It is one year ago today that our little hero left us for better places.  It seems like just yesterday.  We miss him so much.  His crooked little smile, his laugh, his hugs, kisses and the “wet-willies” he used to so freely give.  He was so much fun always – even when he was sick.  Wanted to laugh and tell jokes.  We will always miss his knock-knocks and his unbelievably strong spirit.  Kyle, we will miss you and love you forever.  And a very sincere thank you to everybody for their continued support.  Rick and Ryan are doing well.  But they have their moments.  And because of the understanding of everybody out there, they are making it.  There aren’t any other words to say but thank you, thank you, thank you.  P.S.  The meals have been wonderful.  And we want to thank all who participated.  We should have put together a cookbook with all the great recipes that everybody brought.  Ryan did turn his nose at a few things.  He can’t believe that you can eat broccoli without cheese.   Again thank you. 

Happy Birthday Kyle.  Today is Kyle’s 8th birthday.  He so loved his this day.  Actually he loved everybody’s birthday.  So, Kyle, we all wish you a very happy birthday. 

FYI -There will be a benefit "Cut-A-Thon" for the Tierney family on Sunday, November 2nd.

The event will be hosted downtown Stillwater at Monde Salon from Noon - 6 pm with all proceeds going to the Tierney family.  Haircuts will be offered for a minimum $30 donation, chair massage for $1 per minute, plus other services.  The staff at Monde Salon, plus other area top stylists will be there to help out for this most worthy cause.

Monde Salon is located at 200 Chestnut St. (on the corner of 2nd and Chestnut) on the 2nd floor of the Chestnut Building. Off-street parking is available by the Myrtle St. entrance (kiddie-corner from the Lowell Inn).

There will be more information to follow.

Because of a technical detail with the post office, many of the cards you have sent to The Tierney Fund have been returned to sender.  If you want to resend them, the problem has been resolved. 

Thank you all who have contributed to this fund.  We are all very appreciative of the support that is being shown for Rick and the boys. 

September 27, 2008 marks the 6 month anniversary of Kyle’s death.  It seems like just yesterday.  Even though Kyle’s presence will be with us always, we still miss him deeply.  Kyle’s laugh and smile, like his Mom’s, are memories that we will have forever.  We are glad that Kyle now has his Mom to help him with the job of looking out for all of us – especially his Dad, Ryan and Baby Luke.  I think sometimes when Luke is smiling in his sleep that he is seeing Mom and Kyle. 

The new Tierney baby arrived yesterday afternoon - earlier than expected.  Kris developed eclampsia and started having seizures resulting in the baby's early delivery.  Follow her progress on Caring Bridge www.caringbridge.org/visit/kristierney.

It is 5 months since Kyle joined the ranks of the angels. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long but time does march on.

There is an awesome bench sitting in front of Anderson school in Stillwater in Kyle’s memory.  Thanks to the parents and the school staff for that wonderful tribute.  It is very touching to see. Kyle will be remembered forever.

Last night, Kris, Ryan, Kyle’s grandmas and his cousin Annie went shopping to spend the lemonade stand money. Kyle would have loved to have been there.  It just wasn’t the same without him.  We gave the hospital a gift card to buy a camera and picture printer and bought lots of fun things – toys, craft items and much more.  Hopefully these things will help to brighten the day for children fighting cancer.  Because as we know it is a long fight.   And again thanks to all who supported Kyle’s Lemonade stand – that is what made this possible.

Kris, Rick and Ryan are good. Ryan starts school next week with the same Kindergarten teacher Kyle had. That will be fun for him. Rick is very busy at work.   And Kris is very pregnant. Starting to get things ready for the baby. They are not finding out if it’s a boy or a girl.  They like the idea of a little suspense at the end. Again, thank to everybody for their continued support.  I do believe our little angel in heaven is pulling for all of us.

Link :
http://stillwatergazette.com/articles/2008/08/08/news/news120.txt

Lemonade stand now a bittersweet fundraiser

By ANDREW WALLMEYER
awallmeyer@acnpapers.com
(Last modified: Friday, August 8, 2008 1:08 PM CDT) LAKE ELMO - Though cancer took Kyle Tierney's life in March, the 7-year-old's spirit still drives a unique fundraiser to help make life better for other young patients at Children's Hospital in St. Paul.

Kyle's Lemonade Stand will return to Gorman's Restaurant in Lake Elmo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Last year's effort brought in about $3,000 that his West Lakeland family used to buy toys and electronics for the hospital's oncology ward.

