Because of you...

Six years ago on December 28, Braden was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and given a 30% chance of survival for five years.

Despite those odds...and a relapse with less than a 10% chance....and a secondary cancer diagnosed on July 8, 2013 when we were told he had "several weeks to a few months" left to live...

He is here today and we are

THANKFUL

for every moment we get.

Through all of it, you, our army of caring, loving, hopeful supporters have been there.

You have been our Aaron and Hur.

In Exodus, there is a story of Moses lifting his hands during a battle...and when he has his hands up, the good guys are winning but when he lowers them, the bad guys are winning.

He can't continue to hold them up on his own because he is exhausted...

but it is critical that the good guys win.

So Aaron and Hur come to his aid and when Moses can no longer hold his arms up...

they hold them for him.

YOU have been our Aaron and Hur.

cANCER is the bad guy,

God is the GOOD guy

and hope, faith, and love of an army of believers will win this battle.

I created a video several days before Christmas and I have been looking forward to sharing it with you.

It's sort of like when you have a really big gift wrapped for someone and can't wait to watch them unwrap it so they can see how much they mean to you.

This video is a celebration of the gift of time we have been given to date

and it's also a celebration of YOU.

A "visual thank you" to you for being our Aaron and Hur.

The title is "Because of You..." and it's all about what has happened because you have held our arms up for us when we cannot.

Because of your love, faith, thoughts, prayer,

and hope.

Because of God's grace and mercy...

Braden is still here.

Thank you.

SIX years and counting....


TAKE THAT cANCER!!!

The video is available at this link....just click on it...and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=12a0226d0c9829b849c4c67&autoplay&skin_id=601

Kindness...

Each year since 2008, Santa Claus has appeared at our doorstep ringing our doorbell one night in December.

And there's a huge group of jolly friends with candles lit singing Christmas Carols with him.

6 years...

and counting. :)

And each year I get tears as they sing.

The feeling of being cared for

and hoped for is simply beyond description.

Our friends...

neighbors...

teachers...

....adults....

children...

even some babies...

all coming together to bring joy to our sons.

It's amazing and so heart warming and my favorite night in December...well other than Christmas Eve.

We have always contended that they are our good luck charm.

Last year after the group caroled at our house, we then walked to the homes of two other families in our neighborhood who had family members facing cancer and sang for them.

It was a very cold night and the family at the last house, invited us inside to sing to them.

When we had finished our carols, the lady who was fighting cancer said she had a request...

she asked us to sing "You Are My Sunshine".

There wasn't a dry eye in that house that night.

Both of the ladies we sang to last year earned their angel wings.

What a beautiful gift we were all able to give them last year...I'm sure it is something their families remember those smiles and the collective love and hope from each of us even today.

It truly is an enveloping comfort and warmth that is given by all of those beautiful faces and voices.

This year we continued down the block to the home of another neighbor who is fighting cancer..and whose birthday was yesterday.

We completely surprised her! :) It was PRICELESS!

And then we went to the home of some neighbors who just moved in...I think they liked it....

I don't see a "for sale" sign there today anyway. :)

Doing something kind for someone else doesn't have to cost anything...bringing holiday cheer is free.

And it makes a huge difference for the spirits of the people receiving the gift.

"Kindness in words created confidence. 

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love."

--Lao Tzu

'Tis The Season...

Do something kind for someone during this season of HOPE.

A kind word...a hug...a smile...

All are infectious and all are appreciated.

Kindness is contagious.

And to all of you who have joined us over the years, 

Thank you for six years of kindness to all of you...

and here's hoping for about 60 more years. TAKE THAT cANCER!

You are OUR heroes!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Santa's Gift

On Monday, December 9, Braden had a clinic appointment and we got really good news.

Not only did his counts qualify him to receive round 5 of chemo for his mds cancer, his platelets were at 151,000.

That is normal!!

And that is the first time EVER I can remember Braden's platelets being normal.

