking some time to reflect. Helping me with the video even when you thought I was nuts?? (and granted, you weren't necessarily wrong there) can only be described as what it is – an amazing gift. Thank you for being you, thank you for writing this blog –and the manifesto, of course :-), thank you for making me laugh, thank you for listening, thank you for everything. I love you.
ReplyDeleteI so often think about my sweet friend Kia from the CityBeat days. So open and warm and always smiling. I always looked forward to you being in the office and our teeny informal book club together. I still have your handwritten lists of books you wanted me to read and I'm still working on them. I love you Kia. Thank you for being my friend.
ReplyDeleteHey Christine, I would love to see that list. My email is kinsee.morlan@gmail.com if you ever find the time to type that list up.
DeleteKia,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you remember me, but we have many mutual friends from highschool and I spent lots of time learning to swing dance in your living room back in the day. I was very sad to learn about your battle with cancer via mutual friends on facebook. I started following your blog a few months ago. It's wonderful to see that you still, even when ill, have that gorgeous infectious smile! You have always been the kind of person who made people happy by just being around. Thank you for sharing your journey and so eloquently. Having recently lost my stepfather to cancer, I especially commend you for your grace and optimism. No matter how the journey ends, it's a better way to live. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts, prayers and dedicate many a yoga practices to you so that you may find healing and peace.
With love,
Ellie Lloyd
OH Sweet, Dear Kia...
ReplyDeleteI have known you since you were probably only eight years old. My fondest memories come from the many summer days you spent with us. We knew that precisely at 10:00 am, you would call and say you were ready to come and spend the day. (Your dad always had you doing something academic before you came to our house.) Then you, Eric and Kristin spent endless hours building forts inside or out, making the funniest videos, and swimming. I treated you as one of my own, and love the time you spent with us.
Happy memories are also found from the many many Sunday mornings we spent together going to church and usually Taco Bell afterwards. Where did the time go??? When did you all grow up???
You are someone special.. and you have been in my daily prayers. I pray for God's wisdom in dealing with this incredible trial, and for your hope in God to bring you peace.
Love you.
Joanne
Dear Kia,I met you when you were a small blonde 6th grader, smarter than most of her peers. You were the sweetest girl After SCICON you wrote me so often, I loved reading your letters. Since then I have thought of you often, reading this blog shows me that not much has changed aobut you. There is still the quick wit, the way with words, the compassion and positive outlook. You, Annie and your family will continue to be in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteLove love love and more love coming your way, sweet Kia and Annie. I feel very blessed to have met you, shared from afar in this bit of your journey, and to know the sweet place you hold in my daughter's heart. Our love and prayers are with you both, with your families, and with all of your friends.
ReplyDeleteKia, thank you for blogging and sharing your life, your wit, and your stories. I can remember watching NCAA basketball at Ye old and playing some-bean-bag-toss-esk-frat-kid-game at 269 South Street with this girl who's beauty, light, and grounded nature was totally contagious. Thank YOU! Sending you blessings and love. Lauren's friend, Hil
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to keep it together. I really am. My mind is flooded with so many fond memories and I just keep trying to stay present with those images.
ReplyDeleteI dropped a beer on your foot at the Whistle Stop when you were 21. Things were never the same after that.
Kia is whole wheat compared to most people's starchy white bread
ReplyDeleteShe's granola with flax seed
Fresh fruit with a side of homemade yogurt
The perfect downward dog
Kia is the excessive flossing of teeth compared to most people's half-assed once-a-day brush
She's a fresh beautiful smile
A giggle
A stoney grin that just won't go away
Kia is the orange and red leaves turning on an autumn day
A quiet bike ride through a tree-filled park
Kia is taking in the sunset with an embarrassingly full glass of red wine at the end of a stressful day
Kia is a silly, friendly bubble bath
A long gab-fest that lasts long into the night
She's a case of ennui that ends in a Parisian hostel with a head full of lice or a lonely farm in the middle of Mexico
Kia is naked while most of us are clothed
She's the perfect sentence
The long, descriptive story that you never want to end
She's back-to-back 'L Word' episodes and naps on hammocks on a Sunday afternoon
Kia is a great freakin' book
She's a shaved head and a perfectly placed neck tattoo
She's berry-picking on a Massachusetts island
Wrestling and hugging and snuggling
She's a big juicy burrito after a night on the town
She's loving black dogs and cats when no one else will
Kia's doing nothing all day long and being OK with that
She's singing Disney musicals at the top of your lungs and not caring what anybody thinks
Kia is all of this and more.
