November 19, 2005

Hi everyone! 

Matt and I want to thank all of you who sponsored Taylor ’s Team for the Make-A-Wish Foundation annual Walk for Wishes last month! Taylor raised almost $500 for other children with life threatening illnesses so that their wishes can be granted as well! The weather was perfect on 10/15 at Liberty State Park where we and our friends and family joined about 1000 more walkers to walk 2 miles along the coastline overlooking lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. It was an awesome experience and so wonderful to know that we were helping other children’s dreams come true. 

Taylor is doing fantastic praise God!  He is loving school, playing outside with Joe (his best buddy across the street), anything to do with NASCAR or racing, and pestering his little brother. Cameron gives it right back though! He’s 17 months old now and only a few pounds less than Taylo r ! Their new favorite activity is to pile up a bunch of pillows on the floor next to our bed.  Then they climb up on the bed and go flying into the air, crash landing into the fluffy mountain below. Who needs toys when you have pillows and cardboard boxes. These boys are a lot of fun and Matt and I are enjoying every minute with them. It’s been almost two years since Taylor finished treatment, but when I hear other moms complain about things with their kids or not happy about what kind of education they’re receiving, I still can’t help but feel like I’m just so blessed to still have him here. Matt and I look at the world though cancer colored glasses, and probably always will.  I hope we’ll never lose that extra strong appreciation we have for our healthy kids. God is so good!

Taylor had his latest checkup on 11/10 with Dr. Meyers. He said that Taylor looks terrific.  I’m thrilled to report that he finally gained some weight!  Taylor has weighed 30 pounds and had not gained a single pound since he finished treatment 22 months ago! He now weighs 32 pounds and we are all very pleased! He has also grown a little more in height since his last checkup in September. His height is about average for his age. Our concern is that he had radiation over the femur and growth plate, so we like to see that his growth is good!  

Taylor will be having his next set of scans the second week in January. It’s so great now that he has them every six months, as opposed to every three months. People ask me often if scans get easier, less anxiety for me, and less traumatic for Taylor . The answer is yes and no. Taylor knows what to expect by now (he hates getting an IV, but he loves having anesthesia) and he has no idea why he is getting his “picture” taken. We don’t plan on telling him why anytime soon since right now he’s in a phase where he is very interested in death and why we die. As for me, the anxiety is there, but it is less each time we go. Right before one of his first sets of scans, I was really apprehensive and letting worry get the best of me one evening. I remember praying, God, what is different now than when he was going through treatment and I felt all that strength that I know was from you? I though about it and it’s like when your drowning and you need something to hold onto. God was like my life preserver and all during my son’s ordeal I was holding on tight with both hands. Then when he finished I let go a little and thought I could go it alone…until scan time. It’s taken me 34 years on this earth and for my little one to have cancer for me to realize that I don’t have to go it alone and that even when I’m trying to swim on my own, God is right there waiting for me to grab on. If you ever come to our house, you will find a reminder boldly written in red marker and placed over the kitchen sink where I spend a lot of time. It reads, “Hold on with both hands!”

Happy Thanksgiving

We love you all, Jen