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5 years!



We did it! John was surprised at last, finally and for good! Mission accomplished...

But, wait, it's not really all about me and my planning and for-once-in-my-27-year-marriage surprising my husband. (Though in all honesty, I am pretty darn proud of myself, because it is no easy feat pulling anything over on this man! And believe you me, I have tried!) It is about the reaching the five-year cancer-free milestone. And about, celebrating life and love and family and friends. And that is what we did - despite a deluge of rain our party was not dampened!

 Thankfully many of the people that helped us make it through that very dismal time were able to be at the party. 

It was a time that proved it does indeed take a village to raise a child:

  - Patti and Don Beery and Sherry White who whisked off to Panama City with Matthew and Delaney for spring break as we headed to the Evil Empire for treatment. And when they returned, went above and beyond, to check in on Matthew and Delaney to make sure all was good.
- And Grandma - my energetic Mom, who came every week to stay here while we were in Ann Arbor - cooking dinner, running errands, sitting at cold baseball games, shopping and shuttling. It was an incredible gift and comfort to all of us.
- Kris VanLoon who acted as the point-person for all-things needed and given. Never has an Excel spreadsheet been such a blessing!

It was also a time that showed John and I how to lean on others and be supported:

 - My sisters, Kelli and Kerri (and their hubbies Dave and Mark) who acted as prayer warriors and confidantes so that I could be as sane as possible (and we know that is no small task!). Especially since Kelli was at the time on her own journey through cancer treatment and is now also cancer free!!
- John's assistant Cindy and associate Rachel who helped keep him afloat at work while he floated on the effects of powerful cancer treatment and the ones that helped him survive the pain of the treatment that was killing the cancer.








- My friends Pam, Chris, Aimee, Kris, Patti, Sherry, Karen, Cheryl, Renee (these are just the ones at the party!) who acted as prayer warriors, home support, sounding boards, sanity checks and in ways I cannot count or know or remember (but I'm still incredibly grateful!).
- John's friends Mike, Mark, Don, Pete, Ron,Breeza, Jon, TJ, Jeff, Marcea, Mike, Greg, Bill,Carl - some of them drove quite a distance to celebrate the distance John's come - are blessings in so many countless ways then and now.


 - Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Jim - you are a gift to all of your nieces and nephews and provided such amazing support during our journey five years ago and it was the icing on the cake that you were there!

 - Aimee you get a double mention here because to John you were then his Nightingale. Once we got home, when treatment ended, the real crud reared it's ugly head and you were there to tame it, calm it  and put it in perspective. You provided nursing for the physical ails, comfort for the mental anguish and relief for both the patient patient and his at-times frustrated caregiver. 
 And last, but never ever least in our book or lives- Michael, Matthew and Delaney - if our friends and family were the support that got us sanely through the treatment - you were our motivation. I cannot fathom what your journeys were like five years ago, and many times I had prayed that I could erase it from your lives. I spent the first few weeks after Dad's diagnosis in worry and anguished over how it would affect all of you, but then I turned it over to God in prayer and truly felt His peace and strength and knew that He was doing the same for you. I needed His strength to help your Dad and His guidance to know how to help you through your Dad's cancer journey. Does that make sense? The celebration was a tribute to your Dad's five-year milestone but it was also a tribute to the three of you because you are amazing young people!

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