Charlotte is honored at a St. Baldrick’s Event

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Today, while Charlotte showed up as Princess Aerial to a local St. Baldrick’s event as an honored kid after having been asked to speak and have her participate in a special “knighting” ceremony, many hours away there is a mom (whom I’ve met and gotten to know a little while up at MSK in NYC) who’s 5 year old son, Lincoln, who is battling relapsed Neuroblastoma and was responding well to the treatment according to his recent scans, started complaining of headaches and was having nausea. Headaches and nausea can be alarming in a child like Lincoln. The team asked her to bring him into the ER for an evaluation and the MRI revealed abnormalities in his brain along with swelling. They are awaiting next steps but the concern is that this cancer has snuck into his brain. This relentless, nightmare of a disease steals and sneaks and takes. And while our baby girl stood on stage, shy and uncertain about what the hoopla was about today, also knew that her presence today could help other sick kids get better. That her story could help. We hope the funds St. Baldrick’s raises today will never be required for our Charlotte going forward, but today they could have helped Lincoln. And we stood proudly with our girl among friends and a special nurse who cared for her at Duke, and we spoke to the crowd and Charlotte helped Princess Aerial knight a few special donors and we then hoped. I didn’t know it until a few hours later, that Lincoln was admitted to the PICU in pain and now awaiting the unimaginable. How are we here and they are there? Why? We will never answer those questions. And we don’t know what tomorrow holds for Charlotte anymore then anyone knows what tomorrow holds for them. So today we try. We try to do something, anything to help these children. We try to help make a new way through.
#Charlottestrong #familystrong

Here is a link to the St. Baldrick’s event page with Charlotte featured as an honoree

https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/115/2019

Shy and uncertain on stage, but Brave and amazing

Helping Aerial to “knight” some special donors




Family strong

With her old nurse, Rachel


With our Stalnaker Crew. In our village from day 1

Lincoln. Please pray for him 

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