I was going to write a funny post about wearing yet another purple Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt to the health club, but I just don’t feel like it.
About 4 or 5(?) years ago I heard about a young boy in this area who had relapsed with ALL — a type of leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant. The boy had been a preschool classmate of my oldest daughter. I did not really know the mom well. She had an older child and was always rushing out of preschool to take the older child somewhere. I had a baby so I was preoccupied, as well. I saw the dad and the boy at the birthday party of a friend’s son. I was shocked to hear that the boy had relapsed. The family kept everyone informed by updating a Caringbridge.org page. I commented on some of the posts, but mostly I was a “lurker” — a person who stops by a page to find out how the person is doing and says a prayer for the person’s return to good health.
From this boy’s page I found other Caringbridge page’s for children and some adults who were dealing with cancer treatments. I would check on them regularly. Some were cured, some had not-so-good outcomes. Cancer is a horrible disease. Two of my grandparents died of cancer…the same type. One of the Caringbridge pages I found was for a girl of 4 who was diagnosed with the same type of leukemia as my daughter’s preschool friend. I followed this family’s battle from just after diagnosis until the girl was off treatment.
What made the story more compelling and heartbreaking was that the girl’s father was also diagnosed with cancer — of the sinuses, I think. Father and daughter went through treatments together. Well, the dad’s cancer was never cured. He had many treatments, surgeries, and more treatments to keep the cancer at bay. The cancer is back. I am so sad for this family. I don’t know them at all, but after reading their Caringbridge page for 4 years, and Kristie’s blog for another year I feel as though I know them.
If you could, think a good thought or say a prayer for this family. https://www.notquitewhatihadplanned.blogspot.com/