She's a friend, a lover, a daughter, a wife and a sister even if not by blood.
May the road rise to meet you
ReplyDeleteMay the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
-irish blessing-
You and all your loved ones are in my prayers, Kia. Wishing you all the strength you need for the road ahead.
With love,
Patricia
Praying for you Kia for a peaceful rest. Your life so young, so beautiful, and so dear. For all our dear Clarke family know that we love you and are praying for you, especially sweet, sweet Annie. Please Lord bless each one of them!!!
ReplyDeleteWith all our love,
Paul and Marsha
Kia, I'm sending all my love and positive energy for this battle. I hope you know how much love is being sent to you from the happy valley. We miss your smile and friendship and wish we could give you a great big hug and tell you everything will be ok. Maybe Annie can hug you for us!!!
ReplyDeletelove you and Annie,
Sandy
Kia, you probably already know this, but I'll remind you just in case - you have opened up beautiful parts of this universe for me that I never knew existed. I will always remember the first time we hung out, walked around town, taking random pictures. You have given me another lens to look through, and for that, I am forever grateful. Love, Ali
ReplyDeleteDear Kia,
ReplyDeleteI have only met you a few times. Your brilliant smile and
tenderness was so apparent. I have , however known Annie a very long time. Annie never looked so happy. My prayers are with you both.
Dear Kia,
ReplyDeleteWe're thinking of you and your family as well as Annie. We hope and pray for the best for you and hope that you know how much you are loved. In spite of being so sick, you raised awareness of something that is so important- being on donor lists, and encouraged people to be selfless and generous- something from which 1,0000's of people will benefit- and that is a powerful legacy.
rebecca r.
dearest kia,
ReplyDeletemy family is thinking and praying for you dear heart. i know we only met at stanford once or twice, but you will forever have made an indent on my heart. i will continue to fight for you, and pray for rest for you. i want you to know that your life has been significant in ways that you don't even know.
love,
katie
Kia has passed tonight, Saturday, Jan. 28th. God rest her soul. May we all find peace and bring forth the many joyful memories we have of her to share. And love each other in her honor.
ReplyDeleteTragic. Sadly tragic.
DeleteKia!
ReplyDeleteWhile we have only met in person once, I feel like I have gotten to know you this past year through Annie and through your gem of a blog...and I keep liking your more! The way you and Annie both shined on your perfect wedding day, how your writing so precisely captures pain, beauty and uncertainty, and and the way your spirit is so lovingly captured by your many fans in these posts. You are totally out of Annie's league! Kidding :). As a life long fan of Annie and the rest of the Clarke family, I have no doubt that i will continue to like you more and more in the years to come. Much love, much peace, much company to you and to Annie.
~Emily
Dear Kia and Annie,
ReplyDeleteThere aren't words. My whole heart is sinking at this loss.
Kia, your battle was epic and you are a warrior.
All of my love to those who have to press on without you. Your light will always be missed.
-Abby F
Kia
ReplyDeleteI'm a better person for having known you. We will all miss your warmth. May you have peace and strength in your journey ahead.
-Tracy B
Kia,
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredibly, brave, strong and beautiful person you are. I have followed your journey from the beginning and even though I have never left a comment, I have hoped and prayed for you all along the way. I also registered to become a bone marrow donor because of you. If anyone can get through this you can. All my love to you.
Melanie
Kia you were, you are, you always will be a magnificent luminous beacon for us all.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and all those who journeyed with you
Craig
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