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Don't make me turn this van around!

One family. A difficult diagnosis. An old van. And a new lease on life.

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About this blog

Until late 2015, life was exceedingly normal for the Kile family: work, school, little league, ballet – sweating the small stuff and missing the big picture. Then Jon suffered a ruptured abdominal aneurysm that required life-saving surgery. It would be the first of seven surgeries over the next seven months, including emergency open-heart surgery to save him from an aortic dissection. He was eventually diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome, in which the most serious symptom is fragile arteries prone to spontaneous rupture. Jon has adjusted to a lifestyle which forbids him from strenuous activities and stress, while finding inner peace and humor against the backdrop of raising two feral children. Jon gave up business proposals and sales presentations for writing, car-line and PTA, while Monica traded committee meetings and budgets to take on the roles of patient advocate, genetics expert, cool mom and goddess of a 17 foot Dodge van. Together they’ve determined to “live in the moment” and fill the empty spaces in the calendar with family travel and adventure.

Featured Post: ‘Live in the moment’ because a moment may be all you have.

Before we got our sweet ride, I was a frequent passenger in another type of van.

Recent Posts

Westfalia Wagon Train
Key Westy
Euro-trip or Euro-van?
Spring Break Professionals
Dissecting anniversaries

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Father’s Day in #pittsburgh #duquesneincline #familytravel #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #primantibros

Can plan for this stuff. Never heard of #chippokesstatepark until the day we got there. #vwwestfalia #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #familytravel #westfalia #vanlife

Lived in California and Florida almost my entire life, yet I had to come to Virginia to find my first shark tooth. Also the first time I’ve ever specifically looked for one. #familytravel #chippokesstatepark #chippokesplantationstatepark #jamesriver #virginia #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround

Stumbled on a beautiful and lightly populated Chippokes Plantation State Park. #chippokesstatepark #chippokesplantationstatepark #vwwestfalia #familytravel #westfalia #vanlife #sunset #virginia #jamesriver #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround

See that bridge? Monica ran to it. She ran over it. And back. Before the rest of us woke up. #womenwhorun #running #runningmom #marathoner #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #charleston #cooperriverbridge

#jogglingboard #hymansseafood #charleston #familytravel

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