It's Not About the Why, It's About The Win

Year Two

Two years ago today, my son was diagnosed with cancer. Wow, just seeing those words makes my heart skip a beat. Since then, I’ve learned so much about the big bad world of leukemia and childhood cancer. I’ve seen heartbreak and triumph. I’ve witnessed unimaginable anguish and unbelievable miracles. My emotions have been tapped, my faith tested, my normal re-defined, and my world re-aligned.

Andrew was one of about 3400 people of all ages diagnosed with cancer on March 24, 2009. Many are not alive to mark today’s diagnosiversary. Many, many more celebrated the end of their cancer treatment several months ago. Not Andrew – he’s still here, still persevering, still fighting, and still facing 16 more months of chemo and all the crap that comes with it. As has been our routine for the last year or so, he has about two good weeks and two bad weeks a month. When he’s not battling a bug, wrangling a migraine, or choking back nausea, he tries to go to school every day, and about half of the time he makes it for the full day. And the other half… well, at least he tried.

A big part of me wants July of 2012 to get here tomorrow. End this, end it now. But a wise momcologist friend of mine once passed along the best advice – “Don’t wish these years away. I know you want to fast forward to the end, but this is your son’s childhood. Savor it.” (Thank you, Heather.)

And so I will. I can’t promise that I’ll like it. I’m sure that some days I will downright despise it. But cancer or not, Andrew will only be 12 once, and I will not wish this time away. I will savor it, every second of it.

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     March 24th