One of the constant questions I get as a young parent that has been through so much at such in such a short time is: "How do you stay positive and get through everything that you have been through?" The truth is there is no way to stay positive all the time it is inevitable that you are going to get down and want to give up at some point in your life especially when life throws so much at you at once. So what keeps us from falling apart or giving up? For me the answer is very simple above all else no matter what happens there will always be 3 (yes there is now 3) beautiful ladies that need me to be strong and lead them through whatever life puts us through.
Things have been up and down since the last post with a few moments where I wanted to just say forget it since obviously some things haven't worked out as planned. What do you do when things get you down or you get frustrated in life? Without sounding too much like Forest Gump I started running (again) and concentrating on my little ladies. One in particular pulls me through the toughest times because of what she has been through when I'm out on a long run and I think about slowing down or maybe just skipping the next run I simply picture her in the hospital bed hooked up to Chemo with her family all around her fighting for her life. That image drives me to take the next step and press on no matter how tired or sore I am I cant be stopped because I know that she never gave up fighting no matter what. Many nights in the hospital I wondered if she would ever have a normal life and know what its like to grow up.
She just turned 4 a couple of weeks ago were approaching approaching her third year of remission things seem to be fairly normal at least as close as we will ever be to normal. Bekah is doing great in school always on the advanced side of her class always the most advanced spelling words. Shes getting so big and so grown up these days acting very much like an adult even though I tell her to slow down and hang on to being a kid for as long as she can. Charlotte is scheduled for kindergarten screening already which seems like is coming up way to fast. Everyday she impresses me with her vocabulary and understanding of what is going on around her. She has been a big help with her little sister Victoria which is almost 2 already. It will be interesting as these 2 grow up since they have very similar daredevil attitudes and they both think they are invincible. How many 2 year olds do you know that would climb up on the highest point of the couch and think its a great idea to fall/jump towards the chair... I hope that number is very low and that she is a rare but awesome breed.
As many of you know there was a lot of support out there when we were treating Charlotte and fighting cancer. Many of the organizations that helped us are always in need of support themselves so this year instead of just helping them with small one time donations we plan to raise money throughout the entire year. Part of our fundraising effort is a per mile sponsorship as we prepare for events that will take place in September (Childhood Cancer Awareness Month). We are taking per mile donations as well as many other running challenges throughout the year in a quest to rack up over 200 miles before September. We have a few people pledging per mile and a few that will be pledging based on milestones (every 50 miles etc). I would love to get a few people sponsoring my running effort so please check out the webpage for more information www.curecharlotte.com/running.htm. Another thing that we will be doing the first week of September is a shaving event (although its just me at the moment) where I will be shaving my facial hair as well as getting a ribbon etched into the very thin layer of hair remaining. At this point I am planning on letting my beard and hair grow out till then so the change will be more notable. If someone is interested in donating or getting fancy hair cuts to help us raise awareness please contact us. Thanks for following us through the years we really appreciate your continued support.
-Kevin Rufener-
Charlotte's Dad
