For Your Good...

I still remember it like it was yesterday.

I had just started chemotherapy for my breast cancer when I got a card in the mail telling me that I could have as many massages as I wanted (for free) to help me be comfortable during chemotherapy.

There was apparently research out there that said they had found that when cancer patients felt more comfortable and had a chance to relax and take care of themselves, the chemotherapy process was easier.

I stood there in disbelief as I read the letter that was sent to me about my unlimited massage offer to help me through my treatment process.

My best friend was at my house and I showed it to her. She read my facial reaction and asked, "What do you think about that?"

I had to consider how to respond.

My then five year old had just been diagnosed with a relapse of his neuroblastoma cancer.

And there was no known cure.

We were sure his fifth birthday was going to be his last.

He had started treatments when I found the lump in my breast.

I knew right away what that lump was, and to be very honest, I really didn't care about my own cancer.

My only concern was my son, who by all physician reports, was dying.

So as I read that card, I was mad.

REALLY mad.

You see, at that time, the clinic at our hospital was so crowded that the chair he sat in for chemo was my lap...

and my lap sat upon on the dirty floor because there were not enough chairs for the kids to sit on.

Seriously!

One time, Braden was playing as he was hooked up to his chemo and a little girl (who was also trying to play while hooked up to her chemo) tripped over his line and de-accessed him enough that the chemo was no longer going into his port, just under his skin forming a large lump.

A very dangerous thing.

My five year old was dying and couldn't even get a chair, but I was offered unlimited massages.

That was the moment that threw me into action.

It was the moment that made me decide that we needed to form a 501(c)(3) to fund research for children with cancer...

so our kids could have a chance for a future.

We did just that and this past weekend, we had our third annual Hope Gala for Braden's Hope For Childhood Cancer.  Over 800 were in attendance and we raised about  $176,000 to fund awareness and research targeted therapies to shut down the activators of childhood cancers.

And I had chills.

I went to church on Sunday night and one of the songs we sang had the words from Romans 8:28.

God makes ALL things...not the things we choose to have in our lives....work together for our good.

we certainly didn't choose this crapfest, but ALL things are working together for "our" good.

"Our" good is the good of all children with cancer.

I don't believe God gave us this crapfest...I think that came from the "other guy" but I do believe God holds our hands through every bad moment and that He wants us to use all things for something positive.

During this entire crapfest, I have experienced a lot of positivity and witnessed more acts of selflessness and compassion than I could ever list.

I been blessed by friendships and support from the most amazing people in the entire universe and many of them have joined with us to fight to bring HOPE to our children with cANCER.

And most of them are not people who have children with cancer. 

They are just people who care and act to fill a need.

This crapfest has brought more beauty and grace into my life than I could have ever imagined.

Yes, I wish it had never happened, I wish our son didn't have to go through everything he has had to endure.

But the simple truth is that I cannot change our circumstances. 

But I CAN choose who I react and I can control what I choose how I act as a result.  

So thank you cANCER...thank you for creating the crapfest that led us to...

beautiful selfless people surrounding us...

true friendships...

perspective...

mercy...

kindness...

love...

gratitude for every moment...

...and HOPE.

Braden just turned 10, even after battling a secondary cancer we were told he would not survive a year ago.

TAKE THAT cANCER!!

HOPE wins because 

ALL things work together for our good...

if we trust, believe, and have faith that no matter what the answer to our wants and needs, the answers  will work together for our good.

We have HOPE that Braden will live a long life and right now that is enough.

Actually, it is more than enough....

it's everything.

5 and 10...

When Braden relapsed with neuroblastoma, he was weeks away from his fifth birthday on August 11, 2009.

We were told that he had a less than 10% chance of survival and that there was no known cure.

The disease continued to spread, but we tried some therapies that had never been tried before and got lucky.

He went into a second remission and has remained in that remission since January 25, 2011.

FIVE years ago!

He had less than a 10% chance of being alive in 5 years.

AND HE IS STILL HERE!!

As Braden would say, "Boom Baby!"

The time between August 11, 2009 and January 25, 2011 was very rocky and we were told more times than I can count that he was not going to survive and we needed to spend our time wisely and enjoy every day with our son.

We continued to fight...and more importantly, so did Braden.

It was a big gamble. We knew that the therapies we were trying could shorten his life even more...

our hope was that it would bring him more time.