The idea grew out of a simple request: after Kyle's ependymoma took a turn for the worse last year, he told his parents Kris and Rick Tierney the two things he most wanted to do were to hold a garage sale and have a lemonade stand. They happily obliged, and the resulting roadside business drew hundreds.

Kris Tierney said she expects Saturday's follow-up will be emotionally difficult for the family, but she can't think of a better way to honor her son.

"It's going to be hard, but we're excited to do it. It's something Kyle really enjoyed, and we were able to get a lot of neat things for the hospital with the money that we raised last year," she said.

Among the items purchased with last year's proceeds were an iPod, toys for a couple of play rooms, small prizes for the oncology unit's "treasure chest" and a digital camera and printer that kids now use to take pictures to illustrate the journals they write about their respective experiences.

Ed Gorman, a longtime friend of the Tierneys, told the family he would be happy to host the fundraiser at his restaurant as long as they wanted, and they are considering making Kyle's Lemonade Stand an annual event.

Of course, it will never be the same as it was last year.

"It's going to be bittersweet, since Kyle won't be there, but I think there is a large network of people who he helped bring together who will be happy to see each other and celebrate his memory," Gorman said.

This year, Kyle's 5-year-old brother Ryan will be pouring the lemonade - at least as long as he can sit still - said Tierney, who is expecting another child in mid-October.

No matter who pours the lemonade, Tierney said it will be difficult to find a better pitch man than Kyle.

"He had such a good time last year," she recalled. "One thing I keep remembering is that he would ask people, 'Would you like some lemonade?' and he'd push a cup towards them. And then they'd ask how much it was, and he'd say, 'It's free!' and then he'd tap his donation bucket. He was quite the little salesman."

Link: http://www.lakeelmoleader.com/articles/index.cfm?id=7880&section=Community

Lemonade legacy

Abby Lindekugel Lake Elmo Leader
Published Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Seven-year-old Kyle Tierney died March 27, but his legacy lives on.

Diagnosed at the age of 2 with a type of cancer called ependymoma, Kyle passed with his family, according to the family blog, www.kyletierney.com.

One of his last wishes when he was alive was to have a lemonade stand, which his family provided him with last summer. Kyle told his cousin Ann about his wish, who in turn told her employer, Ed Gorman.

Long-time family friend Ed Gorman, who owns Gorman’s Restaurant in Lake Elmo, offered the family prime lemonade stand real estate at Gorman’s, even donating the lemonade and supplies.

This year, the family is doing it again, in memory of Kyle, Saturday, Aug. 9.

Although it rained last year, and the stand was moved inside the restaurant, it is safe to say that Kyle’s lemonade stand must have been one of the most profitable in the history of Lake Elmo. Rick Tierney, Kyle’s father, estimated they raised $3,000 at the stand.

Proceeds from the lemonade stand went to toys for children in Children’s Hospital’s oncology unit. Kyle is described by many, in comments on the family blog, as a caring young man who was always looking to make others happy. Kyle made it clear that he wanted to help other children, something his family is continuing as well.

“It’s more to allow the hospital to buy new things,” said Tierney. He continued from personal experience, “You are there so long and the kids get sick of the same stuff. Then, you go back in a couple of months and it’s the same stuff. It’s nice for the hospital to have new things.”

Gorman was interested in helping the young man achieve his dream of helping others.

“We’ve known the family and we’ve known their struggles. When Kyle’s tumor came back the last time, they knew it was going to be bad, and they asked him what he wanted to do,” Gorman said. “He said he wanted to have a lemonade stand and a garage sale. Where you or I would want to go to Disneyland or Las Vegas, he just wanted simple things.”

Kyle poured lemonade with a smile for two hours last Aug. 18.

“It will be a lot different this year, because he was the one that sat out there and took money and asked if people wanted lemonade,” said Tierney.

This year, his younger brother Ryan will do the pouring.

“In talking to the family recently, we told them that if they wanted to do the lemonade stand, we would provide that on an annual basis,” Gorman said.

The family wrote on the blog, “This was Kyle’s dream for those kids and we hope to continue it for a long time.”

Proceeds will again go to sick children at Children’s Hospital.

The family still appeared in the planning stages of the stand earlier this week. No time was listed for the event, but it will be held Saturday, Aug. 9, at Gorman’s Restaurant off of Highway 5 in Lake Elmo, 11011 Stillwater Blvd. N.