Category Archives: good things

To My Wife On Her Birthday!

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I know all of you read this blog to learn about Tanner and get a glimpse into Tanner’s world through Beth’s eyes as well as to support us in this place where we find ourselves – and for the prayers and well wishes I thank you from the bottom of my heart!  I mean it – we could never make it through this without you!  I do not write like her, nor do I express myself as she does – (She is really good at this thing)   But today I want to make my post – and it is for my wife.

Beth Page

Beth Page

Beth Brisbane Page you are amazing!   One of your home co-workers cries and wets his pants (Jake),  the other is fighting an ugly disease that does not allow for a normal life of school, parties, etc (the time most moms get breaks)  – I want you to know that I realize that in many ways  this is as difficult for you as it is for Tanner – the feelings of being trapped in a house, the feelings of not wanting to go to clinic one more time, the feelings of exhaustion when no one sleeps at night – trust me I realize!  I watch you (a social butterfly is an understatement) a past VP of a Public Relations firm – working everyday with polly pockets and dinosaur toys.  I know that this gets old –  and the pretending games and motorcycle races drive you almost to the place of insanity – I realize – I promise!  But Baby – let me stop today on your birthday and in front of all these witnesses and remind you why I married you. I married you because…

  • you are strong!  You remind me of that everyday when you get up and start a new day of exactly what you did yesterday – not knowing how Tanner will feel, or if she will say thank you for the grind you work through each day.
  • you are smart! You remind me everyday when you learn something new about the disease and find new things we can do to make Tanner’s treatment better and easier for her.
  • you never give up!  You are the mother tiger – you fight for Tanner – if it the school, the hospital, or even me (for all the readers – I am a germ-a-phobe – If it were up to me Tanner would be in a bubble) Beth gives Tanner a life!
  • you are balanced!  You remind me everyday by how you make the kids exercise, do school work, give to others, and play without screens in front of their faces.
  • you are beautiful!  You look great in Pajamas or Jogging Pants, Dresses or Jeans – I know Jake tells you that you are cute all the time – maybe I need to learn from my 2 year old son and tell you more often!
  • you are you – no matter what any one else thinks!  That is a  lesson we all could learn – I am not sure that you have ever followed the crowd a day in your life – I do believe, however,  you may have looked which way the crowd was going and chose the other route for fun!
  • I just love you and I am crazy about you!

This post was so easy to write – and I could have gone on and on and on – that is how I know I love you – these things just spilled out – my fingers could not even keep up with my thoughts  – you are as amazing as I knew you would be when I married you – you are committed to our kids – advocate, cheerleader, mommy, and more – so on the days when you can’t feel it – read it!

We all stop and wish you a Happy Birthday!  You are a great mom and wife – you are my soulmate and my friend – you are amazing

Happy Birthday!

My Happy Place

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September 20, 2009 Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel all is right with the world and you are exactly where you are supposed to be? I find myself having these moments sometimes when all four of us are together and something just clicks and I feel supremely happy.

This weekend, after having spent a rainy, but great morning volunteering at the Nashville Polycystic Kidney Disease Walk with my girlfriends and then running some errands in the afternoon, I arrived home to find that John and the kids had built this HUGE fort in the living room. It involved the usual chairs and blankets, but they had gone beyond any structure I had ever dared built and had a small condo of sorts under there. After dinner and a quick bike ride around the neighborhood, we all got under there together, even the dog! Tanner had her laptop under there playing a computer game, John and Jake were wrestling and I was throwing a tennis ball out of the tent for the dog, who was bringing it back over and over again. John and I kept laughing about how crawling around in a 3 foot high fort would have been much easier in our twenties.

It was a simple moment and, to tell you the truth, I had a chair leg digging into my back most of the time, but something about it made me so happy. It was one of those times where I realize, that for every time I wish I were napping on the sofa instead of playing Polly Pockets or listening to Coldplay instead of KidzBop in the car, there is a moment like this that makes me realize I could never be this happy without Tanner and Jake.

Yesterday morning was the Franklin 4 the Cure event at Westhaven to raise money for childhood cancer. Tanner’s Trotters braved the rain to run in Tanner’s honor and we are so grateful to them for their generosity and determination! John ended up not being able to go to the race after all; our babysitter got sick and couldn’t make it, but Leslie and Keith Harper, who spearheaded the team, came by after the race to bring Tanner a t-shirt and show her the ones they had worn, with Tanner’s Trotters printed on the front with a Sharpie. Many thanks to them for organizing and running and for coming by afterward to see the kids, when I know they would have rather gone home to take a nap. It meant a lot to Tanner.

