There must have been a hundred schools between the pool and my house as I cruised home this afternoon, going 30km/hr regardless of school zone or not. I sat at the crosswalk by Willows and watched the new crossing guard chat with a couple of mums and their offspring as they safely crossed the road. One kid was getting a piggyback ride, one was on a scooter. They were ambling, in no real rush to get anywhere, enjoying each others stories from the day. I smiled when they looked in my direction, as tears flooded my face and sobs choked in my throat. It's so simple - this school-run business. It's the most basic thing to do; everyday the kids get picked up from school. Some go by car, some on bikes with their impossibly small helmets protecting their precious brains, some on scooters, some on foot. Some have parents pick them up, others go with babysitters, friends, grandparents. But it's the same ritual for nearly everyone and it's the same experience that everyone has - let's get from point A to point B and share something about our day. It makes me weak in the knees to be able to witness something so simple, so universal... I see these families, and all I think is "me too!"
I want what you're having.
Today I am thinking a lot about our friends who are at SickKids in Toronto. Lina's big sister Frieda was supposed to start kindergarten today, but because of Lina's surgery, she's had to skip it for a little bit. Lina's surgery was hugely successful; they were able to remove 95% of that stupid tumour and she's not paralyzed! Not even close! So I think Frieda is happiest to spend this time with her doting parents and her baby sister rather than in the schoolyard. Bless them all. And there's plenty of time for school-runs when they get back to Squamish (hopefully soon!).
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| This time last year... |
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| just babies... |
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| fighting cancer... |
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| No big deal. Hurry home, Lina! |
My brother was married over the weekend. They had a very intimate service with just family and it was officiated by a dear family friend, Joe*, who also did our wedding. I spent a good deal of time chatting with his wife, Jill*. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months back and had surgery to get the tumour removed. I understood that that was all the treatment that was needed; she had caught it early enough and everything was fine. She revealed to me that, no, chemo and radiation were elective and she has chosen to go ahead with these nasty (but effective) options. She had her first chemo this morning and I can't stop thinking about her. Chemo sucks. It knocks the snot out of you, and it affects everyone differently. It's a long road and no one fully understands what you're going through unless they have done it themselves. I wish I could offer more words of support or encouragement. I wish I had some magic thing to say that puts it all in perspective, but I don't. I met a new cancer mum briefly when we were leaving 3B in Vancouver. She held the door open for us as we flounced out, beaming with pride at how wonderful our daughter was and how much everyone loved her. The woman asked us, "are you going home?" to which we babbled on about how we were just visiting and we had been there, but we weren't there anymore...and she just stared at us, like we weren't even real. I glanced down at her daughter who was hooked up to an IV pole via her arm and I asked how long they had been there. "Since last night". My heart broke. Her five year old daughter had leukemia and they were waiting to find out if it was ALL (very treatable, high success rate) or AML (baby killer). Again, I tried to muster some words of encouragement. I told them they were in the best place, that the staff were unbelievable and they would both be looked after really well. I searched my brain for what I would have liked when I was first waking up in hospital, so I hugged her. I'm not one for hugging strangers, but it was all I could offer, from one mother to another. I whispered "it's going to get worse, but it will get better. Eventually". So Jill*, if you are reading this, it will be the worst, but it does get better. Eventually.
Andrew and Allie's wedding was lovely. The weather cooperated for the most part and a good time was had by all - especially little Eleanor, who partied til 8:45! Kris and I were shocked. Normally she craps out around 6 at these kinds of things, but she sat up at the table and happily munched her cousin's garlic bread while the speeches went on. She was doted on by everyone, which probably helped keep her content. Girlfriend loves being the centre of attention! I'll sign off here with a couple of photos from the evening. It was a lovely way to say "Adios" to a pretty long, hospital-filled summer! Happy Autumn everyone!
*names have been changed to protect privacy
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