We are proud to launch this site to raise awareness, funding and support for Emma and Chase’s House of Hope (non- profit charitable organization). Our efforts will help many children in their fight against cancer.
Posted by editor on Mar 3, 2013 in Journal | 5 comments
Tears are an interesting thing…
They can come when you are happy, sad, overwhelmed, tired and they can come at the least expected, and the least appropriate times.
I never felt tears of joy until the birth of my daughter Emma. I was unaware they had even begun… I just knew I was looking into the eyes of a new little girl overwhelmed by the love I immediately felt. The tears were sweet and welcomed. As I swiped my arm across my eyes I knew that when I reopened them the person I loved would be staring back at me. In a second the pain of labor and the weeks on bed-rest were gone and all I knew was love. True, heartfelt LOVE!
I did not see those tears again until the birth of Chase. I was overwhelmed at how I could instantly felt as though God blessed me with an extra heart full of love for my handsome and tiny little man. It was not a love that was divided by two children and not a 50/50 split but it was as though my 100% love was multiplied and now I had 200%. After spending 9 months fretting that my little boy would not like me because I am such a girly girl and “what did I know about boys” those beautiful tears quickly assured me that everything was going to be okay. Sure, I still did know much about robots, dinosaurs, or sports….but I did not need to… all I knew at that moment was that I adored him and I was happy to learn about anything he would become interested in, hand in hand with my AMAZING little man.
Over the past few years I felt new levels of highs and lows I never knew existed. I learned what it meant to be so devastated your heart truly aches…the pain in your stomach rises to your chest. The passion in screaming as I walked down the street begging for Gods intervention. The feeling of leaving my body as my knees hit the ground and my ears went numb…unable to hear anything more. The moments of faith when I saw Gods genuine works in our family. The moments of pride when I watched my son fight so hard yet, he smiled the whole way through. The moments I saw Emma gently caress Chases bald head and say, “come on Chasie lets get you out of bed today” that is true love. Tears were in my eyes…dripping like puddles on the ground… and overflowing into my hands. They needed no invitation…and at times came when I did not want them…. I wanted to shove them away….tell them I was not ready…tell them it was not a good time to fall apart. Yet, that option was not mine….
Tonight was one of those uninvited moments. As I was laying in bed trying to hold back tears as emotions flooded through my heart I was upset…mad I could not send them back….sad they where here again. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to stop them from falling, but of course they find their way in the smallest creases of your eyes to fall.,,,,
Perhaps it is the fact that Chase’s scan is just a few days away, perhaps it was a result of trying to keep strong and hold things together to long. Perhaps it was the small moments that make big impressions. Today that moment was when Chase ran into the corner of the table. I ran to grab him as he screamed in pain and frustration. The realization that it was so close to his left eye yet again. The fear of him one day taking a corner directly to the eye came flying through my mind. We escaped another potentially worse injury yet, that fact alone did not ease the pain or worry. Chase was so frustrated he screamed out “I don’t like this house”, it was such a clear indication to me that he does not understand…he does not understand he has lost vision…he does not understand why he did not see it and he is sooooooo frustrated he just screams out in anger. It is in these moments, when I want to take away any side effects of cancer and I want to scream! I know this is my job, to protect him, to keep him out of harms way. I just wish that my love was enough to take all of this away.
I try to stop the tears and remind myself of how blessed we are but it does not stop me from wishing as him mommy I could take this away for him.
I am a bit emotionally tired but I wanted to end with a moment of love…
I have decided to do a passion project. I have enlisted the help of the kids and we have started a project called “Lock Box’s of love” Inspired by Emma Lock. We will be sending boxes with items tailored to the age and interests of the child who is supporting a loved one through cancer. This could be a sibling or a child of a parent with cancer. We just wanted the others affected by cancer to feel special, to feel hope and to feel the love we were sending them.
We are sending out our first round of boxes tomorrow. Here are a few of the individuals who will be receiving the first round of boxes.
-A ten year old boy being raised by his grandparents. His Papa has been fighting cancer and was recently put into hospice care. This young boy takes an active role in the caregiving of his Papa and we hope to make him feel special.
-A 22 year old girl who’s brother is fighting cancer. He is currently in treatment in another state and she is struggling with not being able to be with him during this time.
-Two young girls, one age 8 the other age 13. Their brother who is only 2 has CPC and has been battling for some time. His little body just rejected his stem cell transplant which was the doctors last effort to save him. Their parents are taking him home to spend his final time as a family and the two sisters are devastated.
