Am I really going to blog?: Sunday pictures of the day.....

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Sunday pictures of the day.....

This has always been one of my favorite pictures of Cameron (I say that a lot don't I? It seems as though all of my pictures are favorites.) He was 6 when this was taken. It was early in his Tae Kwon Do career, but he was a natural at it. It did a lot for his confidence and stamina. I spent hours sitting on that wooden floor watching him. His last belt was a red/black. We have them displayed on an engraved belt rack.

This was taken Christmas 2006. Sam had just turned 3. We were waiting for admission for Cameron's first bone marrow transplant. He was weak & frail. Santa left some coal for Sam as she had been a typical demanding toddler. Cameron thought it was hysterical. Sam did not. She is able to laugh about it now, especially since the coal has been "recycled" through others' stockings. (BTW - she also got 12 pacifiers in that same stocking with the coal. We were forever losing them & despite being 3, we knew we were in for a long haul of hospitalization and they were going to be necessary.)

I didn't realize how much her hair has grown until I saw this picture. It is most of the way down her back now.

Also, please continue your prayers for our friends Matthew http://caringbridge.org/visit/matthewbarr His family had to cut their Make A Wish trip to Disney short. He is now in the PICU due to new seizures. Trey's family needs continued support and prayers for strength and comfort http://caringbridge.org/visit/treymartens

Thanks for reading.

Lori

1 comment:

Gina SampsonJanuary 19, 2009 at 1:08 PM
I love the Tae Kwon Do pic. I did that for about 5 minutes in College :) Never did a kick that good either!

I have really enjoyed the photos and memories you have shared on these posts. It is awesome to see Cam being a kid and doing things he loved. I think all of you guys have done (and are still doing) a great job. You are seeking and finding good days and enjoying them when they come.
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I HOPE....

I hope you never have to hear the words, 'Your child has cancer.'

I hope you never have to hear, 'The prognosis is not good.'

I hope you never have to prepare to undergo radiation or chemotherapy, have a port surgically inserted into their chest, be connected to IV poles. Look at you with fear in their eyes and say, 'Don't worry Mommy, everything will be okay.'

I hope you never have to hold your child as they vomit green bile.

I hope you never have to feed them ice chips for lunch.

I hope you never have to watch the 'cure' you pray for slowly take away their identity, as they lose their hair, become skeletal, swell up from steroids, develop severe acne, become barely or unable to walk or move, and look at you with hope in their eyes and say,'It's going to be okay, Mommy.'

I hope that you never have to stay in the hospital for weeks, months, or years at a time, where there is no privacy, sleeping on a slab, with your face to the wall, where you cry in muffled silence.

I hope you never have to see a mother, alone, huddled, in a dark hospital corridor...crying quietly, after just being told, 'There is nothing more we can do.'

I hope you never have to watch a family wander aimlessly, minutes after their child's body has been removed.

I hope you never have to use every bit of energy you have left, with all of this going on around you to remain positive, and the feelings of guilt, sorrow, hope and fear, overwhelm you.

I hope you never have to see a child's head bolted to the table as they receive radiation.

I hope you never have to take your child home (grateful but so afraid) in a wheelchair because the chemo and radiation has damaged their muscles, 35 pounds lighter, pale, bald, and scarred. And they look at you with faith in their eyes and say, 'It's going to be okay Mommy.'

I hope you never have to face the few friends that have stuck beside you and hear them say, 'Thank God that is over with,'...because you know it never will be. Your life becomes a whirl of doctors, blood tests and MRI's and you try to get your life back to 'normal'. While living in mind-numbing fear that any one of those tests could result in hearing the dreaded words...'The cancer has returned' or 'The tumor is growing.' And your friends become even fewer.

I hope you never have to experience any of these things... Because...only then...Will you understand...

(author unknown)