It means the chemo is very likely working to quiet the mds...platelets would lower if it was not working.

After that awesome news, we had no choice but to skip school for the rest of the day and have a detour!

Okay, we had a choice...

but the going to school choice was just not a good one.  LOL!

So we went to the mall and Build A Bear. Braden has had four gift certificates for a long time, and we just haven't had time to go.

Well...we saw an ad for Rudolph stuffed animal on television...and he was SO excited.

He stood at the television with his mouth gaping open...once the ad was over, he turned to me and pointed to the television and said, "IT'S RUDOLPH!!!!!!"

So we went to Build A Bear to make a Rudolph.

I have been to Build A Bear twice with the boys...one time was just Zach and he was about 4 at the time. The guy at the store kept trying to up-sell him on everything (like I think they are supposed to) and Zach was having none of it. It was absolutely HILARIOUS!!

"Why do I need THAT?" he would say every time the dude tried to sell him something else. It was priceless!

Well...Braden quickly spotted Rudolph and beside Rudolph was Clarice...the female doe who encourage Rudolph, told him his red nose was glorious because it was different...which is pretty much what Braden's friends do for him with his autism and cancer...

and then she got "Abominable Snowman-napped" while searching for Rudolph and then he rescued her to everyone's delight. ;)

He then very sweetly started to sing her song from the movie in the most beautiful falsetto voice...

"There's always tomorrow...for dreams to come true..."

I cried...

so he got Clarice too.

And we got Frosty for Zach...shhh, it's his Christmas present to his brother.

He kept singing that song the entire time he was putting the stuffing into Clarice...he kissed her heart and when the lady told him to make a wish when he put it in, he said, "she's a good friend".

I cried again....to me, it meant that he was thinking about his good friends.

He is the most blessed boy in the world to have SO many wonderful friends....

they see Braden as a special boy who they love...not a strange kid who has autism,

and cancer.

Our school staff and parents are REMARKABLE and so very caring!

So by this time, I had already broken into tears multiple times....the poor girl helping us asked me if I was okay.

That's a dangerous question...one that garnered a response of

"relatively". :)

We gave the animals their baths, named them and paid for them with our gift cards and left the store with three huge Build A Bear boxes...no one tried up up-sell us anything!

WOO HOO!!

It was really a fun time!

Braden carried Rudolph in his box and he showed him EVERYTHING in the Disney Store...which was very smartly located next to Build A Bear.

We escaped without a single purchase.

Seriously!  :)

We walked out of the Disney Store and around the corner to leave and then we saw him...

Red hat, white beard....

Braden saw him first,

he turned to me yelled so loudly everyone turned and smiled as he screamed,

"IT'S SANTA CWAUS!!!!!!  MOM!!!! IT'S SANTA CWAUS!!!!!"

And then he simply bolted...

his Rudolph box flailing and bouncing beside him.

I freaked out because he ran so fast and there were many people....I started to run behind him asking him to stop.

He did not stop...

He did not slow...

He did not go through the line (thankfully no one else was waiting).

He climbed under the waiting line ropes and ran to Santa.

By the time I got there, Santa looked at me and said, "Is this for me?"

He was holding the Rudolph box in his gloved hands.

I told him no, that he had just made it.  And Santa said,

"He ran up to me, jumped in my lap and said...Santa, this Rudolph is for you"

Braden turned to me, ran to me and was jumping up and down. He hugged me and said, "Mom, I give the Rudolph to Santa".

Well...more tears.

Santa told him that he had the real Rudolph so he could keep his but that Rudolph would definitely be leading the sleigh this year and that he would stop at our house with Santa.

Braden thought that was pretty cool (after I interpreted it for him). Autism can make understanding stuff like that a little tricky. :)

He took a picture with Santa, picked up Rudolph and off we went.

Rudolph and Clarice haven't left his sight except for school hours, they are that special to him.

