Lesson #4: Bittersweet

A forgotten post......

October is cancer awareness month and it has proven to be bittersweet.

Friday was our annual Pink Out football game. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, pink has become the color for cancer fighters and survivors (not just breast cancer) and for a pink out, everyone wears pink to show their support and hope for a cure. At Belle Fourche's Pink Out game cancer fighters and survivors are given pink balloons to release together during the game. Knowing this was something special for Lukie to be able to do and help him understand about his "stitches" that he often brings up, the boys and I had a little front loading for the nights events.







Before Luke's surgery we had light talks about what might become of Lukie's bump if we didn't have it taken out and how we needed to know right away if he got any more. We talked about how he could get really sick and maybe even die. Let me tell you, that's a very eerie talk to have with your three year old. It seems necessary to be be incredibly up front and honest about this situation regardless of his age as so often, if there is to be a relapse, it will hit hard and move fast. It has become "just one of those things in our life". Some people know prosthetics, some people know forensics, some mortuary science, some law enforcement, some teacher lingo.... well we know most of those, now we can add some oncology talk.






Lukie was very eager to let his balloons go and was holding them super tight until the time to let them go together came. When the announcement came, I scrambled to get them untied from his wrist quickly. The lady handing them out had decided he needed two. they were tied together at the bottom and ended up wrapped around the power lines and eventually popping. Luke seemed a little morose about this but we decided this meant POP, they're gone! We got rid of the bump and its done.

 

Here's to PINK and remaining thankful for positive outcomes.