Last Friday afternoon, Alexa and Jaydon North were taking turns stirring ingredients in a pink bowl on the island countertop in their great-grandmother’s Tooele kitchen.

“We’re making cookies,” 2-year-old Jaydon said, a big smile on his face.

Alexa, 5, wore a pink shirt and pink bow in her hair to match the bowl. She has a pink apron too, but it’s in storage.

Kristy, their mother, said, “Anytime I’m in the kitchen she’s [Alexa] got to be right there.”

Cooking and food preparation have taken on added importance in the North household since Alexa was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last March. She spent a week and a half in the hospital at the time, and now gets daily insulin injections. Her pancreas and kidneys have to be checked by a doctor every three months.

“We substitute the white sugar for Splenda, which is carb-free,” Kristy said, adding it’s been an adjustment trying to find foods free of carbohydrates. “It is rough because she is a picky eater.”

An altered diet is among the more benign changes undergone by the Norths over the past year. The 2009 Tooele Transcript Bulletin Benefit Fund Family has endured a spate of hardships the likes of which many families don’t see in a lifetime.

Dad Jeremy, 28, has been out of work since February. He said his prospects for finding a job are bleak given the state of the economy.

“It’s [the job search] not really going very well at all actually,” he said.

Kristy, 24, is a stay-at-home mom who is battling cancer. Last January, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which was removed surgically in March. Then, in July, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which resulted in a lumpectomy in August. By September, doctors discovered Kristy’s ovarian cancer had returned. Now she will have to have her ovaries removed and undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments next year.

The family was forced to put their Tooele home up for sale to avoid foreclosure, and for the last three weeks they have been living with Kristy’s grandmother, Linda Snyder. They were five months behind on house payments.

The family rented a storage unit to put most of their belongings in until they are able to get on their feet and afford another place of their own.

“It’s tough, especially for the kids,” Jeremy said. “It’s been a change for all of us, but we’re adapting.”

He still feels fortunate that he had a safety net to fall back on.

“We’re lucky because Grandma let us invade her privacy,” Jeremy said.

Alexa goes to school at East Elementary, and fortunately didn’t have to switch when the family put their house up for sale and moved.

“We didn’t think it’d be a good idea to switch her in the middle of the year,” Kristy said.

Kristy doesn’t have medical insurance, so the Norths have been paying for things out-of-pocket. They thought Christmas presents for the kids were beyond them before being named the Transcript Bulletin Benefit Fund Family.

Besides cooking, Alexa also likes to ride horses and play dress-up with her mom. She’s hoping to get a toy horse and Barbie for Christmas. Jaydon likes Hot Wheels, and hopes to find a Power Wheels car under his Christmas tree.

Jeremy and Kristy have just one request for themselves: a new set of tires for their 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer to replace its bald tires.

Mountain West Medical Center has already pledged to donate a CT scan for Kristy — a process needed to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to her kidneys.

To help the North family, please drop off donated items or send money to the Tooele Transcript Bulletin, 58 N. Main St., Tooele, Utah 84074, with items clearly marked “Christmas Benefit Fund.” The deadline for donations is Dec. 23 by 10 a.m.

Sarah Miley: swest@tooeletranscript.com