The Kirk's - Boys-R-Us!

Celebrate We Will . . .

For Life Is Short . . .

A Prayer Request -

That was the title of an email I received a while back from a girlfriend who lives in my neighborhood. Considering the year we had just been through and the number of similarly titled emails I had sent out, I was eager to repay the favor and spend some time in prayer for a fellow family. Little did I know that this family, who lives in our community but whom I have never personally met, would become a constant part of my daily conversation in prayer with God. Here is this family, this picture perfect family of four, with two adorable little girls in the perfect little pink tutu dresses, with big smiles on their faces, timelessly captured in breathtaking photos all rejoicing in THAT day, in that moment. This family all suffering, no championing their way through the living (& dieing) hell that comes with being a victim of childhood Cancer.

The Bowden family, had two healthy little girls until their youngest Aubrey went in for a regular nine month check up and found things weren't exactly as they should be for that sweet baby girl. I am not going to attempt to retell their story, like I said I don't know them personally, just prayerfully, but click here to go to their page. However, when the update came out that said "Our sweet Aubrey angel earned her Angel Wings at 2:30am this morning. She went peacefully in mommy and daddy's bed. Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers and sweet, sweet posts. We love all of you so much." My heart broke for them, for her, for the loss of such a beautiful young girl, for the suffering and fighting and pain a toddler had to endure from just before her first birthday until just before her second birthday, for all the hopes and dreams that they would not get to experience on Earth with their Aubrey Angel. My thoughts and prayers are still with all of them and to sweet Aubrey, I can see your Halo!

Next Blog

One day a few weeks back, the stars aligned and both boys took a LONG nap at the same time, and since I'm considerably behind on my blog I decided to do some work on it. After finishing a few posts and updates I decided to do once last look and clicked the 'View Blog' button to double check my work. My blog was how I wanted it (for that day) and since the boys weren't up yet for fun I clicked on the 'next blog' button - which jumps you to some random blog. This one was an adorable family from Texas, with a too cute toddler named Colton, which is Pierce's middle name, so immediately I took an interest. They had just given him a haircut, been to the park you know typical cutesy mommy blog stuff. But then she had a more serious post, she prefaced it with a blurb about how she felt strange blogging about a family that she didn't personally know but that she had also stumbled across and become entrenched with this family and their struggle with Childhood Cancer, much the way I had followed the Bowden Family. I read the remainder of that post then clicked the link to read for myself the family that she was praying for.

Here again is this beautiful family of five this time. Three gorgeous daughters in these amazing black and white dresses, a Mom & Dad also in coordinating black and white ensembles smiling, laughing, hugging, cherishing that time together, that timeless memory, that last day of happy, healthy togetherness. Another case of the average family, with three healthy girls until the youngest, Layla, just after her 15 month check-up started having some issues. Sleep habits messed up, diet changing drastically, a perceived 'pick-eater' by May it was discovered she had a stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Again I will not attempt to retell their story you can discover them yourself on their page.

I read a LOT of blogs, I don't always tell Dave because he really isn't that into blogging, and it's weird to him that I take interest in people who I have never actually met, Layla Grace's story fell into this category. I added her and her family to my prayer routine, as well as the countless others who struggle with a countless multitude of issues with their children. Then this morning Dave sends me a text with the web address for Layla Grace, since I had been to the site just a few weeks earlier I asked him how he knew about this site, he said it is a Facebook friend, remember he grew up in Texas. Since I hadn't been able to go back and catch up on their story I went ahead a logged on. . . well the way the blog is set up they also have a 'tweet' box on the side so that their tweets post to the blog when the most recent one read "Claire told the dog 2 stop barking b/c she was going 2 wake up Layla. Tears started flowing. #riplaylagrace" my tears were also flowing. Another family torn apart by this horrible awful disease. Another sweet baby girl who grew up WAY to fast in the experiences of surgery after surgery, transplant, chemo, blood transfusion, learning to make a 'new normal' in her hospital room, away from her sisters and home, I know it's not about me but I was saddened, defeated and outraged!

