Long Days: A Reminder

I've had a long couple of days. Mondays are always long because I have classes from noon to 8 p.m. with a couple short breaks. It's a lot of paying attention for one day!! :) Tuesdays are long, too, with the Bryant project (we were off this week, though), hitting the gym, babysitting in the afternoons, and night class. Wednesdays are pretty long, too, come to think of it! I'm only taking 12 hours this semester, but with the extra stuff I've been able to take on, it seems like I still have very little "free" time. But I really shouldn't be complaining because I'm lucky to have time to go to the gym and work on the service learning project...and sleep!

Alicia's gone to Huntsville to do her preceptorship and Lauren's doing hers here in Tuscaloosa but works afternoons/evenings which means I haven't seen two of my BFFs in a week. :( I'm in serious need of some friend time!! Haven't seen Mo, J, Susan, or JA in a long time either! EEK!
But enough complaining, because I have great news to share with the blogosphere: Brian's last MRI was clear, so his port comes out in TWO DAYS. Hopefully this will be the last time he ever has to worry about cancer ever again!

For those who don't know, my youngest cousin Brian was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, on Christmas Eve 2008. He was 7 years old at the time. Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. has been his home away from home as he made frequent visits over the last 15 months. He had surgery to remove the tumor from his brain stem and then underwent intense radiation and chemo.

Through the whole ordeal, I've been stuck in Alabama at school or at home in the summer and have felt pretty helpless because I couldn't do anything for my aunt and uncle, Lauren, Eric, or Brian. I'm a fixer. I wanted to be picking up dinner or cleaning the house or something physical. But my prayers and happy thoughts had to suffice. When I had to miss the D.C. Race for Hope (brain cancer research fundraiser) because of finals, I got my pals together and had a walk in Tuscaloosa. This year I'm excited to make the trip to my grandparents for race weekend, even though we'll be celebrating Brian's first communion instead of running a 5K downtown!

I often wrestled with my feelings about Brian's cancer, questioning God and wondering why such a young child had to be sick. I gladly would have taken his place. Since I was so far away, I didn't see his daily struggles . . . or all the good days. I wasn't there in a way I wish I could have been. BUT...fifteen months and countless treatments later, Brian is cancer-free and feelin' pretty darn good!! I hope that this will be the end of cancer for B, that his future scans will remain clean and he can continue being a spunky kid.

I've learned so much from afar "watching" Brian. He doesn't complain; he laughs and repeats movie lines (just like the rest of us). His advice to other cancer patients is simple: use the numbing cream when they access your port. He's a kid, so maybe he didn't really understand everything that was happening. But I know he's pretty intuitive. It's that positive attitude, that "giving up isn't an option" that saw him through and taught our family, friends, and even strangers to appreciate the little things. It seems it's always the same story: fighter kid beats cancer and teaches family to appreciate life. I'm just glad I can be apart of that "same old story."

Love you, Brian!!!

Brian and his puppy, Cleo, Christmas 2009

Brian last spring, sporting his mohawk (before losing all his hair) and holding a sign for my Personal Creed Project. I still believe in miracles, buddy!