Charlotte's Journey

About a month before Charlotte got sick, Brian and I were at a special benefit for The Methodist Home for Children with some friends and we won a silent auction bid for a week at Grow, a local Preschool that was having a week of summer camp for preschoolers. When the time came, Charlotte couldn’t go. She was in active treatment, fighting cancer, and so we gifted it to a neighbor to go instead. This winter, we went to the same benefit and won the same silent auction item: a week of Preschool summer camp at Grow in our town of Apex NC. The owner and director of Grow, Julia, was sitting at our table and we all just beamed thinking of what it meant for Charlotte to get to do this. It’s kind of a “pinch me yes this is really happening” moment. Although she’s been battling what seems like back to back colds and even came down with an ear infection that has seemed to really hinder her hearing recently, she is soaring. She is living up this time and creating such a positive impact in the wor...

Sometimes the momentum of life makes us go full steam ahead. And sometimes that’s a very good thing. While perhaps at other times, it’s time to hold the horses. Put on the brakes. Let things “marinate”. Pause to re-evaluate. And that’s exactly what we’ve decided to do for Charlotte and her potential need for hearing aides. Something didn’t set quite right after our Audiology appointment at Duke last month. We felt like we were being “sold” to. A full page of hearing aid colors complete with sparkles or funky swirly colors were presented to us even before the actual technology or exact support Charlotte would benefit from was discussed. The entire appointment was off putting. So we felt like we were being sold a car, but we also felt something else we couldn’t quite put our finger on. We pushed that feeling aside to revisit and went about our way with beach vacation plans (which I still need to post about!!) and summer fun and then WHAM all of a sudden it was time for her follow up...

I’m not sure if I want to cry because this is so sweet and precious or cry because she is hysterical😂, but I’m going to leave this video right here (and save it forever and ever). This is Charlotte today discussing what she wants to do when she grows up and we wanted to share her, her heart,  her dreams, and her imagination with all of you who have loved and prayed for her all this time. May God help her do all of these things and more as she grows up❤️🌈 https://youtu.be/kYcqCUffsP0

Charlotte’s scans 9 months post treatment are CLEAR! No evidence of cancer! She will get her longest break yet—an entire summer off! It’s been 3 years, since 2015, she hasn’t been in treatment during the summer and so we will take our first real vacation all together since before diagnosis leaving for a week away at the beach this weekend. I really almost have no words at this time. No words to really capture the joy and relief and wonder Brian and I feel. This little girl co tinues to amaze and lead us. I wish every single one of you could have been there to see her in action at her appointments this week. She defys all logic. Her spirit and so so strong and full of joy and life and love. She is evidence of God’s love and grace, in the flesh right in front of us every single day. She helps me be brave. She helps me love deeper. She helps this entire life of ours, no matter how short or long, be full of abundance. She is a wonder this little one. Celebrate with us...your prayers and lo...

We have kicked off summer 2018! Charlotte did it—she finished her first year of preschool! Taylor and Parker have just finished 1st and 3rd grade. And as much as we hope and pray for the long dog days of summer instead of hospital visits and treatment...we need her scans this week to reflect all we have been praying for. Charlotte has 3 long days at Duke today, tomorrow, and Thursday. She will have 3 sets of scans and lab work and audiology tests and clinic check up. I have written so many unfinished posts because (YAY!) I’ve been so busy living life and soaking up the norlmacy, but I wanted to send a quick update because we always feel your prayers. We appreciate every single one of you in our village caring for and praying for our baby girl. We will update once we have results. Thank you all❤️And thank you God for each and every day, every moment you’ve given us. Last day of preschool this year Cheers to last day of school! Look whose hair is long enough for a braid! ...

It’s only mid May and Charlotte is in “bring it on summer” mode. Granted, we live in North Carolina so summer feels like it’s here. She’s been swimming in the lake near our home, swimming at the neighborhood pool, played on a backyard water slide, and had water blaster fights with no ending in sight. She is free and loving it! While her siblings begin swim team, she splashed in the pool right along side the other younger siblings instead of sitting under an umbrella eating snacks and watching, longing. Don’t get me wrong,  we were soooo incredibly grateful last summer to be there and so was she. But this year she’s not on the sidelines. “Me too Mommy?” Yes you too sweet girl. She is asking for swimming lessons too so we will start planning for that as well! Bring on summer!! As summer approaches, so do her June scans and assessments. It’s hard to look past those scans because life seems to hang in the balance of those results every 3 months and sadly dictates everything possible ...