We’ve been a little on the down low this weekend; not only has it rained, but both of us feel that Tanner’s energy level is a little off due to the anemia. She would gladly go until she dropped, if given the opportunity, but we’ve been trying to keep her from wearing herself out. Today, we spent the afternoon with John’s brother, Michael; sister-in-law, Amanda; and nephew, Mack, who is six. They live right here in Nashville, but we don’t see them enough, for one reason or another, and it was great to spend a spontaneous afternoon at their house over pizza.

On the way home, there was a beautiful sunset and Jake was amazed by the colors. I love his unjaded view of the world. He was still talking sleepily about the “cowors” when I put him in his crib.

Oddly, Tanner has had less severe side-effects from this round of chemo, despite the fact that she received more chemo this week than last. She was nauseated the first day, but up the second and has only had sporadic nausea since then. Overall, Tanner has had fewer side effects than many on chemo, and for that, I am so thankful. With usual Tanner enthusiasm, she has thrown herself at cancer just like she does everything else, and is doing so much better than we could have hoped at this point.

So, even though the rain is supposed to continue all week long, I think I’ve found my happy place again.

Love,
Beth

A Milestone Clinic Day

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September 17, 2009 Today was Tanner’s last treatment in Interim Maintenance, the third of five phases of treatment for ALL! A milestone, for sure. My Mom and I were saying on the phone that this phase has gone quickly, I think in part, because we were on a 10-day cycle instead of a 7-day cycle, and also because Tanner has handled it so well. We now have two weeks before the next phase begins — Delayed Intensification — from the looks of it, and from everything I have heard, the hardest phase.

Tanner’s neutraphils (big, infection fighting white cells) were still up around 3,500 this time (normal is 4-10,000), which is very high for a kid on chemo. No one can explain this to us, but we’ll take it. As I suspected, her red counts have dropped. Her Hemoglobin (red cells that carry oxygen throughout your body) was a little above where they would give her a transfusion. They said she could get one, since she is experiencing symptoms of low red counts, but we decided to wait and see if her body would bring it up on it’s own. We’ll go in for counts only, no chemo, again next Thursday to check and will keep an eye out for increased paleness, fatigue, shortness of breath and headaches in the meantime. All these are signs of anemia, and while Tanner has been consistently anemic since being diagnosed (most leukemia kids will be), dropping below a certain level will necessitate a transfusion.

It was a hard day for both of us today. I think having to go to the hospital every week for these exhausting days is just getting really old. After having been such a pro about having her port accessed last week, Tanner had a mini-meltdown about it today. I stepped out in the hallway and let her favorite nurse, Carrie, handle it, which actually seemed to help. They worked it out. But, then, Dr. Mixan told us she would have a flu shot today. I know a flu shot should be no big deal to a kid who goes through what she goes through every week, but shots have always been a big traumatic experience for Tanner. Today was no different and three of us had to hold her down to get it done. Afterwards she crawled into Carrie’s lap and sobbed. She kept saying, “It’s scary… I’m scared.”

While getting her chemo, which begins making her sick to her stomach while they are still putting it in, we watched a tiny little girl, no more than two, throw up two seats down from us. From her mother’s calm reaction, it seemed a pretty normal occurrence. Tanner said she felt bad for that poor baby and knew how she felt.

I keep dreaming about Tanner’s chemo. In my dreams, I watch them hook the syringe full of chemo up to the line off of her port and slowly squeeze it in. Clear Vincristine and bright yellow Methotrexate (Tanner says it looks like pee). Over and over again. And, I wake, wondering what it feels like and how it makes her feel.

The first three months of both my pregnanacies, I was nauseated. I never threw up, but felt like I wanted to most of the time. My stomach just never felt right. I wonder sometimes if this is the way it is for her. It makes me ache to think about it. I don’t know if she feels that way all of the time, but I know that she complains about her stomach a lot, despite taking 4 different drugs daily to help. I remember how at the end of three months of constant indigestion and nausea, I felt worn down by it, like it would never end. I wonder if she feels that way, too, when she whines about it in a way that makes John and I want to tell her to “buck up.”

