Lauren,
February 11th was the 2nd anniversary of your diagnosis. Another year of your fight has passed. It has been such a long road but there is light ahead. In April, you will be done with all the chemo and we cannot wait. You have been amazing throughout his whole process, handling every instance with a smile – that beautiful smile. We are aware that the fight isn’t over but you’ve conquered some tremendous obstacles in your short life. We have the confidence that you will continue to fight in every aspect of your life.
So much has happened this past year. Your beautiful blonde hair has grown back and we love it. You gave up your pacifier (chooch) with out too much of a battle. You started school which really took a toll on us, but as usual, it didn’t bother you too much. The germs, ugh, they drive us crazy and that was the hardest part. You have a “boyfriend” or two or three. You’ve started to open up more with other people and are letting them see your light. For a while only mom and dad saw it and we couldn’t wait for others to see it as well. Then there is LIVFREE. Being a part of this community has opened our eyes. There are so many, too many, families battling cancer just like us. This year we started an organization in your honor. To date we have helped 43 other families. We cannot explain how much of a big deal that is. Mom and Dad get the credit but that really belongs to you. That brings us to our last point from this year…
You have been such an inspiration to so many people. The outreach has been tremendous. We continuously get letters or messages telling us that your strength has helped them get through a tough time or that they were able to put things into perspective after hearing your story. There really isn’t a better compliment than that.
We look forward to you ringing the end of treatment bell! We promise to have a HUGE party to celebrate.
Love,
Mom and Dad
