Happy New Year! I realize that I’m four days late in saying so, but here it is, already four days into the new year and I’m just now getting around to it. It’s 12:45 pm on a lovely Sunday and I’ve only taken – according to my FitBit – 202 steps so far. That means …
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supporting role
My daughter, Madeline, is an amazing child. She was born just six weeks after Ben was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and has spent every day of her life since then living in the shadow of her brother’s illness. NOT in the shadow of her brother, mind you, but in the shadow of his illness. Even her birth was …
Dying with dignity
I think we’re all a bunch of friggin’ morons. Me included. Why? Because we think we have the right to infringe on everyone else’s life, while living the way we want and getting upset when anyone else has an opinion about how we’re living. Hypocrites. Every last one of us. The Internet and social media …
Should I write while taking dilaudid?
I hurt my back this past Saturday. I didn’t fall, I didn’t pick anything up that was too heavy, I was simply walking to my car when a searing hot pain engulfed my lower back. I ignored it as best as I could because I had plans to see my favorite author, David Sedaris, in …
Who needs a hug?
Yesterday Ben and I headed to the hospital for his regular clinic appointment. They didn’t even draw his labs before determining that the kid needed some fluids and probably some platelets since petechiae (tiny dots of blood/bruising) had formed around his mediport. Sure enough, when his labs came back, he was in some desperate need …
The perfect day
When looking back on days that really meant something to me, December 4, 1991 always pops into my mind. I was officially an adult: I had recently graduated from Ohio University and was actually using my degree. I was taking my first, real vacation – one that I paid for myself. I was going alone. I …
Choosing hope….
Shortly after Ben was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2004, I attended a conference in Chicago that dealt specifically with this insidious disease. It was an annual (now semi-annual) event put on by a mother who lost her son a few years prior, but was dedicated to continuing the fight for others. She collected all the …
10 years of cancer
Dear Ben, My dear, sweet ray of sunshine. A child who very rarely complains, choosing to hold your fears close to your chest. I am amazed by you, yet my worry is immense. I hope you know I’ll do everything possible to ensure you have an amazing life here on earth. You were my first …
For the love of a TEAM
A few months ago, my dear friend and fellow cancer mom, Sarah, introduced me to an organization called “Team IMPACT.” Their goal is to pair critically ill children with a collegiate sports team, all with the mission of improving the child’s quality of life through the “power of team.” Her nine-year-old daughter and cancer survivor, …
The comfort of a storm
I’ve always been a pluviophile – or one who finds solace in the rain – and I’m fortunate in the way that my children have picked up on this trait as well. Especially Ben. One thing I love about Colorado summers is that when it rains, it’s usually a doozy. When we hear those first …
Stronger Than I Look 