I woke this morning, after dreaming again about the chemo, wishing I could take some, just to see how she felt. To know how bad it hurt so I could empathize better and be a better caretaker. Tanner is a drama queen in all senses of the word; it is just a part of her huge personality and it is sometimes difficult to separate drama from real pain when you’re dealing with her. But, today, there’s no question. She just feels bad. You can feel it and you can see it on her face. Tonight, at bedtime, she asked, “You got any meds for me?” Meds, seriously. Sadly, I have to tell her no, I’ve given her all I can give. I tell her to go to sleep and she won’t feel it anymore. I leave the room with her asleep, or so I think. She is back out of her room in minutes; she has to go to the bathroom… again. She tells John, “As soon as you can give me some meds, you bring them… all night. Okay, Dad?” We promise her we will.

I wish I could take that chemo so I would know what she felt like; but even more I just wish I could take it for her… so she wouldn’t have to.

Love,
Beth

P.S. This is my public shout out to my husband, without whom I could not endure this. He is probably one of the only people that I tell when I’ve really had it, and, no matter how overwhelmed he is as well, he always comes to my rescue. Tonight, he picked up groceries on the way home so I wouldn’t have to go out tonight to do it… and brought me Ben & Jerry’s. Now, that’s a man I could still love with all my heart after 10 years. Thanks, Baby; I don’t deserve you.

Three Little Girls in One Big Arena

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Leah, Tanner and Gracie

Leah, Tanner and Gracie

September 13, 2009 I sat in the arena last night with my daughter in my lap, tired as only a six-year-old up 2 hours past her bedtime can be, but still singing along with Taylor Swift and loving every minute of it. I thought how there were thousands, maybe ten thousand, little girls in that arena who were lucky to be at that concert. But, none were so lucky as my little girl, for whom being able to go to a concert was a small miracle in the midst of four long months of limitations. I admit, I teared up, but she never knew it. I wanted only happy moments for her that night. And, we had them.

Some of my favorites…

–The three little girls, squeezed (car seats and all) into the back seat of my van, Taylor Swift blasting on the stereo, while we moms covered our ears as they sang, screamed and laughed their way to Nashville.

–Leah turning to me after Taylor Swift sang her first song and very seriously saying, “Miss Beth, we will stay for one or two more songs, then we will need to go home because it is way past our bedtime.” (Sorry, Leah, we stayed a lot longer than that.)

–The girls up on the front row of the suite dancing and twirling their glow sticks for all they were worth while Kellie Pickler performed.

–Tanner insisting, even after having fallen asleep briefly a few times, on us staying until Taylor sang “Love Story.” Thanks, T, it was worth it!

–Gracie, up on her feet singing all the words to “Love Story,” when only 10 minutes before she had been sound asleep in her Mama’s lap.

–Girl time not only for the little girls, but the big ones. Anna Lynn and Shelley are the kind of friends that show up at the Emergency Room at midnight on a school night because there might be something they could do to help. And, because they know what it‘s like to be a mom and can imagine what it would be like to be terrified that your child won‘t make it. They’re also the kind of friends that quietly organize meals and come by to take care of Jake when I need it. I’m glad I could do some small thing to say thanks.

–Meeting the oncology nurses from Centennial and Leigh Stamps and her friends, who made up the other two “Light the Night” teams that won tickets to the concert. These great ladies raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, not because they have a personal stake in it, as we do, but because they saw a need and are the kind of people who take action when they see an opportunity to help.

We all had a great time, even the Moms. It was a good show and the first concert for all three little girls. They were exhausted when we arrived home at 11 pm, but it was worth it.

And when I got home,
‘fore I said, Amen,
Asking God if He
Could play it again.(Taylor Swift, Our Song)

Love,
Beth

Big, Exciting News!!!

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One, happy little girl

One, happy little girl

September 12, 2009 Two HUGE things have happened to us in the last few days. One is that Tanner got to have a salad. I know, this doesn’t seem like a huge thing… especially for a six-year-old… but I had promised Tanner that the next time her counts were high, I would thoroughly wash some lettuce and make her a salad. She was in salad and crouton heaven.

The other is that we won 6 tickets to the Taylor Swift concert tonight from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the clinic said Tanner could go!!!! We raised the second highest amount of money for Tanner’s Light the Night team during a one week period and will sit in a suite with the other two winning teams. Tanner is SOOOOOOO excited!