But he was willing to give Rudolph to Santa.

There's a lesson there.

For all of us...

Christmas isn't about getting....

It's about giving....

and it doesn't have to be "stuff"....

it can simply be about giving love, and kindness,

and hope.

Monday gave us all three!

It Spoke To Me....

I haven't been to church since I moved to the Kansas City area...that's 16.5 years.

Seriously.

About 17 years ago, I chose to move away from organized religion. This was after I was very active in my former church...Youth Group Leader, Sunday School Teacher, Choir Member, Fellowship Social time hostess signer-upper, painter of walls, helper with communion... and on and on and on.

Eventually, it seemed like a whole lot of hypocrisy to me.  People saying they believed one way yet acting the opposite the very second they stepped out of those church doors.

For me, faith became less about sitting in a pew each week,

and became about living the word of God every moment of every day.

And I figured I didn't need to sit in a pew to do that.

Last night, I got a text from one of my best friends asking if I would go to church with her and another of our friends this morning.

I said, "sure".

I thought I was going for her...to support her because today is a pretty tough day for her.

But....what I got was much more than I knew I would receive.

And since I got home, I've been sitting here thinking and trying to wrap my head and heart around the hour I spent in that church.

I visited a church called The Church of The Resurrection and their Pastor is Adam Hamilton. Everyone who goes there tells me how amazing he is an how much I would enjoy his messages.

Blah, blah, blah....whatever. LOL!!!

I was extremely skeptical.

Then came time for Pastor Hamilton to give his sermon.

More skepticism and I could feel an actual bristle on my part.

He did not "have me at hello" like in Jerry McGuire.  I was a continued skeptic as he began his sermon.

And then I decided to let myself personalize his message....

and take it in through my heart,

and not just my ears.

Now I'll push the pause button for a minute and just pat myself on the back because I wasn't ready to do that when I walked through those doors.

You hear so much about all of the preachers who are phonies and who say the right words....soak up the fame and glory, mean none of it, and are laughing heartily as they count the cash....

I told you I was skeptical.

I should have mentioned cynical as well. LOL!

It was the scripture that was shared this morning that allowed me to take a brick out of the wall...

And I'm not a big "scripture person"...I have read the bible, I have studied the bible, I have taught the bible...but I cannot randomly quote the bible and its verses from memory off the cuff.

The scripture was this piece from 1 Kings 19...

"....then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

That scripture is exactly what I have been saying for years since Braden's diagnosis and continued battle....it's what drives my faith despite the crapfast we are experiencing.

When I heard the scripture, I had an urge to stand up and shout out "AMEN!!!!"

I resisted because that would not have been appropriate in this setting... but oh how I had the urge!! :)

God is not in the wind, earthquake, or fire....He is the gentle whisper.

He is my gentle whisper.

People often ask me where I think my God is given our crapfest lives for the past 12 years since our daughter Miranda's death...

"If He is so wonderful, why doesn't He save us from all of this...why would He have allowed us to go through this....why doesn't He stop doing this to us?"

My response has always been that I don't believe God is doing this. For me, it just doesn't fit God's M.O. of the loving, kind, God who wants us to be all that we can possible be for ourselves and our fellow man.

But that is what I had been taught growing up in my church. "God gives his strongest battles to his strongest soldiers." "Only the good die young" "He is testing you and if you remain steadfast in your faith all will work out well for you"

I just don't believe God gives out crapfest events and I don't think we are rewarded with perfect endings because we are steadfast and continue to follow his word.

I think He blesses us with those things automatically and it's up to us to lean on His words and love in those times and to cling to our faith and our God to see us through whatever happens and however things end.

I don't believe he tests or punishes us by hurting us.

And I don't think God plans out all the bad stuff that happens to us to test us and our faith.

I trust Him completely to see us through the crapfest events.

No matter how bad things get...

For me, my faith is my refuge but it isn't that way for everyone and I respect that.

