I’m a Tulsa Kid: Heidi Kay Lester

At just two years old, Heidi Kay Lester has already made a huge impact on the lives of those closest to her.

Although she may be much younger than most of our “I’m a Tulsa Kid” kids, 2-year-old Heidi Kay Lester is an “exceptional child,” according to mom Hayden Lester. Born five weeks premature, Heidi Kay has been able to break all the molds. Fun-loving, spirited and caring, she may be little, but Heidi Kay has made a huge impact on her parents’ lives and health! We talked to her mom, who nominated Heidi Kay.

Q: What makes Heidi so exceptional?

A: Heidi Kay’s personality is bigger than life. She is genial and has a fun-loving spirit that draws people in. They want to be around her. She is greatly imaginative and speaks in long sentences. She is very expressive – what we like to call “extra”! She is very caring and intuitive, and takes joy in serving others and being helpful. She is in a unique situation where she has had to learn to care for others and learned the value of working together.

Q: How long have you had Type I diabetes and how has your daughter, at such a young age, helped you?

A: I have had Type 1 diabetes for almost 20 years. I absolutely consider Heidi to be a blessing to me from God. So many things went right for me, being a diabetic, to have such a healthy and beautiful child. Heidi Kay helps me by keeping me smiling and laughing daily, and being caring and patient toward me when my blood sugar may be out of range. She cheerfully brings me my blood-sugar kit when I’ve sat it down somewhere in the house where she thinks I might lose track of it. She reminds me to check my blood sugar each time she sees my kit. She questions me about my insulin pump, trying to make sense of it all – it helps me to be even more mindful of my diabetes.

Q: Can you describe Heidi in three words?

A: It is very difficult to sum up Heidi in just three words because there are so many dimensions to who she is. I’m stumped on this question! If I had to pick three, I would say Playful, Helpful, and Intelligent.

Q: What are some of Heidi’s favorite things to do?

A: Playing outside with her kitties, Prince Charming and Cinderella. She especially likes to feed them kitty snacks! She likes to read books with her mama and daddy. We love going to Walt Disney World! Heidi has been there five times! Riding tricycles with her cousins, Calvin and Hazel. She loves to dress up in a princess or ballerina dress and twirl to music. She especially enjoys when Daddy is home and can be her “prince” and twirl her around the dance floor. She loves going to school at Riverfield where she sees her “Deer friends” and her wonderful teachers, Ms. Stafford and Ms. Ellzey.

Q: What are some of Heidi’s hobbies?

A: Heidi Kay wants to be a ballerina so badly. She can’t wait to get a little older, so she can take ballet lessons. Heidi’s daddy, Wes Lester, is a pilot for SkyWest Airlines. He occasionally takes her to Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr. Airport to watch the planes take off and land – she loves to do that! She loves to fly in airplanes, watch airplanes, and pretend at home that she is flying an airplane. I am an RN and in school to be a Nurse Practitioner. She loves to pretend play “doctor” and gives us all frequent check-ups and band-aids!

Q: What are some things you and Heidi like to do together?

A: We take “beauty walks” outside together, picking out beautiful things from nature as we go. We love to shop, strolling through Utica Square or walking the aisles of Target with a bag of caramel popcorn. We love to cook – lately we’ve been making Christmas candies, cookies, and Rice Krispie treats. We do a lot of singing and dancing together when it’s just us.

Q: Fun fact about Heidi?

A: She wears socks on her hands for princess gloves. Her nicknames are “Princess Lolly” (from Candy Land), “Dolly girl” (because she looks like a doll to us), Lovey, and her Pops (grandpa) calls her the “Tascosa Kid.” One of the characters in the movie Winchester ’73, played by Dan Duryea, had a bigger than life personality and that character’s nickname was the “Tascosa Kid.”