Ballston Spa, New York- Kristen Laine Shinebarger, born March 25, 2002 died peacefully at Albany Medical Center on December 20, 2018, surrounded by the love of family and friends. Her devoted parents, Marc and Shelly Shinebarger, by her side.

Kristen saw more of the world in her short life than most girls her age. She traveled both to live life and to get more life to live. In 2016 she went all the way to Japan, where doctors were experimenting with Coley Toxin in the fight against Ewing's Sarcoma. She was a regular at the Cleveland Clinic and Albany Medical Center. She had too many surgeries to count, too many chemotherapies and radiations, too many everything. But it never deterred her. At one point, in yet another medical decision debate about the course of action, she told her parents, "Just don't give me any option that includes dying." No one ever did.

Kristen's living was a world-wide venture. She went to Canada, Puerto Rico, Colorado, Arizona, California, the Bahamas and Washington state with her family. Rare was her complaint about all she had to go through to get these life experiences. In 2012 she lost a leg. In 2016 she lost her hair. No date exists for her losing her spirit. But this month, after a surgery that yielded no improvement, there was no more medicine left for her. She spent her last week on earth taking in visitors. They were her family and friends and her doctors and nurses who'd become family and friends.

She spent the week doing what she'd always done. She giggled, she made others laugh, she kept her Snap-Chat streaks record going. She even played with her cat. How Icee made it to the 7th floor, a miracle. Her friends and family prayed for one more. It had already arrived. It was Kristen all along. She leaves behind lessons in courage to all who knew her and all who'll hear of her in medical journals. Medically and spiritually, she was a miracle.

Along with her parents Marc and Shelly, Kristen is survived by her brother Eric Shinebarger; her grandparents Harry and Donna Shinebarger (Ballston Spa), and Billy and Julie Harrington (Williamson North Carolina).

Donations may be made in Kristen's name to the Animal Shelter or to the Carson Sarcoma Foundation at http://www.carsonsarcomafoundation.org/ .

Friends and relatives may call on Sunday December 23, 2018 from 1pm-4pm at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff, Inc. Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.