We All Did It!

Today we are going home. My heart is torn to tears. It aches as we leave Seattle locals who became instant forever friends. We were rallied around by them and never felt abandoned. My heart aches as we leave a hospital community that not only saved Ashtyn’s life but made the journey joyful and sweet. We felt cared for from the moment we arrived at Seattle Children’s Hospital on March 6th. From the very beginning, each person we interacted with bent over backwards to support me and Ashtyn in whatever way they could. How my heart hurts to leave people I deeply love with an insufficient ability to say Thank You. At the same time my heart rejoices and is almost in shock with the fact that we are really going home. WE ALL DID IT!!! ASHTYN DID IT, accomplishing everything she set out to do. She got cancer free after five months of the darkest times of her life. She survived over four more months for the bone marrow transplant that sank her to rock bottom. She’s now recovering and seeing herself as the strong, graceful, powerful, tender, independent, kind, fierce, loving, unstoppable woman she is. I DID IT, succeeding not only at walking side by side Ashtyn but was fully immersed in the hell and heaven of it all. As her mom I want her to know that I saw it, walked it, felt it, lived it, and am a witness to the suffering and miracles that occurred. HER ENTIRE HEALTHCARE TEAM DID IT giving Ashtyn the chance to live a long life. They turned their doubts to hope and believed in her, giving every tool she needed to beat cancer for good. MY KIDS AND FAMILY DID IT, taking this trial and becoming better because of it. ALL OF YOU DID IT. You prayed, hoped, encouraged, felt our burdens, lightened our load, believed, loved, fasted, commented, lifted us up, and prayed some more. GOD DID IT. He was there every step of the way, no question about it. He fulfilled His promises that I felt almost six years ago when Ashtyn was first diagnosed with leukemia on January 30th 2013. I felt my Heavenly Father say, “Suzanne, do your part and ask everyone to pray and do their part. Hand over Ashtyn to Me with trust and I will orchestrate something beautiful.”