The Greatest Gifts

Throughout this journey we have been blessed with many gifts. Gifts for Nathan or Camryn, much needed food to nourish us, help with a multitude of tasks that we cannot manage alone, a kind ear, thoughtful words, prayers and love and light, and a tremendous number of things which make our stay here a little more joyful and remind us that we are so very loved... Knowing that our friends, family, and even near strangers are thinking of us and our journey here is a huge help, and I cannot even put into words that anybody who hasn't been in this situation could ever understand. Often times I am left feeling like a simple "thank you" could never be enough to cover the depth of the feelings of gratitude that I hold in my heart each and every time someone reaches out to us. Then there are some gifts which truly leave me grasping for breath at the huge-ness of them, and I want to describe two of those immeasurable gifts...

I wrote at length about Nathan and Camryn, their relationship and their sibling bone marrow match here. She had her blood drawn yesterday as the first step to clearing her as his bone marrow donor. This was a big deal for her as she seems to have a visceral fear of needles, and she had to sit there while they filled 15 tubes of her blood. I am amazed by how well the blood draw went and her willingness to work through this fear to help her brother. And hearing how accepting she is of the possible  future surgery to extract her bone marrow aspirate and how excited she is to watch her cells go into his body, it feels healing on so many levels. It's really hard for me to put into words but I feel like we are finally going down a path to a real solution, and it feels serendipitous to me. That she is a match for him, it just makes sense and I have felt for a long time that this journey is way more about their relationship than anything else. This gift that she is so unconditionally willing to give her brother, for love of him and a deep desire to make him all better, it's truly incredible and unfathomable to me. I have had parents ponder how you ask one child to suffer for the benefit of the other and somehow that hasn't even been an issue; it is so much more about giving and healing that the suffering pales in comparison and isn't even a consideration for HER. How a seven year-old girl is so capable of understanding that on such a deep intuitive level is beyond me and I feel unworthy of being a mother to such a child. While there are so many more steps to go over the coming weeks and months, the biggest most challenging parts still in our future, just seeing these kids welcome each day with their arms wide open and showing such courage and deep love reassures me that everything is going to be alright.

And then my birthday was last week and I began the day thinking that I was just going to get through it, postpone the celebration and just treat it like any other day in the hospital. But that morning I went on my Facebok page and saw post after post and picture after picture of friends donating blood to celebrate my birthday, in Nathan's honor, and sharing information about blood donation. That so many people took the time to think of us and go out of their way to help another, to give this huge and potential life saving gift, it brought me to tears. It seems my dear friends conspired to give me this huge surprise and I could't imagine a better birthday present! Thank you to everyone who helped to give me a truly special birthday. And for those of you who are still thinking of donating blood, it only takes an hour of your time and makes a tremendous difference. I am thankful every day for the countless donors who have taken time to give blood, it is a simple gesture that makes an immediate difference in the life of an individual who is fighting for his or her life. That blood products are so readily available in hospitals at this point in time is nothing short of a miracle, and every person who rolls up their sleeve to donate their blood is a part of this miracle. Here are the links to locate a blood donation center within Illinois or Wisconsin.

So thank you to everyone for all of your gifts, big or small, profound or pragmatic... you are making a difference in these four lives and then some. I absolutely feel the love and, with love, all things are possible!