Survivor

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - I put Indy on here, because that’s where this little fella had the biggest struggle of his whole life and he doesn’t even remember it. He was floating around in amniotic fluid and chemo at the same time, kicking like crazy. I’ve met a few other mommies who had babies while being treated for breast cancer, and we all act the same. We are all ferociously proud of our children, and even more ferociously angry at this disease. How DARE you come near me when I am busy creating life, stupid cancer!

So today my son gets a big shout out for a big reason. He turns 5 years old today. Initially, I was told that I had to pick, baby or cancer. Thanks to the second opinion given by the great doctors at IU Simon Cancer Center, I didn’t really have to pick, I got to ditch the cancer and get the baby. He’s 5 and he’s flawless. He has great big blue eyes and smooth white hair. He doesn’t like to see his sisters cry, and it makes him angry if you tell him it’s time to be done with Mario Kart. He is taller than his 8-year-old sister, and thinks the word ‘because’ qualifies as a complete sentence. Walking into the pond fully dressed and using a napkin as a superhero cape are totally logical ideas in his world. He says things like ‘I really AM handsome, mommy!’ and ‘My sisters are my best friends!’ all the time. In other words, he is above average but on the whole, a genuine little boy like so many others.

At night, after I have read him his ‘bednight’ story and tucked him in, I watch him sleep. I touch that hair and hold those little boy hands. I cry with joy for the blessing he is, and realize that all of his normalcy, all of his standard-little-boy things make him all the more miraculous. Happy birthday, my little man. Mommy loves you.

Ambition

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - I read a facebook post recently that said something like ‘I don’t mind if people are ambitious, I just want them to admit it.’ I’ve heard about some pretty blatant ambition lately, and quite frankly I find it wholly disconcerting. It’s all over social media sites and even the evening news; Climb that ladder, throw whomever it takes under the bus to get to the next ‘level’, disparaging others to make oneself look good, you name it. And not just in the political arena, just in the regular business world! I don’t mind reading about these types of folks, they are pretty clear about what they want and there is something to be said for that kind of candor.

But, today I want to tell you about George and his ambition. In his world, he’s about as important as you can get. He’s got a big, juicy title (several, in fact, and they are so big they can’t all fit on a business card. That alone should throw the overachievers into an apoplectic fit.) He is treated like a superstar, king or even deity by the people who come to see him in his place of business. (Ok, maybe not the nurses, but they do love him. They just don’t genuflect like the rest of us.) I don’t know his salary, but I’m sure it would make people envious as well. In other words, he is the most successful man that I know. King of the hill, top of the heap, a-number-one, just like the song says.

This is my favorite part of George, however. He is compassionate, gentle, kind and quick-witted. He doesn’t parade around in $3,000 suits or insist that we be silent while he is present. He never shakes my hand, he hugs me instead. When he talks to my children, he smiles at them and addresses them as if they really matter to him, and aren’t just nuisances in the way. He has cried with patients who are sick, were too sick to make it, and laughed with the ones who could continue on. I asked him once what else he could possibly want from life, what would make him retire to a life of leisure and luxury. His response should be an example to all, in my opinion, and why George is the most successful man I know.

He said, quietly, “I would like to be put out of a job. I would like a cure for cancer.”

Girlie Bikes

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - Hi, I’m really it, just darling, stamina aplenty, fear nothing, and oh yea, I’m extremely photogenic. Ok, that’s not what the gals from Team Vera Bradley Foundation said when they met me, but they might as well have. These are professional racers, and they hail from across the planet. Australia, South Africa, Israel, Canada and of course the good ‘ole USA are represented on this team. They have embraced the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer as a cause they want to promote this year, and we are extremely thankful. Who better to be the face of our future? Strong and healthy, brave and confident. They are tackling some big roads, some high hills. They are doing this for us this year, fellow survivors. They are doing it with big smiles and hopeful hearts. As they begin their racing season, I hope to be able to personally introduce them to as many of you as I possibly can. What they are doing can not be measured - in terms of the awareness they are raising - but it will most certainly help us all. Girlie girls, with big mean bikes. :)