November 27 - Blythedale - Day 8

A Thanksgiving to remember…

It was not easy waking up yesterday morning and not running down the stairs in my pajamas to my mom and brother’s cooking. Every year but one (when I was away my junior year) I have spent Thanksgiving at my parent’s house, watched the parade, yelled and screamed with my brothers, ate plate after plate after plate, and played Scrabble till the late hours of the night.

I did not wake to Olivia’s voice calling out for us to let us know she was ready to come out of bed, I did not wake up in the arms of my husband, I did not wake up to Chloe’s feet kicking around the crib like she did before she got sick. It was a different morning of beeping alarms outside our room door, a nurse coming in with syringes of seizure medicine, and an early routine of filling up Chloe’s Kangaroo bag for her milk and attaching her G-tube.

Through my sadness and my tears, though, I was thankful. I was thankful that all my family was safe. I thought about how far our little Chloe has come and how thankful we all are that she is such a fighter and has so much strength. I thought about Olivia and Reth waking up together in the hotel and enjoying some daddy time – running around and eating a big breakfast. I thought about my mom and dad happily packing up the car with all the food and treats that they would bring to us later in the day. All my parents ever want if for us to be together and they always seem to make that happen, no matter what. I thought about Steven and Jeannie waking up to Taylor and greeting her with her first Thanksgiving kisses. I thought about Patrick and Melanie sharing their first Thanksgiving as husband and wife. I thought about how in just a few hours Chloe and I would be joining them for a family feast downstairs in the cafeteria. They made it work. They made it amazingly special. I was overwhelmed by what they all did for us. (There may have even been some yelling back and forth and there was a late afternoon poker game among the boys which I happily watched. And no, Steven did not go 'all in' on the first hand!!) We managed to fill up about 5 tables in the cafeteria with my mom’s Filipino food and Steven’s turkey and fixings (even though I’m still a fan of canned cranberry sauce – sorry Steve). They all came together to make this a very special Thanksgiving and Chloe sat at the head of the table in her new stroller with her big brown eyes wide open. We also had some new friends join us. Our roommate from the hospital, Charlotte, and her family sat and shared a meal with us. They have been a family we have come to know and with whom we have shared a special friendship with over the past few weeks. We are thankful that they were able to share a meal with us as they have been a wonderful support to our family both in the hospital and here at the rehab center.

To Chloe and to Charlotte, you have been through so much and continue to fight. You amaze all of us everyday and we cannot wait to see the next triumphs and successes in your journeys. On this Thanksgiving, we thank you for your courage, your strength, for teaching us how precious life truly is and we thank you for being a part of our lives.

To all our family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving again. We are at a loss of words to express our gratitude. We are so very thankful and feel so blessed.

Love,

Michelle, Reth, Olivia and Chloe