I don't push my beliefs on anyone, they are mine alone so please don't read this thinking I'm trying to convert anyone or get anyone to go to that church.

This entry is not an attempt at conversion.

It is me writing to make sense of it and share what I learned based off of my background experiences. That is what each of us do...we take in a message, mix it with our own experiences and then, sometimes, we have an "aha" moment as a result.

That happened to me today...I had an "aha" moment as a result of this scripture.

That scripture made me smile.

I smiled because it's my mantra.

He is the gentle whisper....not the wind, earthquake, or fire.

For me, He is peace and grace.

Pastor Hamilton then spoke about each of us finding a place that is our own "Mount Sinai"...a place where we can go to find God.

I smiled again...and then tears rolled down my face just as they are doing right now as I type this.

I have three Mount Sinai places...

The first and most wonderful is found in the eyes of my nine year old son.

Braden is a special soul....He knows God although he has autism and has no concept of what God is. I believe God speaks autism and He has shown me that so many times.

When I look into Braden's eyes, I see the fight of a tiger, the courage of an army, a peace I cannot describe, and....the love of God.

It is where I "feel" God.

My second Mount Sinai is the sky.

It is where I "see" my angels.  They send me signs like streams of sunshine, heart shaped clouds, and sundogs.

They bring me peace and happiness at just the right times.

They are my hugs and kisses from Heaven that I can't get on Earth any longer.

Thank you to my mom and my sweet daughter Miranda Grace for sending them. :)

And my third Mount Sinai is found during my prayers.  It is where I "hear" God and our angels.

We need to allow silence to speak to us.

In my prayers, I shut out the outside world and am quiet in my mind and heart...

and I allow silence to be filled with grace.

No, God doesn't actually verbally speak to me...but when I shut down the outside world and allow my mind to just focus on my prayers I can then listen...

I think God and our angel's voices are the intuition we have about things...the clarity...the feeling that "THIS" is the right thing.

And those messages of clarity and grace give me HOPE!

This is why I sometimes disappear from email, texting, social media, my blog, friends and family...

I need silence to allow myself to "hear".

Pastor Hamilton's message spoke to me today.

And I allowed myself to hear it.

I am grateful for that gift.

I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and become open to that growth.

And I'm grateful for the friends who suggested and invited me to go to church with them this morning.

My heart is more full...

My mind more clear....

My Hope even stronger...

And my faith is unbreakable.

The verdict is still out on this whole organized religion thing, Deliece Hofen, and whether we will ever be compatible again...

...BUT....messages that bring one peace are worth hearing....

There are a lot of places to find those kinds of messages....

a good book,

meaningful quotes,

a chat during wine with a friend,

during detours,

in the hearts of those we love the most,

and maybe even church. ;)

Time will tell on the last one.

More Than A Holiday...

Maybe Thanksgiving should be more than a holiday.

Maybe it should be a way of life.

It's possible that in our quest to live life to the fullest and make the most of everything we have available to us, we forget...

to be thankful for what we have.

I'm guilty.

If we are each honest with ourselves, we are all guilty.

I'm not talking about not being sad, not hurting, ignoring those feelings of anything less than happiness.

Acknowledging and dealing with those feelings is healthy, warranted and needed.

I'm talking about making that our focus.

Complaining about the long line at the checkout at the grocery store, the ridiculous drivers on the freeway cutting us off, snowy/rainy days, the government...

Annoyances.

I still complain about those things and I voice my opinion (as we all know)...

And that's okay.

But...it's also important to see the other side of the coin about those things.

Acknowledge the "yin and yang" of things in the world.

The flip side is that we have food at a store and we can go get it anytime we want, we have vehicles to carry us to wherever we want to go and we can travel feeling safe and secure in our freedom to do so, we have precipitation that allows our food to grow and our kids to play in....

I'm sure I'll think of an upside of government if given a few days. ;)

Everything has two sides...an up and a down.

