The Simple Things In Life!

Just a quick update. Maddy is doing well. She goes back to the clinic for a check up and her monthly chemo treatment next week. We will be able to see by her blood counts how she is handling the maintenance phase. She participated last Friday in her first Relay for Life. What a wonderful event! Both fortunately and unfortunately, it was a reminder that we are not alone.

Maddy is still packed for our trip this summer. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the travel plans, so we will not be going until mid July. Our dolphin swim has had to be postponed for another time, but we are looking forward to staying at the Give the Kids the World park at Disney. We have heard this will be an experience that we will never forget.

Finally, over the last several months, our family has learned to appreciate the simple things in life a little more. We have found ourselves getting excited over "things" that we would not have normally even noticed. Take for example, this past Wednesday. Maddy woke up and got out of bed. She came into the bedroom to ask me to help her pick out a shirt to wear and I was so excited (enough to go get a camera and take pictures) that she had Bed Head! That's right- BED HEAD! Maddy's hair is finally getting long enough that it is starting to stick up after being slept on. We had not seen Maddy with Bed Head for quite some time and it was an event worth noticing.

I hope all of you can take a step back and find those simple things in life worth noticing!

(Maddy with BED HEAD!) : )

Relay For Life

This Friday, June 11th, the Fulton County Relay For Life will be hosting their event. Maddy is going to participate in the survivor lap to kick off the event. We didn't have time to think about a team this year, but felt the need to participate in some way. If you haven't already donated to this cause, you can do so in Maddy's honor at:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10OH?px=17014520&pg=personal&fr_id=23543

So far, Maddy seems to be tolerating the Maintenance phase. She gets her blood counts checked locally next week. Her hair is growing back quickly and her eyebrows and eye lashes are coming back in thicker and darker. She is starting to look like her "old" self. It is hard to believe how different she looked just a couple of months ago. We attended a Make-A-Wish event a while back and they had a photographer taking pictures of the kids. They just emailed them to us yesterday (see above). The pictures were another reminder of everything Maddy has been through, but also a reminder of how BEAUTIFUL she is inside AND out no matter what!

We are getting excited about our Make-A-Wish trip. We are praying all goes as planned.