My Son. My Hero.

Dear Cancer,

I know we just met in person recently when my son was diagnosed with ALL last March, but I feel like I’ve known you all my life. You have touched so many of my family and friends throughout the years and I just wanted to thank you for coming into my son’s life. You have no idea the impact you have made on him and our family and all that has happened since you suddenly appeared 7 months ago.

First, I want to thank you for showing us true gratitude. To realize that tomorrow is never promised to anyone, and saying thank you every morning for the gift of today is the best way to start each and every day.

Thank you also for leading us to the best team of doctors, nurses and support groups in Cleveland Ohio, so that my son could be treated and cared for so incredibly well. He never feels alone or neglected or misinformed, and he welcomes each appointment and clinic visit as if he was going to a social event. Truly amazing people that we never would have met without meeting you first.

You have also shown me what real strength is and how incredibly tough my son is. His stamina and endurance are motivating and inspiring to all he knows and meets. I read this somewhere so I can’t take credit for it, but he really puts the Can in cancer!  Never complains, ever! You ask him how he’s doing, and he replies, “I’m Awesome,” with a huge smile. He plans something to do every day with his friends or his family. He works harder than he ever has on schoolwork as he’s trying to finish up his first year of college remotely, since his last semester was put on hold abruptly in March. He lifts weights and does 200+ pushups every day, working on strengthening his body for the hard weeks of chemo ahead…He has even ran in two 5Ks recently to raise money for families touched by you.

The blessings and all of the beautiful moments I have had with my son are countless since you came into our lives. Our family is closer than it’s ever been and has been touched by more love than we could have ever imagined:

Cards and phone calls, homemade meals, gift cards to restaurants and stores; t-shirts, sweat shirts and wristbands; fundraisers, Nike shoes (he got to design his own pair!), photo shoot with Flashes of Hope, art therapy and the gift of digital art tablet, sketch pads and pencils; music therapy and guitar lessons and an old guitar from his grandma; the long car rides in rush hour traffic to and from chemo treatments, sharing favorite songs and YouTube videos; the long talks, the laughs, the tears, the hugs, the hand holding, the sleep overs in the hospital, cooking together; throwing out first pitch at an Indians game (and having Cookie Carrasco catch it!); carrying a white lantern with other patients and survivors in the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk….

I can hear the music like at the Academy Awards telling me to wrap things up because I’m taking too long with my thank you’s, but I don’t want to forget to say how grateful I am to cancer, for
being able to experience everything I have with my son in the last 7 months that I never would have been able to had you not come into our lives. Watching God work through him, touching so many people’s lives, including mine, I will be forever grateful.

All of the posts written for Elephants and Tea are contributed by patients, survivors, caregivers and loved ones dealing with cancer.  If you have a story or experience you would like to share with the cancer community we would love to hear from you!  Please submit your idea at https://elephantsandtea.org/contact/submissions/.