-A young girl in the hospital with CPC age 2 1/2. She is in her 4th round of chemo and doctors have found new tumors. They are hoping to start a new chemo hoping that her cancer will respond.
On a moment when a red light seems irritatingly long, a lady in line snips at you,or a bad day at work seem to get the best of someone…these children put things into perspective.
My love to you all tonight.
Angel
Posted by editor on Feb 13, 2013 in Journal | 2 comments
Hello Everyone,
I want to say thank you to everyone who wished Chase a happy birthday and came to celebrate with him. It was a very special day and involved about a week of sniffles on my part. It seems so hard to believe that my sweet baby boy is 5! He had an AMAZING birthday and enjoyed every minute of it. He already has BIG plans for his next birthday and now he says, “momma one day I am going to be 10!” That alone makes my heart spill over with love and excitement. He is growing and learning more with each day. I also have one more piece of BIG news…Chase is testing the limits. I know that every child does it but it seems so different coming from Chase. He is usually so easy and has always been a stickler when it came to rules…now he is venturing off and testing the boundaries and limits of what he can and can not get away with. I have to admit I look at these moments differently than I used to. I realize that this is what kids are supposed to do and it means they are growing and evolving. It also means they are healthy and able to put up more of a fight. So I say “Bring it on” I will take it all day because it means my son is a normal healthy little boy.
Onto other news, Emma started attending Castle Hill with Chase about 2 weeks ago. I was a bit worried about how she would transition but she has done AMAZING and is thriving. She is so happy and vivacious and we could not be happier. We have met some amazing families and her classroom is sweet and accepting of Emma. We will miss all of our wonderful community at St. Cyril but hope to keep in touch.
Please continue to pray for Chase’s scans on the 8th.
Angel
Posted by editor on Feb 13, 2013 in Journal | 2 comments
Beautiful MRI
Thank you all for your prayers, Chase’s MRI was clear and beautiful!!!
Praise be to God.
Posted by editor on Oct 31, 2012 in Journal | 0 comments
Hello Everyone,
It has been a while since I have updated. Since school has begun it has been go..go..go. The kids are continuing to do well in school. Chase had several developmental and visual testing done in the beginning of the year and is now appointed an IEP (individual education provider) for his vision. The school also wanted to run some additional tests to follow up on the results of his developmental assessment. He completed testing with the speech therapist and I am VERY proud to say that he blew the test our of the water! Not only does he not require speech therapy, but he is above average in most of the areas pertaining to speech HIP HIP HORAY for Chase! We still have to complete a test with a physical therapist and have his hearing tested again. I am proud of Chase for being so patient with all the extra tests he has done this school year. His teacher Mrs. Lane continues to inspire him daily and feeds his love for school and normalcy.
Emma is doing really well in school and is very excited to have a group of friends. She joined Tucson Girls Chorus and it has been AMAZING for her. When she first told me she wanted to take singing classes I had no idea who offered classes for a 6 year old. Once we found the Tucson Girls Chorus it immediately became Emma’s favorite thing to do. I can not say enough wonderful things about the chorus, it teaches the girls so much. Not only about singing, but about stewardship, leadership and responsibility.
The kids are both fighting a cold and Chase HAS to get better by Friday because he has his MRI in Phoenix. I ask you all to please storm the heavens for Chase to have good MRI results showing no new tumors and ask for the blessing of Chase to continue to be cancer free now and forever!
Thank you again and I will post as soon as I get news on Friday.
My love to you all.
Angel
Posted by editor on Aug 21, 2012 in Journal | 2 comments
Sometimes it just hits you like a wave…
Written 18 minutes ago
Sometimes it hits like a wave…you do not see it coming and it knocks you down. Tonight was a wave, the past few nights Chase has been asking a lot of questions. At night when we lay in bed and I can tell he is thinking is when he asks me the most in depth questions. The past few nights the topic has been the same…pokies. He asks me if he will get pokies in his throat, or pokies in his head, then he asks me when he has to get a pokie next. He follows up with “mommy when I get a pokie I only want for you to hold the cotton ball when it is done”. I can tell this has been heavy on his heart lately. Obviously very aware of how shots and pokes cause pain and dreading it. I want to tell him “never again baby, you never have to get pokies again”, “never again will you have to go to the hospital”, I want the ability to take it all away; take away the cancer, take away the fear…take it all away. I wish I could tell him “it is never coming back, you will be with mommy forever”. Although I feel as though God has healed him, the lingering tests and MRI’s await. My sweet baby boy knows so much more than I had ever wished him to know about life and health…and even death. We have never talked about how cancer can take a life, yet he is acutely aware. He asks me when people go to heaven and how old are you when you go to heaven. Those questions hit me to the core…another wave shaking my footing.