When I first got the call about the tickets from Robin Embry, who is coordinating Tanner’s team, I thought, “Oh no, here is another cruel irony. We raise all this money in Tanner’s name and then she can’t go to the concert. There‘s no way we can sit in the midst of all those people, even if we are in a suite.” All afternoon Thursday, I was just sick about it. It just seemed so unfair. That night, I had Bunco at my house and was telling the girls about it. Celia Whitler, who is the host of Tanner Time, said she might have a connection to help us find the most germ-free environment to watch the show from and to call her husband Ron in the morning and see what they could do. Maybe we find the best place to sit. I began to think maybe we could make it happen.

The next morning, I was at it with a vengeance. I decided to chase this thing down until I hit a total dead end. I called the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and talked with them and with my friend Ron. Everyone was trying to find a solution… was there an empty suite somewhere? Could she wear a mask and sit in the corner? Finally, later in the afternoon, I called the clinic at Vanderbilt to see what they would say about it. The nurse looked up Tanner’s chart and said, “Her counts are so high, I don’t see any reason she can’t go, and she doesn’t need a mask; it would just ruin it for her.”

Oh my Gosh!!!! Finally, a break! A providential aligning of the stars that combined high counts and an awesome opportunity to celebrate life! I called everyone that had been working on the problem with us to let them know we had success. I called two girlfriends of Tanner’s and invited them and their Mom’s to join us.

Last night, we pulled up some YouTube video of Taylor Swift in concert and said, “Wow, she puts on a cool concert; wouldn’t it be cool to go to that tomorrow night?” Tanner looked confused. “Wouldn’t it be cool to go to that with Leah and Gracie and their Mom’s tomorrow night?” “Are we?” she said, wide-eyed. “How?” After we explained it, she screamed in the way that only a six-year-old girl can, and we all did a happy dance.

This morning, Melissa from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society came by and delivered the tickets. We are so excited! Tanner has never been to a concert before and she LOVES Taylor Swift and Kelly Pickler, who is opening for Taylor. She’ll have to take a big nap this afternoon, since the concert doesn’t even start until her bedtime and I doubt we’ll make it for the whole thing, but it will still be an awesome experience. After having to miss so many things over the past few months, this is a welcome opportunity to do something special and forget about her limitations for once.

Thanks to all who have donated to Team Tanner; not only have you helped fund research for the cure of blood cancers, but you have helped create a very special night for our little girl. Thanks also to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the tickets and for being so gung-ho about helping Tanner be able to go. And, thanks to Franklin American Mortgage company, John’s employer, for making a call to the Sommet Center so we can park in the Arena Garage and avoid entering the building with all the crowds of people, which might be dangerous for Tanner.

People are so kind to rally around one little girl to make a special dream come true. And, good things… no wonderful things… can happen in the midst of great adversity.

Thanks, God. I owe you one.

Love,
Beth

A Little Magic

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September 6, 2009

“You would never know.”

That’s what my best friend Kim said tonight while we stood and watched Tanner roll down the hill at our other best friend Beth’s house. They have a huge yard and the kids love to run wildly through it, as only kids can.

There are many times when Tanner looks and seems completely normal that it’s easy to forget. She looked so happy, like any other kid, rolling down that hill. Climbing up it was a little difficult, but she did it.

Beth and Glenn had us all over for a cookout. The kids picked acorns off a tree and then we hid them like easter eggs in the yard for them to find. They planted some seeds in pots to grow carrots (we had to stop Tanner half way through because the dirt was getting all over her and it was probably not the best idea). They climbed on Glenn’s “tractor” and pretended to drive. They took turns singing into Aunt Beth’s real microphone — Tanner sang some Hannah Montana and Jake sang a little “Itsy bitsy spider” and “Old McDonald.”

After a great dinner, we toasted marshmallows over the cinders in the grill and made S’Mores. Then, they chased fireflies in the yard.

On the way home, Jake, who is never awake when it is dark outside, kept looking at the car lights and the sunset and saying, “Look at the colors Mommy.”

We arrived home tired and full and Tanner was asleep before she hit the pillow.

It was a perfect evening. Thanks Beth and Glenn for sharing a little magic with my kids.

