Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Family · Histiocytosis · liver disease · pediatric cancer · PTSD · Uncategorized

Life After Childhood Cancer

I’ve never been a fan of scary movies.  I don’t know why, I just don’t do them.  Don’t get me wrong, a good book series about zombies or the apocalypse or ghost hauntings, and I’m there with my kindle, a 32 oz of cold coffee, and a growl at the husband for interrupting my book… Continue reading Life After Childhood Cancer

ACA · Affordable Care Act · Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Chemomom · Childhood Cancer · Family · Histiocytosis · Motherhood · Obamacare · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

Eight years and It Doesn’t End

Today is the 8th Remission Anniversary for Sophie defeating Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, a rare form of cancer.  Eight years ago today, we were told that Sophie’s cancer was gone.   Eight years ago today, we had hope that Sophie would grow up ,she’d grow old, she’d have a wedding and a job and children and a… Continue reading Eight years and It Doesn’t End

ACA · Affordable Care Act · Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Family · Happiness · Histiocytosis · Insurance · Love · Obamacare · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

The ACA and Children with Cancer

It looks like the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, may be repealed soon.   And I wanted to point something out to everyone that already has health insurance through a reliable source, and thus are not likely to be immediately effected by the repeal.   I’m not going to talk to you about preexisting conditions, though… Continue reading The ACA and Children with Cancer

Cancer · Chemo mom · Family · Happiness · Holidays · Home · Love · Parenting · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

Rejoice in Your Holidays

Eight years ago today, Sophie started chemotherapy. Eight years ago today, I was terrified, watching as Dan held her in her long cherry covered jumper in the waiting room of the hospital while we waited to be taken to pre-op before the surgery to put her port in. By 2pm that day, they had completed… Continue reading Rejoice in Your Holidays

Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Daughters · Family · Happiness · Histiocytosis · Love · Motherhood · Parenting · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

The Moment You Face Your Child’s Mortality

You just read that title and thought “I know my kid is mortal.  I’ve faced this.”  And I would agree with you before my daughter was diagnosed with cancer.   But I didn’t realize what my child’s mortality really was until it slapped me in the face. I knew, when I got pregnant, that I had… Continue reading The Moment You Face Your Child’s Mortality

Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Histiocytosis · Homeschooling · liver disease · Motherhood · Parenting · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

Hard Decisions and Trying to Emulate Normalcy

We had an “incident” at our daughter’s after school a couple of weeks ago.  Three boys surrounded her while she was coloring with chalk on the ground, circled her while saying “we’re circling you, you can’t get up, neener neener neener” (kids really are idiots… seriously… wtf?).  Her response was to throw a piece of… Continue reading Hard Decisions and Trying to Emulate Normalcy

Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Mother's Day · Motherhood · Parenting · pediatric cancer · Uncategorized

Happy *Warrior* Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day.  I would like to wish ALL The moms out there a wonderful HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!   Being a mom is not easy and seems to only get harder as time goes on, so keep up the good fight. I just wanted to remind everyone of a group of moms you might not… Continue reading Happy *Warrior* Mother’s Day

Cancer · Childhood Cancer · children · Histiocytosis · liver disease · Parenting · pediatric cancer · PTSD · Uncategorized

Feeling Squishy

3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. I have Sophie tucked into her booster seat behind me.  Butterfly pillow between her head and her brother’s car seat as she leans into it.   Sugar-skull covered fluffy blanket over her.  She’s still in her Lego movie pajamas and falls right back to sleep once I get the truck moving. I… Continue reading Feeling Squishy

Cancer · Chemo Dad · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · children · Histiocytosis · liver disease · Motherhood · pediatric cancer · PTSD · support groups · Uncategorized

The Steps of Grief with Each Doctor Visit

When you have a child with a chronic illness, you have to go through the steps of grief emotionally to handle the disease.  But once you go through those and get through the initial emergency period,  you can get complacent during long stretches of generally good health where the “chronic” doesn’t rear its ugly head.  … Continue reading The Steps of Grief with Each Doctor Visit

Cancer · Chemo mom · Childhood Cancer · Histiocytosis · pediatric cancer · PTSD · Survivor · Uncategorized

Please don’t think me weak.

I find myself thinking those words more often than not in the last few weeks. I’ve always been the bad@$$ in the herd.  The black sheep with the bandana, playing the metal music and not bending to the judgement of others. I didn’t cry for anything, ever.  I didn’t cry when I moved away from… Continue reading Please don’t think me weak.