Childhood Cancer license plate

CHESAPEAKE, Va - Simple things, like a child dancing, and sisters laughing, and the love of a family, are things Tom and Joanne Kral say they'll never take for granted.

Joanne Kral told WAVY.com, "When you're with your child and you know any day, she's going to pass away, you want to be there every moment to comfort her."

At seven years old, on Thanksgiving Day in 2006, Kristina Kral passed away. Her parents were with her everyday, including the day her diagnosis came.

"Took her to CHKD of which they told us she had 4th stage cancer," Joanne explained.

Kristina had Pancreatoblastoma, an aggressive form of pediatric cancer of the pancreas.

After treatments, including surgery to remove a tumor, Kristina went into remission.

Her dad said she then had a seizure.

"And we found out the cancer had spread to her brain... We were told Kristina was beyond treatment. They said we could return home and live out the rest of her days here in her own home. And she lived for six more weeks."

Throughout Kristina's illness, she never knew what it was like not to have at least one of her parents by her side.

"It means so much to be able to help your child through this and concentrate fully on them," Joanne said.

In 2008, Joanne made a request that came naturally to a mother who lost a child to cancer.

She said, "I asked my husband to go into the DMV site to see what they had as a specialty plate for children that have cancer. And he couldn't find one."

So Joanne and Tom decided to do something about it. They contacted the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, developed a sample specialty plate, and started trying to get the pre-paid applications required to make a Childhood Cancer Awareness plate a reality. Money raised through DMV specialty plates goes to charities. In this case, it would be for parents with children in treatment for cancer.

Tom recalled a sight that bothered him during Kristina's many hospital stays.

"I had to ask the nurse one time, I said 'Why is this child alone, where are the parents?' And the nurses' answer was the parent has to work. They're from a single parent home or both parents work. Their employer can not rearrange their work schedule. So they have to make a choice either go to work to help pay bills, and leave the child alone at the hospital - or be there with the child all the time and not be able to work."

The Krals are grateful their employers rearranged their work schedules. And they don't think other parents should have to chose between a job or a child. For them a Childhood Cancer Awareness license plate is a way to give other local families what they were able to give Kristina - much needed time together.