The question of why is this happening no longer comes to me. All I want is the future, I want every moment that I dreamed of for my son. I want the first crush, the first baseball game, when he learns to drive a car, to watch him graduate and marry.
Yet God seems to speak through him. Chase is so confident that he will grow up “big and strong”. He talks about his next birthday. He also wants nothing more in this world than to be a “daddy”. We were told that the chemo drugs used could prevent him from having children. Yet, this is not what God tells Chase. Because Chase is dead set that he will have children and he will get his wish to one day be a daddy.
I find it amazing how much you can adore and LOVE your children. So much that your heart aches, so much that you cant fall asleep because you do not want to miss a moment with them. So much that you would do ANYTHING to make sure they are okay.
The fear that he will relapse, the fear that he will be taken from us is something that I continue to pray about. God has been good and has given me peace time and time again. Yet, the payer is still there sometimes in the back of my mind and sometimes so strong that I want to fall on my knees and beg.
I find myself wanting to be selfish, keep him with me all the time. After just one week in school I want to keep him home. Yet, I know that is not the best thing for Chase. Chase is thriving, he wants to be just like all the other kids…its just that sometimes momma is hurting. Not wanting to miss any moments, wanting to keep him in my arms every second….never wanting to let him go.
I know this wave will soon subside and the tide will gently roll in but for tonight I ask for your continued prayers. Please pray that God will ease Chase’s fears and that he will continue to speak through him…letting us all know he has conquered this beast we call cancer.
My love to you all.
Angel
Posted by editor on Aug 16, 2012 in Journal | 24 comments
Hello Everyone,
I have been trying to update for some time but have not found the time to actually sit down and write.
Our trip to Houston now seems like a blur of appointments and trying to keep the kids comfortable. Chase was completely different this trip. In the past he had always LOVED going back to Houston and seeing all of his “friends”. He saw his buddy Hien and Emma saw Margarett and that was wonderful, yet once the appointments started Chase really changed. He did not want anything to do with the hospital, procedures or appointments of any kind. He became increasingly frustrated with each passing day. He would scream that he just wanted to go home and fought many of the procedures. It was hard to know what to do, on one hand I wanted him to cooperate with the tests necessary to know how he was progressing and on the other hand I completely understood. Last year life was different for him, all he knew was a life of doctors and nurses and this year life changed for him. He got a taste of normalcy and it was obvious that he was not happy going back to the hospital life. As he was screaming “I HATE THIS PLACE!” I knew it was his way of saying “I do not want to do this anymore. After several pokes and follow up appointments that he refused to do he begged to just go home. Because of this many tests were inconclusive, hearing test, vision exam, and neuro cognitive exams all needed more cooperation from him. The only thing we do know is that his MRI came back clear and that is the most important. Beyond that the neuro ophthalmologist was concerned Chase has indeed lost his lower portion of vision as well. In addition, some of Chase’s blood work came back with elevated levels related to endocrinology so we have several doctors we need to follow up with in Phoenix.
Emma has started Kindergarten and so far it has been a bit of a transition time. I think it has been a difficult and tiering transition for her. She would much rather stay home with momma and honestly I yearn for the days that it was the kids and I at home being able to make our own schedule and get up and go the the museum or zoo whenever we wanted. I am hoping that in time she will make some close friends and find her way in her “new normal” as well.
Chase starts preschool tomorrow and he is over the moon excited at this point. He has met his teacher Mrs. Lane and I am not sure who loves her more, him or I. She is WONDERFUL and has taken a sincere interest in getting to know him. I am excited to see how he grows and learns this year. He is anxiously doing the countdown to school and is very excited to remove his number 0 tomorrow. On Emma’s first day of school I filled the entire room with balloons, she had a special breakfast and got a special gift so all the more Chase is excited for his special day. Yesterday he asked me who was going to baby sit him so that I could go and get his balloons and his gifts. So much for the element of surprise, but I am sure it will not take away from his excitement.
Besides that the new schedule has taken a tole on Chase as well as Emma. Getting up extra early, taking his sister to school and running around doing the school routine has added an extra 1-2 hour nap that has been gone for almost 2 years. I have to remind myself that he becomes more tired than the average 4 year old due to his treatments and it is just part of our journey. Yet, it is hard to see both kids so wiped out. Chase is telling me more often that he is to tired to walk and is wanting to be carried and ride in the stroller again. Now I struggle with trying to find the balance of encouraging him and accommodating him.