Love,
Beth

Eerily Normal

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zoo 09August 31, 2009 The other night, I said to John, “It’s almost like you could forget there’s anything wrong with her.”

Things have been so normal. She feels really good, has great energy, and has really leveled out emotionally. We’re so grateful. It’s more than we ever hoped for at this point.

She had a dance lesson Friday, which she loved. Played with a friend all afternoon. We went to the zoo Sunday morning before everyone else got there. It was cool and empty and wonderful. She played soccer and ran around a field with friends yesterday afternoon. She’s a little slow and a little awkward when she runs, but she runs, which didn’t seem possible just two months ago when she could barely walk.

John’s reply to my pointing out how pleasantly surprised I am by Tanner’s well-being was that it seemed, “Eerily normal.”

That may seem an odd comment for a situation we are so thankful for, but it struck just right for me.

It seems normal if you could forget about the medicine 3-5 times a day, or her pale skin or her thinning hair. The frequent stomach aches and nausea. The fact that she goes to the bathroom 25 or so times a day or that she wakes up 3-4 times a night.

I think it seems an eerie normal because we don’t trust it. We feel certain it won’t last and behind it lurks the constant worry that any small fever or illness could send her to the hospital immediately.

Today is a good example. After feeling so great yesterday, she woke this morning with a sore throat and joint pain in her legs and feet. I’ve had to help her to the bathroom all morning and I can‘t tell whether the sore throat is from emerging mouth sores or is an infection. See. Eerily normal.

But, overall, we are grateful beyond belief that she is as able as she is. It is so much more than we ever hoped for when we began this journey three months ago.

Love,
Beth

Same last name?

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Tanner and Jake playing doctor in June

Tanner and Jake playing doctor in June

August 25, 2009 It’s amazing to watch a kid internalizing something that is happening to them and then see it show up in their play. I was in the kitchen cleaning up today and heard Jake yelling, “No, no, no!” at Tanner as she was saying, “You have to hold still or it will hurt!” This, in the world of a mother, is grounds for leaping the kitchen bar to see what is going on.

 

What I found was Jake, lying on the floor with his shirt unbuttoned, Tanner trying to hold him down as she “sliced” him with a pretend scalpel from the doctor kit. After convincing Tanner that she really shouldn’t hold her brother down for pretend medical procedures, I volunteered to let her operate on me instead.

Tanner proceeded, with great aplomb, to surgically implant a port-a-cath into my chest. Well, actually, it was a little closer to my belly-button, but why nitpick?

She then accessed my port with a pretend needle, and with a syringe, proceeded to “flush” my port and administer chemo. All the while, I was supposed to be asleep from “sleepy milk.”

Priceless… both for my memory bank and for Tanner’s mental health. In one playful moment, she turned the tables and became the one in control of all the medical procedures she has endured. Good for her.

This play mimics many of the things that happen to her each week at clinic or have happened to her during her hospital stay at diagnosis. The day after she was diagnosed, Tanner had a port-a-cath surgically implanted into her chest. This is a small, circular port with a silicone bubble on the top and a catheter line that runs from the port to an artery directly above her heart. When she needs anything you would normally receive or give through an IV (blood, medicine, chemo, etc.), she gets it through her port. It allows medicine to get through her body quickly and allows her more freedom than a central line which leaves the IV tubes hanging out of the child’s chest. Every week, when we go to clinic, the nurse sticks Tanner with an IV needle through her skin into her port. That’s how they draw blood to check her counts and how the administer her chemo. Luckily, there is a numbing cream we can put on her port before we go to the hospital that really cuts down on the pain of accessing (and deaccessing) the port.

Last week, she sat at a disconnected computer in my office while Jake and I played foosball and pretended to be the admitting clerk at the hospital. She told me to pretend I was in the ER and she was trying to find me a room. The conversation went something like this:

T: Mam, can you tell me your name?
B: Beth Page

T: What is your son’s name?
B: Jake

T: Same last name?
B: Uh, yes.

T: Your phone number area code first?
B: I give the number, trying not to laugh

T: I’ll need your insurance company
B: United Healthcare

T: And your group number
B: Pause (Now I am laughing and have to take a moment). 51645

T: Thank you, Mam. I’m looking for a room for you and your son. You don’t want to have to sleep in the ER; it’s very noisy here. Just give me a minute. (she types at the computer for a while). Guess what? I found you a room! You’re so lucky!

