Five years ago on March 8, 2017, my life changed forever. I start this blog post the same way every year….” on this day x years ago, my life changed forever.” There really is no other way to explain how that day changed the course of the rest of my life. I normally write this blog post on the day of or very near to March 8. This year was different, very different. I wrote a book and my release date was March 8. So, the weeks (months, really) leading up to that day were hectic, to say the least. I’ve also been busy afterward between trying to hit a sales target for work as well as having a book release party and my first book signing and promoting my book. I had been wanting to write a book for as long as I can remember and since near the beginning of Logan’s diagnosis and treatment, I knew I wanted to write a book about our journey through childhood cancer, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. And I DID IT!
I am currently on a mother’s retreat (March 25- 28). I am in Lenox, Massachusetts at the Brook Farm Inn, a cute little bed and breakfast. I came in Friday night and am leaving tomorrow (Monday morning) and have been able to spend my weekend with moms from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York who all have children with special needs. These needs range from neurological disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, autism, to disorders I never even heard of. One mom has a foster child she adopted from a baby, now a teenager, that has something called RAD (Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a rare condition where children don’t form an emotional bond with their caretakers.) I never heard of this and as a mother, I can’t imagine how this makes her feel. Another mom has 11 children, 3 biological and 8 adopted or fostered, some with fetal alcohol syndrome and other disorders. You never know what someone is going through.
Some of us had dinner together Friday and Saturday night. I’m currently sitting in the dining area on 7 pm Sunday, waiting for our pizza to be delivered. There are a few of us that decided to stay in and relax tonight. The reason I am sharing this is that exactly one year ago yesterday, March 26, 2021, I went away on a mini-retreat with a girlfriend and my goal was to write the outline of my book, which I did. And here I am a year later at a mother’s retreat, sharing my book with other “special mama’s,” which is exactly how I signed each of their books. It’s crazy how the universe works.
I’m thrilled that I got to meet another tubie mom (her son is also 100% fed via g-tube), she is also a freelance writer and has her own blog. Hello, universe! Her son is Logan’s age and has a neurological disorder that is regenerative, thankfully, so he’s just going to keep getting stronger. He just learned to sit up on his own, I could cry writing this because I understand and share her excitement!! Not many people would understand that!
It’s now Monday morning around 9am, just finished breakfast with a few of the other moms and wanted to finish some writing before I head home in a couple of hours and back to reality!
I’m so excited that I have/had a different outlook on this year’s diagnosis anniversary. Don’t get me wrong, the Facebook memories between November 18 and March 8 are difficult…that’s when things were “normal,” but I chose March 8 to release my book because I wanted to have a happy memory associated with that day. Of course, March 8 will always be Logan’s diagnosis day and the day my life was forever changed. But, now I have a choice in how it was changed. That’s exactly why I chose March 8 to release my book! I finally had a choice! Just like we all have a choice to get it up in the morning and make it a great day…or not! That’s one of the main points in my book, not only is it about childhood cancer awareness and our journey through childhood cancer, it’s about resiliency and the choices we make when faced with a difficult situation.
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It’s now Wednesday, July 6, 2022, and I still haven’t finished or posted my annual cancerversary blog post. Life is crazy and I had been so busy and riding the high with writing and publishing my book, I think I just wanted a break from writing and then I procrastinated…. then well, life!
Let’s see…. after the release of my book, I needed a bit of a break. That mother’s retreat was just what I needed. It was wonderful to be around other moms that “just got me,” no judgment, open and honest conversations, just being me, putting me first….for once.
Then, came home, and well, life! I closed my biggest account ever with work in May, and I also celebrated my 10-year work anniversary then. We celebrated our 7-year wedding anniversary and Logan graduated kindergarten in June and he just started summer school yesterday! School is so good for him!
So let’s talk about how he’s been doing…..we are still working diligently on feeding therapy. The kid will literally only eat veggie straws, and he prefers the ranch ones or the ‘blue chips,’ as he calls them. His language is exploding, and his communication is more intentional. He doesn’t hit or head bang as much anymore but he’s in this damn kicking phase……God help me! He still loves his ball pit and is obsessed with his trampoline, in which he insists on “jump” all day, every day! He takes swimming lessons and does very well kicking his legs (kicking phase…hmmmm) but we can’t get him to use his arms. Although we went to Aunt Nicole’s house Monday (4th of July) and I jus grabbed the back of his shorts, on his belly in the po0l and you bet he used his arms….yup, mother of the year! LOL
Lots more to update but wat least wanted to post something quick (4 months later). I didn’t even share details about my book release party, book signing, etc…..I will!
This year was different for his 5-year cancerversary, in a good way.
Anyway, Logan just got home and of course, he asked to “jump,” “ball pit,” and “race cars,” all within 20 minutes of him coming home….by the way, “race cars,” is Nascar on his iPad!!! LOL
Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers! Logans is doing AMAZING! I’ve got some things I am working on so stay tuned and I promise to be better at posting updates.
As always….follow us on FB @ www.facebook.com/LoganStrongNY for more up-to-date happenings!
#LoganStrong
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