Innocence Lost!!

I know life isn't fair, and I know that who we are is directly related to the struggles we have overcome but really I do NOT get it! Childhood and Cancer should NEVER be in the same sentence! EVER!!! This, to me, is the truest definition of Innocence Lost - these babies should be learning to walk, run, feed themselves with a fork. Their parents should be concerning themselves with the trivial things like did the babies eat enough veggies, or fruits today, when was their last bath. . . NOT trying to find a way to explain what the bag of blood was for, or remember which of their multiple injections the baby had received and which one made them vomit & which one made them spike a fever. . . Stolen! Robbed! Really it's outrageous to think what they lost before they even knew what they had!! But thankfully God knew how to make these babies with life in their eyes and a fight in their heart! Thankfully He made these children to be SO strong, so resilient and adaptable that even though they may have had ports and tubes in and out of their too tiny bodies, they still could laugh and enjoy their 'good times'. I know too many adults who would not be able to have that same 'childlike' outlook, myself included.

Too Real

Sometimes life takes you in different directions, and maybe you don't know why you are headed that way at that time, but I believe if you have Faith in God you will find His meaning and reason for your journey. I know I am so grateful for my boys - both of them miracles in their own right, both of them received SO many prayers and we are SO thankful for them. This year has been SO different from any I've had before - so much of everything - fear, anxiety, birth, death - system overload really! Families we met down at Egleston, or since who have success stories, or who carry their angels in their heart and on their face in their sad eyes. I don't know how these families do it, but they have strength, faith, and drive like you have never seen before. And ultimately I believe that these families appreciate how many (many) peoples lives these sweet babies touched, and how these brave little girls brought so many people closer to their families and their God. From our Pierce I have become interested in raising awareness of CHD through organizations like CHOA and Camp Twin Lakes and through these brave girls I have also been turned on to CURE and I've always been a fan of St. Judes which is why I cry every year their Thanks & Giving campaign starts! Like their motto says 'Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not' - I know times are tight, but if it comes time for your family to think about their donation choices, maybe consider one of these or similar type organizations.

But Sweet - For Certain!!

So one last family who, again, I have never actually met in person, but whom I have followed through blogging for a few years now is The Delisle Family. She writes the He Will Carry Me blog that is also on my blogging buddies list. We 'met' on a chat board for women who had suffered miscarriage (Sticky Babies - it's a GREAT community, it is invitation only to keep the drama down, but if you know of someone who could benefit from this type of community please let me know). So after suffering a loss with her first pregnancy this couple was so excited to make it through the first trimester of her second pregnancy, only to receive news at the NT scan that all was not well with her baby. They knew from the start that their child, Issac, would have little to no chance of survival once born and with their Faith in God and His plan for them they chose to keep the baby and experience their son. You can read their whole story and see the 16 minutes they got to spend with their baby before he returned to Heaven and you can catch up on the hell they went through losing a baby and remembering him - but I am so happy, excited to my core, to announce that last week she gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl Eliana and that everyone is healthy and doing great! I have kept them in my prayers since our paths crossed three years ago, and now I prayerfully rejoice in the addition of their sweet baby girl!

I know this has been a more 'Real' post and that may translate into tears for some (I know my eyes haven't stopped leaking) so take a minute to click on Stacy's blog and see their now little girl, it will put a smile on your face & warm your heart! Like I mentioned before I don't actually 'know' any of these families, but in some way aren't we all a part of that family?! I mean if you cried you are compassionate & if you could relate then you are one of the families who have suffered/survived/championed your way through a loss or an illness or whatever obstacle was in your way. I think my ultimate goal for this post was to remind everyone, myself included, to be Grateful For Today! Hug your babies - give them a break if they are getting on your nerves (or puking on everything) because the most important thing is continued health! Five years from now, the broken DVD or the 'marked' pictures (again with the vomit) won't matter - really they won't! But having your children in five years, ten years, twenty & so on, that is what it is all about! Enough blogging I have two boys waking in their cribs that I need to go give hugs and kisses to!

KK