Today I want to talk about all the good that is happening and how spoiled I feel. We came to Seattle almost two weeks ago not knowing anyone, and we have since been surrounded by support that I can't adequately explain. Every single healthcare worker at Seattle Children's Hospital have wrapped their arms around us with complete competence and care while locals have made us feel loved and supported. I've received texts and messages wondering what we need, how we are doing, and if there is any site seeing we'd like to do. These "strangers" have brought us gift bags, food, drinks, snacks, and dinners. They have made cards, sent letters, and visited us. In Utah we have family, friends, and neighbors who are rallying around my kids and holding down the fort. Meals are being brought four days a week. Morgan has rides to and from school as well as to cheer and any other activity she wants to do. Ethan is being fed breakfast in the morning by a neighbor and is being watched over by his dad, stepmom & stepdad, teacher, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends in the area. In the meantime, in Seattle we check our mailbox daily where Ashtyn is receiving letters from home and elsewhere. The good we are experiencing is definitely outweighing the bad. I hope the love continues because I feel we can never get too much support.
I've heard rumors that this country is falling apart and evil is running rampant. I don't see it. Of course there are horrible things happening but I am confident that good and decent people outnumber the bad by a long shot. How do I express heartfelt gratitude to all of you who are changing our life for the better and making this journey so much more bearable? Ashtyn and I really do feel a passion to pay it forward. That's why her Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraising campaign means so much to us. As our life is being changed by the goodness of others, we want to give back by spreading awareness on how life changing cancer research is. If everyone who has been walking this journey with us could donate $25 and share her cause with 25 people they know, Ashtyn could meet her fundraising goal. She would then be able to put that money into a research portfolio of her choosing, which of course would involve pediatric cancer. I hope you all can feel my sincere gratitude for what you have individually done for us whether tangible or having us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.
Morgan and Ethan are visiting us in Seattle for a few days!!! We love the energy they bring. Even though Chandler is in Florida and about as far away from us as he can be in the contiguous US, we feel his uplifting strength
This is a picture of my family with Kylee and her family Friday night in Seattle. Two weeks ago Kylee was a stranger who reached out asking if she could help me and Ashtyn. She lives in Seattle and took it upon herself to gather supplies she thought we'd need for our Ronald McDonald room and came by to visit. She even went to Costco and printed 90 pictures of friends and family that Ashtyn could put on her wall. Throughout the week we texted back and forth keeping in touch. Friday she organized her day around us by driving in one hour traffic to pick Ashtyn and me up to take us through another hour of traffic to the airport. She then sat in her car and ordered Cafe Rio while Ash and I went to the gate to pick up Morgan and Ethan. We then went to Kylee's mother in law Micci's house for dinner and was given one of her cars to borrow while my kids are in town. So generous and so thoughtful! The entire time Ashtyn thought I had known Kylee for years. I now have a forever friend who I'm so grateful to have met.
One year ago at Primary Children's Hospital celebrating Saint Patrick's day with nurses Mitch and Irish while she recovered from her second bone marrow transplant.
