Kyle: So Wednesday morning woke up, went to work. I was at work and Kiley called me
and said, "The hospital just called me. They said they found an abnormality in
the x-ray, they said it's some kind of lymphoma," and I didn't even know what
lymphoma was, I didn't know it was cancer and my wife was eight months pregnant at
the time of my diagnosis and I started chemotherapy two weeks before my son's
due date. Oliver was such a welcome distraction
during that time, and we really needed that. Looking back on it, it was a huge
blessing. In the moment it really didn't seem like it but once he was born it was
the best thing that could have happened at that time. Kiley: I'm so thankful he worked
at Kimray during that time. I mean, even now, I don't want Kyle working anywhere else
but Kimray. Kimray is still supportive in every way: body, mind, soul. Every
aspect of who you are at Kimray is involved in it. Not just your work life,
they're involved in your family.
Kyle: I think it's because strong families make a strong company and that's really how Kimray is, just a big family. Not only just
co-workers in Kimray as a family, but actual family. Kiley: We had a good month or
Kyle was going through surgeries, PET scan and a lots lot of tests going on
and just even the Kimray chaplain Bruce Barteaux, he would meet us there at those
places and and come and sit with me while Kyle was in those scans, in those
surgeries, and just pray with me and talk to me and help me and I wasn't even
employee at that point you know I was an employee spouse so it was really amazing
to see how come Kimray came through and then there's also a
Make A Difference Foundation with Kimray. What that is is Kimray
employees can make their contributions to it for a certain cost so if there is
something an employee is going through, they can make their contributions to
help out that employee, and so we did go through the Make A Difference Foundation
and it was able to pay off our medical bills. So it was really amazing.
Kyle: I guess it would be technically May of 2015, I've been cancer free so be two years
next month in remission for me. Whenever I started treatment they said, "Hey the
the chemotherapy is gonna make it to where you can't have kids naturally," and
that was really hard to find out because we both knew that we wanted a large
family. We had tried fertility treatments for a little over a year and
nothing was working, and then we decided to do foster care through DHS. We got
all signed up for that and approved. Then in late November
we got a call. They said, "We've got this little boy at the hospital he was born two days
ago he needs a home." We brought him home, and three days later we found out
we were pregnant. Completely naturally on, our own. Kiley: It is the shock of your life when
you actually get pregnant. It was amazing. I kind of had felt like something was
wrong that week, like my body was off a little bit I was like, we've just gone
through a lot you know, we just brought home our foster son, a lot is going on but
Kyle's like maybe something is going on you know and so we took a test and we
found out that morning. It was three mornings after he came and it was very
shocking. We actually stayed home that entire day because I didn't know what to
do is myself. I was so in shock. Kyle: So that was kind of crazy, but we know that God
wanted us to have Jack with us, and get pregnant so we're due in
August, August 7th is when we're due. It's a little girl, Piper is gonna be her name.
We're really excited about that. I just know that this is a great place to
work and with the opportunities that Kimray has already given me and the many more
that will come you know down the road I know I could be here forever. I can't see
myself anywhere else.