Nothing is more difficult than making life/death decisions for your child.

And there is no right answer.

There is only an answer...

and faith...

and HOPE!

My heart has shattered into a million pieces a million times. It has been held together with duct tape and bailing twine for many years....since our daughter Miranda died on August 1, 2001...

Some days it feels like my heart has simply hardened into a rock because it's easier to shut out feelings than it is to feel the pain of them.

I'm a different person today than I was 13 years ago. And that is not all for the best.

Every time I think that I can't keep doing this, that I'm too tired to keep fighting, I think about all of my friends who have buried their children, and in their empty arms and broken hearts, I find my reason to continue.

Being able to continue to fight every day, no matter how hard it is, is a blessing!!

Their loss inspires my fight. Braden's fight and courage and relentless HOPE and positivity give me energy and reason...

and for that, I am grateful, blessed, and changed in a positive way.

When Braden turned 5, I believed it was the last birthday he would see.

Then he turned 6...7....8....

and at 8, it became a crapfest again as just weeks before his 9th birthday, he was diagnosed with a secondary cancer that was CAUSED by the treatments he had to save his life.

That is messed up.

MESSED UP!

The things that saved his life were now going to be the very things that would end it.

We were told that he only had a few weeks to a couple of months to live....

and we needed to spend our time wisely and enjoy the time we had with our son.

Same message as we had heard multiple times before.

But this time, the doctors told us they had NEVER seen a child with his initial diagnosis and his secondary diagnosis survive.

We tried some things that had been done with other children before hoping to buy some time...

to delay the end.

And then came the hope again.

His cancer responded to the treatment...and our teams began to think he could try for a cure with a bone marrow transplant.

So we all were tested and his 10 year old brother, Zach, proved to be a perfect match as a bone marrow donor. So he went through transplant and received his brother's bone marrow cells to try to save his life.

And a year after his secondary cancer diagnosis, he is celebrating his 10th birthday.

cANCER free!

It's early in the post transplant process as it's only been about 4.5 months with the new cells. It's all still a crapfest and up in the air. He stands a 50% chance of relapsing with the secondary cancer (a leukemia),

and because we've replaced his immune system with his brother's any immunity his own cells had developed against neuroblastoma is gone so he stands a high probability of relapse of his neuroblastoma as well.

But...

he is turning ten...

double digits.

TAKE THAT cANCER!

He's kicking it's backside.

All thanks to the courage and fight of a tiger...

the love of an army...

the protection from a God who is bigger than cANCER...

and HOPE.

We weren't supposed to get this day,

but it's here and we are grateful beyond explanation.

5 years post relapsed neuroblastoma diagnosis...

10th birthday.

Hey cANCER...you lose!

TAKE THAT!

What Not To Do On Vacation...

It's really all my fault.

We were on vacation, driving home from Philly to Kansas City after our 9 year old son's cancer scans.

Zach, our 11 year old, is a huge history buff. I find him reading historical fiction in his room at all hours of the night. We decided that because of his interest in history and the military, we would make a few stops on the way home that would interest him.

One of our stops was at Gettysburg.

Something that was on his list of "Top Things To Do In My Lifetime" and he was beyond giddy.

We went past the gift store and Zach asked if we could go inside. I knew there was absolutely no way we were walking out of there without something. So we went inside...

I told you this was all my fault...and that was the first mistake I made that day.

Once inside, he didn't hesitate one second. He made a mad dash for the small stock of toy musket rifles in the center of the store.  Zach is a huge Nerf gun guy and he and his friends fervently defend the world (our yard) from invading forces.

So I wasn't surprised when he immediately said, "Mom...can I get this musket rifle?"

I was tired after the stress of scans, but I still had enough energy to say no because it was too big to haul around in the rental car and he didn't need another toy gun.

So, without skipping a beat, he said, "well then can I get the musket pistol...it's smaller?"

and then he grinned that grin.

Moms know the one I'm talking about, it's the one that softens your heart when you are being strong. At that moment, I knew I was weakening in my resolve.

I wanted to say no, but I was tired of always having to be the one to say no so I did a very bad thing...

I sighed and said,

"Ask your father."

It was a safe answer.

I knew Brian would say no. It was more than $10, it was big, and he has a hundred Nerf guns and he didn't need another toy gun. It was an illogical thing to buy and Brian is an engineer...driven by logic.

