ALL in for Wil

Stephen Hawking has died. This is very sad news in Wil’s world. This is as good a time as any to tell about Wil’s first surgery, around midnight of his first day, and his intense relationship with Stephen Hawking. Immediately after he was diagnosed with leukemia we were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. You have to remember at this time we knew NOTHING of pediatric cancer or leukemia I was a normal  😳  parent just like any of you reading this! All kinds of frightening words were being passed around and the one that sticks in my mind was the doctor saying we are going to insert a 2 foot long tube in his groin area up to his heart and take out all his blood and either clean it or replace it...say what?? Please repeat. Needless to say having 2 sisters as nurses was an incredible blessing. But seriously what dimension have I walked into? Wil of course was his normal joking self throughout this whole process. He had two amazing nurses that day Laura and Eileen, ...

When they say it takes a whole village to survive leukemia... they are not kidding. Aunt Vic was on cancer clinic duty this morning for a quick blood draw that ended up being a 5 hour visit. Wil is still puking most days and they sent him to the specialist. He has gastritis. New medication and diet and more tests coming up. On a good note his infection is clearing up. The roller coaster continues  # chemosucks And since this is a pretty good hair pic I’ll add a beginning and middle pic so we can see the growth. Yeah for hair!

Well it’s 2 am and not much sleep going on here. Wil has an infection and although I hope it is nothing and that medicine the doc gave him works quickly, this is exactly how his last hospitalization started. It is so difficult to keep your mind from going to dark places when your child is fighting leukemia. I actually fell asleep and Wil was the one who woke me up because he couldn’t sleep and now I can’t go back to sleep.  # cancersucks  is such an understatement. On a good day it robs you of your peace of mind. Life of a leukemia patient is not for the weak, mentally or physically. Chemo is not our friend, there has to be a better way. March 4 A friend reminded me today was 25 years since Coach Valvano gave his “never give up” speech, he passed away about 2 months later. Give a listen when you have 10 minutes. Wil and I have listened to it often...everyone knows Wil doesn’t let a day go by without laughter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E March 3 ...

“Comfort in, dump out” The ring theory helped me before my son was diagnosed with leukemia. It really helped me talking to my own girls when they were terrified for their brother as well as knowing what to say when their friends dumped on them (not everyone knows this naturally  🙂 I have a few friends and colleagues who are struggling with ill parents, spouses, kids ... hopefully this will help others who are their support system. For those who do it naturally and for those who have stayed closed and figured it out along the way, thank u, we are blessed. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/07/opinion/la-oe-0407-silk-ring-theory-20130407

Make A Wish is an amazing organization that grants wishes to kids facing a life threatening illness. Truman Middle School is hosting a soccer fundraiser to grant Wil’s Wish. We are truly blessed by everyone involved. If you are reading this consider this your invitation to attend the soccer game, we would love to see you and I know the Make a Wish people have worked very hard to put this game together.