Congratulations to Amber Small and Ryan Creek!
Amber Small and Ryan Creek, both from small towns in Missouri, were introduced by friends when they were both students at Mizzou. After four years together, they got engaged in October of 2007 and started planning the simple wedding surrounded by lots of family and friends that they’ve both always dreamed of. Several months later, they found out that they would be adding a new member to the family they were beginning.
Amber and Ryan welcomed Harper Ashlyn Creek into their lives on February 2, 2009. “At 8.1 lbs she was perfect!” remembers Amber. The day after she was born, the couple noticed a small, blister-like bump on the bottom of her left foot. Not extremely concerned, they asked their nurse who told them her foot may have been traumatized by the PKU test (a routine, blood test given to newborns to check for necessary enzymes). Their pediatrician was equally unconcerned at their first appointment but referred them to a dermatologist when the bump was still there at Harper’s two month check-up. After several more doctors visits and no answers, they ended up at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where a dermatology specialist immediately ordered a biopsy. The next day they were given Harper’s diagnosis: Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, an extremely rare form of pediatric cancer. So rare that, as Amber says, “We would have better luck at winning the Powerball…twice!”
Harper began on May 29, 2009 after careful consideration and many second opinions. At this moment, she is undergoing her third regimen of chemo due to three relapses of tumors during treatment. This extremely aggressive cancer is characterized by quick and building a resistance to the drugs used to fight it. “Her prognosis was poor from the beginning and after these relapses we don’t even want to know where those numbers sit,” said Amber. “We know that Harper is our miracle and those numbers may or may not pertain to us, but they are not our destiny. Her physical health is amazingly good and we will to fight this with her until she shows signs that she can no longer tolerate the toxins needed to beat the monster inside her little body.” You can follow Harper’s journey on www.caringbridge.org/visit/harpercreek.
Throughout Harper's journey, Amber and Ryan have been surrounded by the support of family and friends and would like to make their wedding day not only about them, but more importantly a celebration of Harper and their support system. They will marry in October of 2010 and their reception will be held at Balducci Vineyards in Augusta, MO.
We knew Amber and Ryan were serious candidates for our next wedding when we received an email from them where they wrote, “While you’re not finding cures or donating on a medicinal level, the way you are helping families is through the meaningful moments in their lives they might otherwise not be able to have or share. Making memories is what we all hold so dear; as the truth is we really have no clue what tomorrow holds.” This is exactly why we are so devoted to our mission of providing deserving couples with the wedding of their dreams and we couldn’t be more excited to do it for Amber, Ryan and Harper!