I recognize it was wrong to pass the task of saying no along to dad so he could be the bad guy, but I am a stay at home mom and I say no four million times a day. I was on vacation for Pete's Sake! I wanted a break from begin the bad guy....

and I just couldn't bring myself to say no to something that I knew was going to make that smile disappear.

To make it worse, after I told him to ask his dad...

I scurried outside the gift shop with our nine year old (like the chicken I was) so I wouldn't even have to see his face when his dream was crushed with the "no" answer that was coming.

Outside the store and I braced for the sad face that was going to be coming out at any moment. My stomach was churning because even though I knew it was the right decision, I was bummed for him.

But I did not see a sad face when he walked out the door.

He came out BEAMING while wearing a civil war blue soldier hat and carrying his new rifle musket over his shoulder.

My jaw dropped.

What had happened? How had my master plan gone so terribly wrong?

My husband smiled.

I said, "You let him get it??"

His shrugged his shoulders and said "well" a lot.

Lesson one...don't leave the bad work to your spouse because chances are "the grin" is going to melt him too and he is going to cave as well. Chances are he is just as weak as you are...

Sighhhhhhhh....

Zach was so happy about his musket. So happy that he could not stop smiling. He cocked and fired it about a thousand times...

before we even got in the car.

And then once in the car, he cocked and fired it another thousand times.

Then once we backed out of the parking space, he cocked and fired in another thousand times...

and so it continued.

For hours.

When we would mention how that constant clicking was "distracting to the driver", he promised he would just hold and not cock it or fire it. That didn't turn out to be the case. And neither of us had the heart to take it away because he was so happy.

I admit that it is possible that I smiled and mentioned that I was not the one who said yes as the clicking continued.

Our next stop was outside DC at the National FireArms Museum. Incidentally, this is inside the NRA headquarters.

Oh goodie!

I'm not a big "gun" girl.

Remember Zach's love of the military and all things historical?  Well this location made him want to faint from excitement.

His face was sort of like mine was when I saw the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory for the first time in San Diego.

I had arrived "home"!

Braden and I grew tired of looking at what appeared to me to be the same gun in a thousand cases. Zach informed me that this was not the case as he explained every single fact and figure about every single gun he saw while excitedly gasping and dropping his jaw at each and every one.

So Braden and I went outside and sat under some trees, played, and waited....

for them to get out of the gift shop.

Now,

you would think that the thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of clicking and banging noises in the seat directly behind Brian as he drove would be incentive to say no this time,

right?

So I wouldn't even need to mention that we didn't need a second toy rifle.

You would be wrong.

He came out with some rifle thing that had a pump that allowed him to jerk it in the air and cock it like Arnold in The Terminator.

AWESOME!

So now we had TWO guns continuously being cocked and fired, cocked and fired, cocked and fired, cocked and fired, cocked and fired, cocked and fired...

(reading that over and over isn't nearly as annoying as hearing them cock and fire over and over and over, trust me)

But he was so very happy!

The next morning when we got in the car to head out for the day, the guns were "mistakenly" left in the back where he couldn't reach them while we drove.

Craziest thing!! How in the world did THAT happen!?

Lesson #2...do NOT...I repeat NOT allow your child to purchase a toy musket or rifle thingie...

and then retain it in the vehicle while driving.

I can still hear the clicking in my head....

and it's been like two weeks.

But I can also get to see him smiling from ear to ear.

Maybe, in retrospect, it all worked out.

Maybe ;)

Why...

There are a lot of things in life that make me wonder "why". You know, really big life questions that need answers and solutions.

Things like: Why do rabbits only eat the flowers and plants in my landscape beds and not the weeds?

I would totally welcome those little "wascals" if they would just eat the weeds rather than destroying what is left of my expensive plants.

Most of my "why" questions center around my children and this parenting gig. My boys leave me with several questions that cause me to scratch my head in wonder.

Here are a few:

Why Do They ALWAYS Begin Causing Trouble The Second I Answer The Phone?

Seriously!

They can be doing whatever they are doing independently and beautifully for hours but the minute the phone rings it's like a Pavlovian bell throwing them to active duty.

Suddenly, they both need something or have to tell me something...

e-freaking-mediately.

I've even left the room and escaped into the garage to take a call so I could hear the person on the other end.

