Wed. Aug. 22nd
Message from Andrew
“You can tell Ali that everything happens for a reason.”
This was a verbatim message spoken to me by Andrew about a month before he died. As you’ll see in the picture pasted above, it was a really tough time and, due to the (literally) dozens of medications that Andrew was on and given his critical condition, we didn’t always have the benefit of having a two-way conversation with Andrew. Andrew would speak and we would write everything down so that we wouldn’t miss anything and be able to share it with each other. Yet, in amongst the pain and fog of medication, my son wanted to tell his sister something. He gave her a message that she obviously holds onto. I don’t know what the reason was for Andrew to leave the world at 14.
I really wish that we could have had more time to have conversations with Andrew like most families do when their child is battling cancer.
Another thing you should realize from Ali’s FB message pasted above is that grief never stops. You never “get over” the loss of a child. I can only imagine how often Ali re-reads CB posts from when we were in the hospital, looks at pictures of the two of them, re-reads notes from him, stares at his signature on something. I know I do.
I was at a golf outing the other day and there were 3-4 of my friends there and their sons were playing in the outing as well. I love seeing parents and kids getting along so well, joking around, talking trash. But, watching them was like twisting a knife in my heart. Of course, you try to do your best to act and put a smile on your face. But, it’s so hard. No exaggeration – I literally thought I was going to throw up.
Andrew, I do believe that you’re right that “everything happens for a reason”. We just need to have faith and trust…and, sometimes, that’s hard.
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B+ Night at the Blue Rocks
Last Friday was “B+ Night at the Blue Rocks”. We had several B+ Heroes in attendance and they were introduced on the field prior to the game. The Blue Rocks Manager came over and asked me if he could introduce the B+ Heroes and their families to his players. Very good guy. The families hung out on the field with the players for awhile. B+ Hero, Declan Roberts, who is in Heaven with Andrew, was represented by his family who through out the first pitch. The Blue Rocks won, the rain held off so that the fireworks show could go on, and I think everyone had a really good time.
Live Like Andrew – try to make a difference in someone’s life today.
Ali & Andrew’s Dad