And while it's okay to complain about the down, I think we should focus on the up.

I do that far more after Braden's cancer diagnosis.

One of the things going around on Facebook in November is folks posting something they are Thankful for each day in the month of November.

I love that idea and I love reading others' posts about what they are thankful for...it's enlightening and a good reminder to be appreciative of our gifts.

I once read something that said, "What if all we had tomorrow was what we thanked God for today?"

That simple phrase changed me in more ways than I can tell you.

What if....

What if every day we stopped to just be thankful...

instead of wishful....

instead of asking for...

just to be quiet with our hearts and minds and be grateful.

I took a technology break for several days last week. Few emails...I did do a few for work and medical purposes, no social media...

And I allowed myself to get "centered" again.

I spent my time simply being grateful...

As I waited for results from Braden's bone marrow aspirate which would ultimately determine if he was headed into transplant which will, without a doubt, change his quality of life if not kill him.

It was a lot to think about and I had a lot I wanted to ask for as I prayed.

But I didn't ask for anything.

I hoped....and I prayed hoping I would have strength and courage to continue to fight...

But mostly, I prayed hoping I would have strength and courage to accept....

even if I didn't want to accept what was offered to me.

Everyone who knows me knows I am a fighter...to a fault.

But somehow during that break, as I looked into my son's eyes and felt his heart, I simply needed

grace...

understanding...

and the ability to accept.

To my shock, we got good news. I was so prepared for bad news that it took me half a week, numerous emails from our teams telling me to accept it and that it was valid, and then labs yesterday to confirm it before I could accept it...

I guess I forgot that acceptance could also be acceptance of good news.

There's a whole lot of irony there.  And a whole lot of stubborn Irish genes at work as well! :)

And I give thanks for that lesson.

An attitude of gratitude...

every day....

Gratitude for:

the yin and yang, of everything...

my "people", those I call family and friends...

our daily bread...

forgiveness....

continual learning and growth...

balance...

and hope.

It takes far more strength to be thankful than to be wishful.

It's not easy and I'm certainly not perfect at it. As one of my very wise friends would say, "I'm a work in progress".

At the risk of sounding reminiscent of The Grinch in his story... ;)

maybe this holiday means a little bit more,

more than a day or a month,

maybe it should be a way of life.

Every day should be a day of giving thanks.

To Believe...or Not To Believe...

To Believe or Not To Believe...

That is the question...

We just got really good news about Braden.

July 8, our 13th anniversary, we were told that Braden had several weeks to a few months left to live. There was nothing to do. Our teams in Kansas City and Philly had never seen a child survive with treatment induced MDS that had fought neuroblastoma.

MDS is a pre-leukemia that will turn into AML that was caused by the treatments he has had to cure his neuroblastoma.

I posted that on our caringbridge site and a few people reached out who knew two kiddoes in the US who had made it through treatments and had shown no evidence of MDS or neuroblastoma.

I connected our teams with the teams that worked with those kids and they chatted. A decision was made to put Braden on a medication called Azacytadine. Vidaza is the product name. It's a chemo that is injected at three week intervals...3 shots every night for seven nights in a row.

He has been so brave about those shots.

SO brave!! He never cries, he is amazing!!

He has had three rounds of Vidaza and we were preparing for a fourth, but He didn't make counts. So we tried again...and again...and he has still not made counts.

His white blood cells were what was suppressed...they were very low and that can be a sign of progression of the MDS.

We did a bone marrow aspiration so we could have cells to count and see if his disease was progressing and if so, how much.

And we met with our transplant team to discuss what we would do for transplant (the only curative treatment for his MDS...also the treatment that could allow his neuroblastoma to come back due to donor cells that don't have the ability to keep dormant neuroblastoma cells quiet if any are there).

We are fortunate and we do have a bone marrow donor..there was ONE match in the registry...ONE.

