Some Thoughts

Yesterday as I was waiting for Gracie during her EUA I was watching several different sets of parents who were also waiting for their children. Many of them had grandparents and other support people there. They were obviously very concerned and worried for their children. As time passed we watched their doctor come and update them all on how the procedure went. They all actually had the same doctor. Apparently their children were all getting tubes put in their ears. It's obviously a very short process because we saw at least 5 families come and go. It made me think about our nature as humans, about how our troubles seem so huge until something else comes along and makes you realize how very fortunate you are. If one of my children were to go under anesthesia and get tubes in their ears six months ago I would have stressed about my poor child. And now here I was, waiting to see how my daughter's cancer was responding to chemotherapy. Gracie's problems are so severe compared to getting tubes in ears, but looking at the contrast in severity between these families and my own I couldn't help but think how blessed we are as Gracie's condition could be so much worse. There are so many other conditions so much worse than retinoblastoma.

This thought was reinforced last night. I was in the hallway talking to our RN when another mom walked by. Our nurse (Vida) asked how her daughter was doing, and that mother hesitated before she answered. Vida clarified and asked if her daughter was comfortable. To that the mother answered yes. I walked away at this point but as I did I could hear the rest of their conversation. This mother was telling Vida that her daughter was a fighter. She was told two nights ago that her daugher wouldn't make it through the night and here she was still. As I walked into my room I felt so much sorrow for this other family and so grateful for all the blessings that we have. Our room is right across from the elevators and late last night our door was open and I saw this mother and her husband waiting for the elevator. Their arms were full of all of their daughters belongings. My heart broke and I wished I could do or say something to help this family. I just prayed for them. We are so truly blessed. I'm so grateful that Gracie is doing as well as she is and that it's only retinoblastoma that we're dealing with.

Thank you for being so supportive of us all. Not only our friends and family but also those who know our family. The hospitals where my mother works have been doing so much for her to enable her to spend so much time with us and that has been invaluable for us. We've been able to spend our time taking care of Grace and not worry about who was taking care of our other three children. We've known they were in good hands as they LOVE spending time with grandma. So thank you for the support you've given us, our parents, our siblings, and our children. My parents awoke this morning to a lawn full of get well signs and things for Gracie from a seminary class from church. That was so fun for all of our kids who've seen it so far and we look forward to showing it to Gracie. She's loved all the cards and gifts that she's been getting in the mail also. We appreciate all the moral support you all give us. It helps more than you could know.

Stephanie