For now we try to settle into our new normal and post treatment related issues for all family members.
Please pray that God will send us much needed guidance to get us through with grace.
Love to you all.
Also, to those of you who have small children who are still at home. Savor each and every moment. They are the best moments and they seem to go by in the blink of an eye.
Posted by editor on Jul 19, 2012 in Journal | 10 comments
Integrative Touch for Kids retreat
Written Jul 19, 2012 12:22pm
Hello Everyone,
I have been meaning to update our journal all week. But between being gone for a week at the ITK (integrative touch for kids) retreat, unpacking, washing laundry and preparing to repack for our Houston trip, I have not had the time to sit down and write.
We are days away from headed to Houston so the sleepless nights have made there way back into our home. Yet, on the positive side it gives me the time to finally update our journal.
After much anticipation we headed out for our ITK retreat the second week of July. For those of you who are unfamiliar with ITK let me take a minute to share their mission with you.
The mission of ITK:
Integrative Touch for Kids (ITK) empowers and nurtures the minds, bodies, and spirits of children experiencing special medical needs and their families through a new wellness model that brings integrative therapies and community involvement to improve quality of life.
ITK recognizes when a child has special needs, a family has special needs. ITK cares for the whole family by providing programs that provide therapeutic services and ongoing education in integrative medical therapies that can be implemented in the day-to-day lives of children and families.
ITK is pioneering a new model of health and wellness to minimize suffering, enhance well being, and facilitate healing for children with developmental disabilities, genetic conditions, cancers and other chronic, acute and life-limiting illnesses.
As I sit and reread their mission it does not seem to do justice to just how amazing this organization is. We applied for the retreat nearly a year ago and were tremendously happy when we heard our family was one of nine families chosen for the retreat. Marc and I were so hopeful that we could find outlets that would help our children cope with the journey that we have all been through since Chase was diagnosed.
When we arrived at the beautiful Hacienda Del Sol Resort we were greeted with open arms. It was immediately apparent how much they already loved our family, even though this was the first time we had the opportunity to meet many of the team face to face.
In the days to follow Emma and Chase were introduced to their “buddies” for the week. Emma’s buddy was an amazingly cute little girl from California who Emma immediately bonded with. You could tell that Emma loved the idea of someone that was just hers, that she did not have to share with her brother. Chase was also introduced to his buddy Allie who was absolutely beautiful and Chase was very intrigued by the braces she had on her teeth which sparked a conversation between he and Allie. At first I was concerned with how he would react to being separated from mommy so he could attend his different modalities of therapy, but he immediately fell in love with Allie and the rest of the young volunteers. Every morning while at breakfast he would ask me to find his buddies so he could check in and say hi. Before I knew it he was yelling “bye mom I am going with my buddies” as he left with a great big smile on his face. As the week went on I saw the sparkle that once seemed absent, back in Emma’s eyes. I also watched on as my shy, slow to trust others little boy bounded with personality and confidence. It was obvious how much the volunteers truly cared about our children, and equally as obvious how much the kids loved the volunteers. I also have to add that Emma met a new “friend” in the kitchen. His name is Marcos and he is a chef from Hacienda, and one day he allowed help make milkshakes and smoothies with him. She told me all about him during dinner one night and not much to my surprise I later found out he was actually a pasty chef…. Emma is planning ahead for her chocolate cake cravings hehe.
I felt blessed to meet so many beautiful families that were a part of the retreat. I would look forward to our daily mothers meeting and found myself so bonded to all of these incredible women. Although our stories were different and our children carried a different diagnosis the links that connected us were so strong. I will consider these women part of my extended family for years to come. I also felt very close to the life coach Molly who lead our groups. Every day she would keep us on track, not mince words and take us to where we needed to go in order to begin to heal.
I was also so blessed by the other therapy instructors and was able to take part in Chigung, meditation, massage, healthy cooking classes, gratitude journaling, breathing classes, and even laugh therapy. It was amazing!!!!!!!
I also have to send a huge thank you to the owners and staff at the Hacienda Del Sol. They truly went above and beyond to make everything wonderful for each and every one of us.
