April 1st will always be the day to reflect on your journey and remind ourselves of what you have endured, how you conquered and your incredible strength. Four years ago today we received the worst news ever, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and your life has forever been changed because of it; however, now, the word leukemia means triumph, overcome and battled. It has changed who you are by giving you the super powers to not only win and battle the disease but to continue on living each day to it's fullest.
This past year you have continued to grow and mature. Where I once saw a young boy, curious of the world around him, I now see a boy taking every chance he can get to discover all that he can. You love to be outside riding your bike/scooter/wiggle car, helping dad, playing street hockey with the neighborhood kids or just getting into mischief. When it was cold in the winter you were often convincing someone to play mini sticks in the basement with you or taking slap shots in the garage. It is obvious you still love hockey, but you still did not want to play ice hockey this winter and decided to give ball hockey a try. You were not really impressed with ball hockey, as it wasn't set up with teams and it was more recreational then you were expecting. With the ice rink set up in the backyard for a few months, you took advantage of the skating opportunities and have become a good little skater. I am hoping it has built enough of your confidence that you feel "good enough" to play ice hockey next season and if not, we find something else that can keep you active.
Your health has had no real hiccups this past year. We continue to visit the long term survivor clinic every 6 months at the Children's Hospital in Calgary. This clinic is great and very informative; however, it is difficult to hear the long term side effects that could face in your future. There are a lot of questions regarding your behaviour and learning due to the fact that you had chemo at such a crucial time of brain development. We will continue to monitor your progress at school as you progress through the grades.
The last couple of months you have had some real questions regarding your journey with leukemia. It has always been something that we have talked about in general, but not in great detail. Your dad decided that it was time to start reading this blog to you and this has been really successful. Although we are going back to a time that was very difficult for us, seeing it through your curiosity and questioning eyes makes it a bit easier. It is crazy to hear some of your questions and how much you understand from it all. A blog that at the time was a coping strategy for your dad and I during a time we didn't fully understand has now become a tool to help you understand your battle. I can honestly say four years ago I didn't see it that way; in fact at the time I was only dealing with one day at a time and now we can share it all with you and celebrate where you are right now.
I am hoping that I don't have to update the blog for another year and our new normal continues. Everyday I am thankful that you continue to grow, thrive and love life. Another year, another reminder that life is so precious.
Love you to the moon and back,
Mom
Here are some pictures of you enjoying life this past year.
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