Heidi Kleinsmith is not your average 7-year-old. In February of 2021, Heidi was diagnosed with a brain tumor and endured her first surgery just two days after the initial diagnosis. According to her mom, Genevieve, only a portion was able to be removed safely because the tumor was growing out of her brainstem.
Since that first surgery, Heidi’s treatment has included two years of targeted chemotherapy, physical therapy, speech/feeding therapy, and occupational therapy. Heidi has also been seen by countless specialists and is followed by the neuro oncology team at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“At the beginning of her treatment, we had to travel (to Seattle Children’s Hospital) monthly, and we are still traveling over there every three months,” Genevieve shares. “We are still working on her side effects from the tumor. She still has frequent headaches and some weakness from her tumor, so she continues to go to weekly physical therapy.”
In 2022, Heidi needed help developing her fine motor skills, so Genevieve began guiding her in planting flower seeds — the purpose of these flowers once bloomed to be used to create the table centerpieces for the annual Anna Schindler Foundation Memorial Golf Tournament fundraiser, held each September; this year marking Genevieve’s third year donating the centerpieces. (The arrangements are then available for purchase after the event, with proceeds going to the foundation, whose mission “is to provide emotional and financial support to families fighting childhood cancer in the Inland Northwest while raising awareness of this disease.”) “We planted so many flowers, and most bloom all summer. We had so many extras, I first started sharing bouquets from my house in July of 2022. Our flower stand officially opened that August,” Genevieve explains.
“A friend of ours, Charles Shea, owner of Old Creek Custom Cabinets, built our stand and donated it to us. And Nikki Denke, owner of The Brew Bar PNW, allowed us to set up the stand on the grass of her drive-through coffee stand in Post Fall (located on the corner of 3rd and Spokane Street in Post Falls),” Genevieve adds.
The Kleinsmith family grows a wide variety of flowers in their backyard in Hayden. They start the season with tulips and have more than 20 other types of flowers and varieties. “Right now, dahlias are stealing the show, with over 75 different types blooming in our yard,” Genevieve notes.
“This has become, very much, a family project,” she continues. “We have always had a garden. I did plant more vegetables in the past years, but now the garden is taken up by flowers. It’s our happy place, where it is just us and the flowers out there. No thoughts of appointments and medications. Everyone helps with starting seeds in February and March inside. Then we prepare the beds and plant outside in May. Heidi would say she wanted to be a flower farmer. Now she says that she wants to be a doctor and save people’s lives.”
Genevieve drops off fresh arrangements at the stand throughout the week, and she will continue to do so until the first frost. All bouquets come beautifully and thoughtfully arranged in a vase, and there is a crate in the bottom of the stand for those who would like to donate the vase back when finished with it — helping alleviate the extra cost of having to purchase new vases.
All of the bouquets are donation only. There is a cash box at the stand, and Venmo (Account.Venmo.com/u/StandTallforHeidi) is accepted too. “We wanted to share our flowers to brighten someone’s day the same way that growing them brightens ours,” Genevieve smiles. “I don’t want people to think they can’t afford flowers. Just give what you can.” Once the fresh flowers are done for the season, Genevieve will be drying flowers and creating seasonal arrangements with pumpkins and dried flowers.
Donations received through the flower stand are used to help with the expenses of traveling for treatment for Heidi and to purchase more seeds and supplies for the upcoming garden season.
“The support from our community has been amazing. I have received some of the sweetest letters in the stand too. People leave notes about praying for Heidi and our family,” Genevieve reflects. “Heidi has even received a few gifts that some have left in the crate. One particular time was a little family of horses. We had stopped by the stand on our way to appointments that day, and it was such a surprise and perfect timing. They kept her busy for the hours we spent in doctor offices.”
Don’t wait to pick up a beautiful bouquet today from Heidi’s Flower Stand. Your donation, no matter the size, will continue to help ease the financial burden of travel to ensure Heidi continues to receive the care and treatments she so desperately needs on her journey to healing.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. If you would like to make a donation to the Anna Schindler Foundation, and help provide financial support to families battling childhood cancer here in the Inland Northwest, Click Here.