So now we go into the week before scans and Marc and I are in full fledge “medical mode”. I am getting ready by packing and trying to anticipate the kids needs, while making all of the last minute calls to the doctor. Marc is working his tail off at the office in order to get his ducks in a row before we leave. As much as I would like to say that this has kept me busy enough not to worry about next week, it has not. Tonight my mind was so full I sat at my dresser drawer for what seemed like 5 minutes trying to decide on a pair of pajamas. After anticipating and preparing for all of the moments next week making the simplest choices seems like a monumental task. After realizing that I was a crazy lady for not being able to decide on a pair of jammies I reached for my cozy Christmas footed pajamas that I wore for Chase’s birthday party this year. They are cozy and seemed to fit an emotional need at the time…to feel wrapped in warmth, comfort and a reminder of who I am fighting for (forget the fact that it is 105 degrees in Tucson right now). I am sure we will have our fair share of sleepless nights and moments of worry in the days to come. These feelings seem only to familiar after nearly 2 years since our lives changed. For me, going into scans feels like running full speed into a painful and familiar wall that you never wished you would hit, never saw coming and wish you could destroy.
Even after all this time, I have many moments where this all seems so unreal. Going into these moments of medical necessity are a very harsh reminder of our journey. Even as I write the words it does not feel completely real, and I still find it difficult to put the words Chase and cancer in the same sentence. Perhaps because I know he is so much more than cancer, and perhaps because there is a fear that if I say it… it mayl be more than my emotions can handle.
So for now, I acknowledge this week will be tough. I can take it being tough for myself but I cringe at knowing it will be tough on Chase as well as my beautiful Emma.
Please keep Chase in your prayers as he has a week full of appointments and procedures. His big appointment for his 6 hour scan is on Tuesday. Pray for the MRI to be on time because he will be fasting and his appointment is not until the late morning (a very tough deal for a little guy). Also pray that Chase blows doctors away with how amazing his scans look. Pray that chase will be at peace during the week because he has so many tests to undergo. And please keep the continued prayer that Chase will never EVER show any evidence of new tumor or metastasis and will remaine healthy and cancer free FOREVER!!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
The story of Chase Lock – Fighting for a chance to live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jccvLaejLOU&feature=context-cha
Emma’s story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFeRUTLAIIw&feature=plcp
Life after treatment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSRMqyFmYJQ&feature=plcp
lockinhope.org
Posted by editor on Jul 18, 2012 in Journal | 4 comments
Call chemo oncologist (check)
Email neuro surgeon (check)
Call vision therapist (check)
Make an appointment for a new ophthalmologist (no openings until August) (check)
Call Tanque Verde School district to set up Chase for a vision and developmental assessment to obtain an IEP (check)
Call Equine therapy (check)
Email Proton Beam Families with a question about proton therapy (check)
Email feedback about Candelighters Camp (check)
Call Social worker in TX about our July trip (check)
Call school for the Def and Blind (check)
-In the middle let the kids be kids and set up a painting station and serve breakfast and lunch (check)
Well, it has been a typical morning full of phone calls to make, and answers to seek. It has led me to question…”to tell or not to tell”. Do I tell people that I meet about Chase and his cancer or do I no longer share the story and let Chase be defined as the cute little boy with a silly personality rather than the boy with Cancer. I have thought at length about what to do. In one sense it is part of our families testimony and on the other hand I wonder if the new person meeting me that I am telling our story to is wondering “why is she telling me this”. It just seems to be that this is such a big part of our daily lives it is hard not to let it be who we are. Yes, I know we are not cancer and we are so much more than that. Yet, it has molded us in so many ways. I fear I still do not have the answer.
I recently asked other parents that are years and decades out from the day that cancer entered their lives if I will get to the point where a whole day will go by that I do not think of cancer and the answer was overwhelmingly “No”.
So now I am trying to take cancer and think of the ways it has blessed our lives…saying that now feels odd as it slips from my lips. How can cancer bless someone right? But I am slowly learning that cancer is a big umbrella that many things fall under. Sure Cancer has devastated me and broken my heart over and over again but it has brought light to so many other things, teaching me so much.
-Cancer has taught me how to count the blessings I do have.
-It has taught me how wonderful and supportive friends, family and total strangers can be.
-It has strengthened my faith
-It has taught me to slow down and enjoy the little moments
-It has given me patience
-I have learned that once you are affected by cancer that your view on EVERYTHING changes. When you look mortality in the face and it effects someone that you love more than life itself, you soak in every beautiful moment that you otherwise may have missed.
Moments when your kids are healthy
Moments when your kids are acting like kids, that is what they should be doing.
I wake up and try to be present
Take more vacations, little moments and time together to enjoy the smile on your children’s faces.
