Each day, I anticipate work ending more and more. I can't wait to get home to see this little girl. I can't wait to hold her. To feed her. To change her. To walk with her. And to love and be loved by her.
I have never felt a sense of responsibility and pride in another human more than I do in Etta. I've never felt the desire to protect and defend another person more than her--and I'm reminded every day just how special, precious, and significant her life is in my hands.
I hope I can an effective dad and friend to her.
Today, I saw a Facebook friend of mine, who has recently lost a child, post a link about children suffering from cancer--namely those children that have been diagnosed with or were taken by Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. I clicked on the link about myriads of medical professionals who fight daily to defeat this disease and, as I'm prone to do on Facebook, ended up clicking three or four other links that eventually led me to a a series of slideshows that featured children that have suffered from various forms of cancer--including DIPG.
My heart broke.
I've learned that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and it's something that's been on my mind for the first few days of the month.
I look up to those parents, family members, and friends of those children that have suffered and fell victim to these diseases. With every click I made on the slideshow and with every reveal of the next child who has suffered, been diagnosed with or even died from this disease, I thought of my little Etta.
I would do anything for her. I would fight for her. I would easily die for her. I would give up everything to keep her safe, and it breaks my heart to think of parents who feel like I do and had to watch their children go through difficult situations and trials.
And while the parents are proud of their children for fighting hard--in many cases to the very end, I know that those children that have passed are somewhere better--extremely proud of their parents for how hard their parents fought during those times.
I resolved to help more. I don't know how, but I will find a way to help.
I started with this website, http://www.dipg.org/, and I am hoping to find a way to be more involved in helping end this. If you can donate anything, I know it would be greatly appreciated and used with the utmost care and attention to helping cure these diseases.
This song is by J.R. Richards and it is an amazing message and a beautifully shot video and I think about it often when I look through the pictures and videos of those kids that have gone too soon, but who haven't left us for good.
My little Etta is a healthy, growing little girl, and I won't take that for granted. I will take advantage of all the time I'm afforded to be with her and I want to help other parents, who are struggling with these diseases in their homes, to have more time with their children.