I had gone to the store and bought everything I would need to have for 30-60 days which is about how long transplant will take in the hospital.  Locked away in the hospital for that length of time.

I had our carpets cleaned NOW because you can't do it right before you come home from transplant...it could create mold and fungus in the carpet and that could kill him. He is taken back to having the immune system of a fetus after the chemo that is given to him to kill the cancer cells.

And then our basement flooded, destroying the carpet.

Awesome.

You also can't have live plants, root vegetables, go outside without a mask, go in crowds, have guests in your home that have been exposed to sickness....and the list goes on and on and on and on....for 100 days following transplant.

I was ready... I had everything ready to go so when we got the result back and found out the disease was progressing, we could enter the hospital and get started.

I ordered Christmas pajamas, I had Christmas gifts purchased, Christmas cards ready to go, family pictures had been taken...

Everything was ready,

but me.

Transplant could kill him and it will absolutely, positively change his long term health. He WILL have side effects and he will NEVER be the same again...he will have some level of Graft Versus Host Disease... Exactly how he will be impaired is yet to be seen. And if the neuroblastoma comes back...

it's going to be very bad because trying to fight it after his body is weakened from transplant...

not a good prognosis.

We waited for six very long days to get results and yesterday we got them.

I was NOT ready for what we heard.

In August and June when we did his bone marrow tests, 200 cells were sampled and 18% of them showed MDS cells.

They initially sampled 500 cells with this test...zero of those cells were MDS cells.

Not believing that, they sampled 500 more.

Zero of those cells showed MDS.

Zero.

And the result we got back was that Braden's MDS is stable to better.

BETTER???!

I had no idea it could GET better? I don't think that was anyone's hope or goal...I think every person on our medical teams in both KC and Philly were hoping to just slow it down. They never mentioned Vidaza could actually kill the cells!

After asking our oncologist 100 questions, I have learned that the sample could just have been a sample that didn't show any..but there could still be cells there. SO we will have to sample over time and see if it remains zero.

And hope!

I should be thrilled...over the moon...happy beyond belief...

but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Waiting for the phone call saying, "about that sample..."

"we mixed up the results with someone else..."

"we are really sorry but we made an error in the lab..."

I'm a hopeful pessimist.

I want to believe it, but my guarded momcology heart says "don't fall for it..."

Our oncologist keeps telling me to be happy.

For the record, I have smiled...and then I stop.

I took the boys out for pizza last night to celebrate and I was staring at Braden while he and Zach played. My heart hurt so much because I was so conflicted.

And right then, I heard the words "Just Breathe" come across the sound system.

Faith Hill's song was playing.

I think that was a sign from our angels that I need to "just breathe".

I just started laughing and the boys looked at me like was insane.  Okay...they could be right. ;)

I'm trying to breathe...counts on Monday will tell whether or not his counts are still down. They believe it has likely been a virus that suppressed his white count (he was sick for a few days) and that the Vidaza had a lasting effect in suppressing the counts.

If we get better counts on Monday, I will breathe easier.

If not, I'm likely to ask for a bone marrow biopsy rather than just an aspiration.

The past six years of our cancer battles have led me to believe completely that the power of positive thoughts and prayers can change the world.

I am reminded of Matthew 17:20

..."For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

I stand in awe of God. And I am grateful beyond words!

TAKE THAT cANCER!!

Unforgettable...

On Friday, we got a call from Sporting KC asking if Braden would come to their awards banquet and present the Humanitarian of the Year Award to Aurelien Collin. 

He would need to stand on a stage with lights shining at him in front of a crowd of people and hand an award to Aurelien with Cliff Illig (owner of SKC) and Coach Vermes. And he would need to "dress up".

Now that request hit every single "no way" button for Braden. He has autism and I wasn't sure he was going to have anything to do with this, but I remembered the night he was honored in the Victory Suite and he hopped up and waved to everyone in the stadium like he was the Pope. It was PRECIOUS and I was so proud of him!! The crowd ROARED but he continued to have a blast!!

