Happy New Year! I hope 2018 has gotten off to a great start for you.
New Year’s Eve found us celebrating with friends and family in Toronto. We had special time with my brother’s family in Toronto, and we loved reconnecting with our dear friends at their New Year’s Eve party. We all commented on what a great way it was to start 2018.
I haven’t updated in a long time. I use this particular blog to share what I’m feeling about our journey and its impact on our lives.
My lack of update isn’t because there isn’t anything going on… there’s always something “in the works”. What it does mean is that I don’t have the words to explain what I’m feeling about either the journey or the on-going challenges associated with it.
Although I’ve said it before, it bears repeating now. There is absolutely no way a care-giver can be prepared to manage all of the fall-out from a chronic life-threatening health concern… let alone one that has been going on for 13 years. Sometimes all you can focus on is the last punch, and, if it has knocked you down, figure out how to get back up and stay in the ring. Suffice to say, I am swinging again.
As far as Cailyn’s health and well-being is concerned, she’s currently finishing her first semester of Grade 11, with all of the projects, summatives, essays and exams involved. She feels “done” and can’t wait for the few days of break she gets when her exams are finished. On the medical front, she has blood-work and follow-up on endocrinology and orthopaedic “stuff”, electrical stimulation and therapy to help her strengthen her ankle, brace “fixes”, quarterly MRIs with subsequent follow-ups, to name a few. Just before Christmas, Cailyn had a bacterial infection in her toe that required heavy-duty antibiotic pills and topical cream. She was too uncomfortable to wear her brace or boots for a couple days, but was well on her way to recovery on Christmas day! Her resilience and spirit continue to amaze me. Her next MRI is on Valentine’s Day… here’s to great results!
Life remains busy on the volleyball front for Lauryn. Since I last updated, her team has played three tournaments. She is blessed to be on this one-of-a-kind team, with great coaches and team-mates. Their physical skills are certainly beyond their age, but so is their attitude. They are a positive and respectful team, and have demonstrated an enviable mental toughness on many occasions. They are ranked 1st in the province in 14U and are in the top 10 of the province’s 15U teams. On the school front, Lauryn earned an opportunity to share her speech with the whole school yesterday. Her topic was: How cancer affects the whole family. She did a fantastic job honouring the situation that parents (care-givers) and siblings find themselves in. She focused a heck of a lot more on me than on herself, even to the point of sharing how my principles have helped me cope on this journey, and have helped shape my girls’ lives. She admitted to feeling jealous of all of the attention that Cailyn has received at times. She noted that she now understands that it wasn’t the kind of attention that anybody wants. I am so proud of her… her maturity and empathy are exceptional.
Thank you for staying tuned!