Make each day count
Never ever stop telling those you love just how much you love them, even if it is 10 times a day
I have to run for now, I have two kids head to toe in paint (beautiful).
Angel
Posted by editor on Jul 18, 2012 in Journal | 2 comments
Hello Everyone,
Have you ever had that moment where something hit you or someone said something and you were struck with several answers all in one moment? I had my “Ah Ha” moment last week after talking to another mother who has a daughter who is visually impaired. After she saw Chase sitting in his little Chase Cave (a stroller completely covered with a head set to drown out the noise) at the end of Vacation Bible School and the mother said “I am surprised that he was able to make it through the day”. She went on to explain that children who are visually impaired have to focus so hard just to get the visual picture that any other distractions make the situation overwhelming. She said her daughter is noise sensitive and touch sensitive. She continued to explain “imagine you are in a noisy bar, with smoke, loud noise and it is very dark, it is hard to focus” She said that is how a person who is visually impaired feels every day under normal circumstances. Add to that extra noise or distraction and their senses go into overload. They become sensory sensitive because their senses are heightened to compensate for their vision loss. She went on to explain that her daughter is still exceptionally tiered during the day because she is trying to focus on the picture of her surroundings and it is mentally exhausting necessitating more naps and quiet time…………. There it was my AH HA moment. Within seconds so many of my questions with Chase were answered. Why is he noise sensitive? Why does he not like crowds? Why does he not like going to the movies? Why does he shut down in social situations? Why does he become so tired if we go somewhere that is stimulating? Why is so cautious when we are out? SENSORY OVERLOAD, he is trying so hard to interpret what he is able to see that anything else is too much to take in. It quickly became apparent that I am not equipped with the knowledge necessary to understand how his vision loss effects him and help him through. My new mission is to find people who can teach me about vision loss and help me find ways to understand and help Chase.
I have been in touch with another vision specialist as well as the School for the Def and Blind trying to get Chase the help he needs.
Please pray that God will continue to guide us to the best path available to help Chase. We seem to have so many questions about what is best and need Gods guidance to find the best path.
Thank you for your continued prayers for Chase’s complete healing and also for our sweet baby girl Emma.
Angel
Posted by editor on Jul 18, 2012 in Journal | 2 comments
Hello Everyone,
It has been a fun filled week, Emma started princess camp and Chase started Superhero camp on Monday. Emma loved it and jumped right into class. Chase was more apprehensive and required much more encouragement. By Thursday he was in tears because he did not want to go. It pulls hard on my heartstrings not knowing what the right thing is to do. I know the reason he does not want to go is because he is still afraid of new situations and add to that a group of rambunctious little superheros and he becomes very intimidated. I looked him in the eyes and told him he would have a great time as I handed him to Mr. Adison who was waiting with open arms. I just knew that once he got over the initial fear he would have fun, and I do not want him to overcome his fear of intimidating situations. Although he did not interact much with the other boys and hung back with the teachers he considered to be safe, in the end he had a good time. It is still hard for me to see him struggle and I ran off to get him a cookie to celebrate his bravery.
We have some exciting news, after a year of going through the admissions process our family was picked to go on the Integrative touch healing retreat. I could not be more excited! Their focus is on the complete healing of the entire family. Emma and Chase will both have resources that we would never have known to introduce to them. The retreat will be next month and I am really looking forward to it. We are also attending the Candelighters family weekend camp. I am really looking forward to meeting some new families and hoping the kids will make some great summer memories.
We are also trying to get Chase help for his vision. He had a full vision exam which ruled out near sightedness, far sightedness and diagnosed him with vision field cuts. Meaning that Chase is only seeing some of the picture. We also met with a vision therapist who talked about introducing a cane and suggested the School for the Def and Blind. Needless to say these are many hard decisions for Marc and I. Balancing the need for Chase to get the help he requirers while also wanting him to feel as mainstream as possible. Only time will tell how this will work out but we are desperately trying to figure out what is best for him.
Chase has been enjoying his summer and has been swimming almost every day. If I could use one word to describe him it would be “happy”.
Emma had her ballet recital last week and was the most amazing chicken in the entire ballet. She has her hip hop recital coming up in a few weeks and has also acquired a love for Karate. She also finished up her swim lessons for this year and is an absolute FISH.
We will be headed back to Houston in July for nearly 10 days so keep Chase in your prayers.
Also wanted to share that we knew two children we knew received their angel wings this week. It breaks my heart for their families and also reminds me of how difficult and scary this world of cancer is.
Love to you all.
