Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. It was close to Valentine's Day and Mattie received this huge lollipop from one of his classmates at school. Mattie thought it was hysterical, especially since it was bigger than his head. Pictured next to Mattie was one of his nurses, Erin. Mattie decided to give Erin one of his lollipops, and as you can see, Erin held up the candy to compare sizes! Clearly no comparison to Mattie's super sized lollipop!!! Erin was an amazing nurse and one of our first nurses we experienced at the hospital. But not unlike many of the oncology nurses, Erin did not remain long at the hospital. I suspect there is a great deal of turn over because of burn out and other issues that arise. Nonetheless, I will always remember Erin because despite her youth, she was an extremely competent, caring, and intuitive individual. She helped me and listened to my feelings in and out of the room on many occasions. In addition to that, one night Mattie was having a super challenging night of pain and agitation! She tried to distract him and encouraged Mattie to draw her a picture. He did just that and later she put that creation on her refrigerator. She even sent us a photo of Mattie's picture on her refrigerator and Mattie and I were honored!
Quote of the day: Lack of compassion is just as vulgar as an excess of tears. ~ Dowager Countess Grantham (Downton Abbey)
Today I received a package at my front desk. The package was sent to me by my friend in cancer. The gift inside was very touching and it came from the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation. In fact the jewelry sold benefits the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation, which gives 100% of the proceeds to childhood cancer awareness and research. The founder of the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation lost her son, Ty, to brain cancer in 2012. She now designs jewelry to raise cancer funds and to fill the need for awareness jewelry that isn't made of rubber or plastic.
"I carry your heart" locket that I have worn in memory of Ty ever since my unbearable loss. The poem (see below) holds such deep meaning for me, and helps me honor the deep and undeniable love I share with my son, my greatest gift, despite losing him. The locket has since been gifted to dozens of grieving moms who lost their precious children to cancer, and I hope to be able to give many more over time.
The card continues on...........
"My heart continues to break every day as I watch and read about each child lost to cancer over and over again. In an effort to provide just a shred of comfort to more and more moms who share the same broken heart, we launched a program that allows others to sponsor an anonymous gift to a mom who lost her child to cancer. We hope the enclosed does just that for you. Know that your child is loved and remembered by so many. To learn more visit, www.prettystore.org."
The sentiments of the poem are beautiful and the symbolism of the locket is quite meaningful. The locket is in essence a representation of how grieving parents live their lives! Grieving parents keep their memories, feelings, and thoughts of one's child locked away from the real world. Trying to look normal, together, and perhaps shiny and golden like the exterior of this locket. But internally grieving parents carry their child's heart with them always and just like the inside of the locket, their minds are filled with memories, pictures, and things that are intangible and unforgettable.
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