So I talked to Brian and we figured we would try it. 

A once in a lifetime detour!  And a major challenge for his autism.

It was on the field at the stadium and it was beautiful! A little chilly for Braden even with the heaters, so we stayed inside and played until award time but when it was time, we went outside.

He wore jeans (which is a major victory) and a button down shirt (another, "you have to be kidding me...he's really doing this moment")! You couldn't see his shirt because it was chilly enough we had him wear his coat on stage but he did it!! BIGGEST BOY!!  AND...he didn't even fuss...he was excited to wear his jeans!!! 

WHAT???  

SO not what usually happens, tears and "I not" fixed with me telling him "just until and then we will get a present".

Not yesterday though...what a big, big boy!! 

As we were getting ready to go out to the dinner/stage area on the field, Braden started with "I not like this....I not want to go..."  I was worried but Brandi, the community relations person came in and helped me distract him. I told him we would get to give Aurelien a trophy and that was a BIG incentive. Braden LOVES trophies!! 

He talks about trophies all the time. So much that one detour day this summer, he and two of his adult friends, Ms Kim and Ms Jo, stopped on the way home and got trophies for Braden and Zach! Now they each have a "best big brother and best little brother trophy". SOO cool!!  In fact, for my birthday, Braden told Brian he wanted to get me a trophy so they had a trophy made for mom! :) 

Priceless!!

The first person he got to see was CJ Sapong. CJ and Braden were featured in our 2014 A Year of Hope Calendar with Sporting KC. And CJ is AWESOME!! He is soo funny and silly! B had a great time with him so when he got to see CJ again, he was very excited!

During the Calendar Shoot

Last night!

Well, we had arranged that I could go on stage with him if he wouldn't do it, but when we got there, I asked Mr. Illig to hold his hand and take him up on stage. 

And Braden walked up with him! 

ALONE!

He did it!!

Okay, he fell on the stair, but Mr. Illig had him and helped get him back upright (it was a really tall stair and he didn't expect that...plus he has his mother's graceful moves) ;)

The emcees talked about Braden and that we started Braden's Hope and everyone clapped for B...it was SO very sweet!!!

He then stood on the stage between Mr. Illig and Coach Vermes and held the award. Aurelien came on stage and knelt down beside Braden. He put his head down and Braden rubbed his bald head! 

Mr. Illig to Braden's right, and Coach Vermes talking to B on stage

SO cool!!

It was at that point that the tears began to flow for mom.  

Absolutely priceless!

Aurelien Collin smiling at B and sweetly patting his shoulder. WOW!

Everyone clapped and they took pictures! It was just like Braden Hofen was any other kid!

ANY OTHER KID!!

Being able to type those words is more of a gift than I can describe! He DID IT!!

He really did it!!

Aurelien took Braden's hand and walked him off of the stage...making sure he navigated the step safely (because he had had his own toe clip on the way up).

As he held his hand, He asked the staff around him if he could give the award to Braden.

I heard it and tried to process it, but instead just broke into a jaw dropping open mouth, tear filled pose.

And then, he bent down...handed the award to Braden and asked him to keep it for him.

Braden's entire face lit up!! 

A TROPHY!!!

Braden thanked him and clutched it to his chest with both hands. The smile hasn't left his face.

What an amazing thing to do!!  Just unreal!! WOW!!

This morning, the first thing that Braden said when he woke up was...

"MOM...I got a trophy!  Where is my trophy?" So we went downstairs to hold it again!

Aurelien Collin, Humanitarian of the Year?

I would say YES!!!

That was an extremely selfless act Aurelien Collin!! You are AMAZING!!

Thank you to ALL of the Sporting Organization...you are unbelievably gracious to all of our kids!!

And you have made Braden smile more times than I can count!

WOW!!!