Chillin' With
Chalk!
Celebrating the end of Patrick's Treatments!
On May 17th, 2002,
Patrick was diagnosed with leukemia. On August 2nd, 2005, he
will finish his treatment! All signs point to a complete
recovery. Patrick's family is celebrating on August 13th, 2005 by
inviting everyone to come to their "Chillin' With Chalk" celebration.
For those of us who cannot be there and want to celebrate with
their family, this board has been set up. So here is the
drill... all you have to do is spend some time with your child
making a work of art with sidewalk chalk and then post a picture of your artwork it here
with your words of congratulations for Patrick and family.
Note that one
other element of the celebration will be to donate money raised
at the event to the Kaiser Pediatric Oncology Clinic in
Sacramento to help those who continue to fight the battle
against leukemia. If you would like to make a donation in Patrick's name,
you can do this by going to the Pay Pal Site and then clicking on the "send money" tab. Then simply send the money to boquist1@yahoo.com and it will be forwarded to the hospital.
Patrick was diagnosed with leukemia when Emma was 15 days old, back when I had no idea who you were or what this board was (way back in the old iVillage days!). When I found this group and first read of what Patrick was going through, I cried so hard. It hurt to hear what your darling boy and your family were dealing with, and it made me afraid of the future.
That is, until I saw how everyone was supporting you, and how important that support was. I realized that with friends, you can get through anything, no matter how scary or death-defying it is. With prayers to lift you up, shoulders to cry on, and ears to vent to, you can achieve all manner of things. Through your example, I learned just what an amazing place I had found, a group of friends I could lean on through anything.
You're my inspiration, Beth, and Patrick is my hero. I've never met you, but have so much love for all of you in my heart. This weekend, a very dear friend and her husband are coming over for dinner. She, too, is a leukemia survivor, and is a double amputee as well. I've told her about Patrick, and we're going to have our own little "Chillin' With Chalk" session. I'll be sure to post the pictures!
Thank you for everything you and Patrick have given all of us, just by being who you are.
