Bring the Support

"I had no idea how many there were," Kim had just hung up the phone from speaking with a parent who had lost her son to cancer. "It was ten months from diagnosis to the time he passed," Kim wore a look that said 'enough is enough' without saying any more to me.

"There's a lot?" I heard myself ask the question, but I guess I knew all along that there were more children in our area alone who have been diagnosed with cancer. It's a bit strange to find out there are more out there, because when you're going through it, you never hear about the others. Partly because you're so engrossed in your own crisis state, and partly because your just engrossed with the thought of 'this can't be happening'. It's that surreal state that holds you paralyzed and numb to what's around you.

"There's enough to have a support group. In fact there's more being diagnosed according to our pediatrician," her eyes glistened with that look that said 'something would happen here'. Having experienced the support of other cancer families at the Ronald McDonald House through the Brighter Tomorrows group, we were fortunate to have a connection to talk things through, vent, and cry when we needed. To hear someone express that they knew what you were going through without having to explain it,... worth a thousand words.

Hannah walked in on the conversation and Kim immediately broke with what she was telling me to inform Hannah, "We're forming a support group." It was one of those moments where you just except it. Kind of like having someone tell you that they're going to put peanut butter on your jelly sandwich - that sounds about right.

"So, where do we go from here?" I was expecting a business plan to materialize, but I got what I guess I should have planned for:

"We contact people, we open our home, and we talk,... a lot," having been through the Brighter Tomorrow's meetings, Kim had an idea of where to go (I did too for that matter). The thing the BT group has on us was two major group's support: The Mayo Clinic doctors and the Ronald McDonald House. Somehow, I think we're going to be alright because we're doing the right thing and the needed thing.

"Sounds like a good plan," I said.

If anyone knows of a family who has gone through or is going through childhood cancer,... send them our way - we're ready to heal, ready to deal, and ready to let them know, "We know what you're going through and we will be willing to help in any way."