Too funny… and too awesome. This is exactly the type of thing that lets her process what has been happening to her and shows me that she is accepting this new normal. She is six, but she has it all figured out, thanks to a doctor’s kit and a somewhat willing brother as a patient.

Love,
Beth

School Days

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August 18, 2009 Well, it finally happened. The “good counts” bubble we were living in popped. Tanner’s neutraphils (big infection fighting white cells) were down to 610 from 1500 last clinic visit. Somewhere around 4,000 is normal, and 500 or under is considered neutrapenic, which means you almost have no ability to fight infection. So, 610 is pretty low. They were unable to give her methotrexate (one of the two chemos she is currently taking) today since she was under 750. They were supposed to be increasing her dose of methotrexate every 10 days during this phase until she could no longer tolerate it. So, now they realize that Tanner is very sensitive to this chemo and they will have to adjust their dosages for her. She got Vincristine today, since it doesn’t really affect counts much, but will wait until next visit to see if her counts return to an acceptable level to start the Methotrexate again. They will give her a lower dose this time and go from there.

This sounds really bad, but actually isn’t. I mean, it stinks for the next 10 days since we will be more severely limited about going out (no more trips to Target or the grocery). But, it means that since her body and her leukemia are extra sensitive to the methotrexate, she will receive less of this drug for the remainder of her treatment. The doctors believe it will be no less effective, she just requires less than most people to do the job. This is a chemo that will be part of her treatment plan for the duration, so less chemicals in her little body is a good thing.

Of course, the low counts just had to coincide with Jake getting a cough and runny nose… of course. Have you ever tried to keep a six-year-old and a two-year-old away from each other when they have no one else to play with? After today, I can say, neither have I. I finally settled for them sitting at opposite ends of the sofa when they were playing Wii or watching TV. The rest I’m just trying to live with.

Her red counts are going strong, though, so she still has lots of energy and feels pretty good. The Vincristine, however, is definitely making itself known. She is getting slower and slower up the steps, the rash on her hands and feet is back and her hair is starting to fall out again.

We’ve had a busy couple of days. Her homebound teacher came for the first time on Saturday for an hour-and-a-half. The day before, Tanner, Jake and I went to Target to buy school supplies. We took the supply list, just like we were going to attend school and bought everything on that list — eight large glue sticks, 3 boxes of 24 crayons, a 6-inch ruler, etc. I think that made Tanner feel like she was ready for school. Then, we went home and made a school room in my office. We put in a table and chairs for both Tanner and the teacher, posted a big map on the wall, and set up all her supplies. She had a lot of fun putting it together and played in it for a long time afterward. We’re going to keep decorating it until it looks like a real school room.

Tanner and Mrs. O'Hara at work

Tanner and Mrs. O'Hara at work

Tonight I went to a parents meeting with Tanner’s teacher at school. We went over all the curriculum they would be covering and I almost cried (I didn‘t cry there; that would have been embarrassing. I cried at home where it is acceptable!). She would love this class and the many fun things they are doing. Tanner loves to belong to something and to be a part of the team (well, she actually likes to lead the team, but someone has to be in charge). Then, I started thinking, how in the world will she be able to keep up with just 3 hours a week of tutoring plus homework? It’s unbelievable what a first-grader learns these days! I think we were just learning how to sound out words, if that, when I went. Good grief, I had to think hard on some of the questions in their math workbook! But, the school is being so awesome about looking for ways for her to connect. She actually has a desk and a cubby with her name on it, so the kids know she’s coming and is part of the class. I’m going to try to take Tanner to see the classroom this week and she will love that.

Tonight, when John came home, he burst in the door talking about ducks down the street in our neighborhood. Ducks? We don’t have a pond here. The neighborhood backs up to the Harpeth River, but these ducks were walking down the street a good ways from the river. They grabbed bread from the fridge and headed down the street to feed them. Sure enough, these ducks seemed familiar with the bread scene and let them get fairly close before they finally flew away. It is so like my husband to run down the street in his suit, barefooted kids and all, to seize an opportunity and make the most of it.

Who would have ever thought you would see ducks just walking down the street in our waterless neighborhood? Who would have thought our daughter could get a disease that only strikes .004% of U.S. children each year? Strange things happen. Maybe it’s what you do with them that is most important.

Love,
Beth