Sunday, December 28, 2008

Once In A Lifetime!

As everyone knows who has supported us through Parker's journey, this has been an extremely difficult process for us. It feels like our life has been similar to a roller coaster ride with so many ups and downs. However as we have mentioned time and time again, we have been so fortunate through this entire experience to be blessed with the generosity and kindness of others. I must admit that at times I am quite blown away by how supportive and caring friends and complete strangers can be. Today's article truly reflects human kindness.

Approximately a year ago we received a letter from the owners of one of our local McDonald's expressing a desire to try and support our family. Parker's horrific disease has been devastating to our family on many different levels. As a parent and a mom to Parker, it breaks my heart that he has missed out on so much already in his short life. I know that he is very happy and loved and because of his lack of experiences is simply quite content because he does not know any different. However, as he approaches his third birthday I still get that aching feeling every so often just wishing that our life could be as "normal" as so many other families. I often wonder how I will ever overcome this experience from an emotional standpoint because it really has scarred me in so many ways. Every time I hear someone cough or sneeze, I dodge them as fast as I can. My hand are cracked from the amount of hand washing and sanitizing I do every day and my hair definitely has inherited a few more grey! However, it is much more than the physical signs that seem to make life so difficult at times. It is the impact that this has had in my mind. The worry that the first time Parker gets sick I will suddenly be back at Sick Kids and the fear of ever having to mask and gown again. It is so hard to protect your child so much from illness and germs for such an extended period of time and get the constant fear out of your head. Although Parker is definitely doing much, much better now- it is a difficult process for me to try and adapt to new lifestyle changes as a result....

Anyways, every once in a while when you least expect it, there always seems to be a rainbow that shines over our cloudy days. The owners of our local McDonald's have definitely been that rainbow and have given Parker a once in a lifetime opportunity. On Boxing day, Parker along with his cousins and two friends were invited to be the first guests to play in the indoor playground of their newly re-built store. This was such a special experience for all of us, but especially Parker. He has missed out on so many wonderful opportunities in the past, which made this incredible experience mean so much more. We sincerely want to thank the owners for this extremely kind gesture as these memories will last us a lifetime. We will never be able to drive by any McDonald's again without the reminder of how happy and "normal" it made our precious little boy and all of us feel. We are so thankful.....







Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Merry Christmas

This is just quick note to wish everyone who still follows our site a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2009. We will post pictures of Parker's third Christmas which we anticipate to be an absolute blast. He is so excited for Santa Claus to visit our home and put presents under our tree! Although he changes his mind frequently about what he would like, I laughed when he asked Santa to bring him some chocolate cake today! We thank everyone for their continued love and support to our family. We are truly blessed.










Ciao!