I was, of course, locked out by my nine year old who has autism because once a door closes has a tremendous need to lock it...

e-freaking-mediately.

Bonus Parent-Trap Tip, it's not that easy to get two giggling boys to let you back into your house when you are knocking and asking them to open the door...right now! Keep a spare key handy in the garage.

Why Do They Not Care About A Particular Toy For Months Until They See Their Sibling Touching It...

And then suddenly it becomes priceless and their favorite toy ever and "he can have anything else I own but not THAT mom. I love THAT!"

Sigh....

and mom eye rolls.

Why Do They Not Hear You When You Ask Them To Help You With A Chore...

BUT...they can be sound asleep upstairs as you sneak into the freezer and get out the good ice cream you have been hiding WAY in the back and when you start to scoop it into a bowl...

they suddenly appear in the kitchen and ask to have some ice cream.

(Not that this has ever happened to me)

Why Do They Wake Up At 5:30 AM....

on the only day you can sleep in.

And as an added bonus they make so much noise "being quiet and waiting patiently for you to wake up just like you told me to do mom" that they wake you up and you can't get back to sleep.

But, on days when they have to be up, you literally have to roll them out of their beds...

while they whine and complain about how much noise you are making trying to wake them up so early because they are soooo tired. "Puhlease mom...just five more minutes!!"

Why Do They Have To Have Funny Retorts To Questions When You Are Mad?

This happens most often to me when I am talking to myself using my "out loud" voice rather than my "inside my head" voice as steam is billowing out of my ears after my boys have done something bad.

Usually, it's when they are sitting quietly to "reflect upon their behavior". (That's the  9 and 11 year old version of time out because apparently time out is for babies, so I just renamed it.)

Boom!

Here's a recent example...

"Why in the world would anyone ever think it was a good idea to spray sunscreen all over the side of the car?  What could you possibly be thinking the positive result of that action would be?"

The answer from the non-involved sibling witness, while giggling, was...

"You gotta admit mom, it is really pretty funny if you think about it for a minute!"

It's hard to make an effective case for not doing something again, ever, when you are laughing so hard you have tears.

AND....Why Are They So Darn Adorable When They Sleep?

Nothing is cuter than watching them all curled up, sleeping...

without talking...

or spraying sunscreen on cars...

or fighting over a toy.

When they are just quiet and sweet and...

silent.

I'm pretty sure those moments are the ones that keep me sane...

'ish.

Even with all the "whys", I wouldn't trade this mom gig for anything in the world.

I just keep the wine handy!

Zach...

The day our son Zach was born was...well a huge celebration.

Obviously.  Sure, parents celebrate the birth of their children but for us, it was extra special.

Before Zach was born, we had a daughter, Miranda Grace, who died in my arms 15 hours after she was born due to underdeveloped lungs after a complicated pregnancy and bed rest for 2.5 months.

We tried again to have a child and had a miscarriage.

So we picked ourselves up and tried another time. On April 3, 2004, Zachary Dean Hofen entered the world...began crying...

and he hasn't stopped making noise since. :)

We were so very happy. Life was good.

Like most parents, we wondered what Zach would become...

achieve...

and dream of.

What would his dreams lead him to become...

Would he be ornery....

And if so, would we be able to catch him at it....

 

Maybe he would be a water boy....

Or a pilot....

Or perhaps he would be a famous jet ski dude...

Professional fall leaf taster?...

Santa's co-pilot?...

We had no idea but the one thing we knew was whatever Zach chose to be, we would always be there, holding his hands, and encouraging him every step.

But the one role he never saw coming, was the role of big brother.

This new little guy certainly rocked his world...what was with this new "sharing my parents" thing? 

What happened to "all eyes on me because I'm so cute" way of life?

And what was with all the crying, stinky diapers, and noise at all hours of the day?

This brother thing seemed a little "sketchy" but Zach earned the title of "Best Big Brother" quickly.

And then his baby brother, Braden, got cancer. 

And Zach became a very grown up 4 year old overnight. His family was split into two locations, mom and Braden lived at the hospital and dad and Zach lived at home....

for over a year. 

Zach visited the hospital and we played. But it wasn't the same as living together.

Everyone's world changed overnight with that diagnosis. And Braden has been fighting cancer continuously for 6.5 years

And mom got cancer too so both his mom and brother fought cancer together.

Zach's live changed once again...and he became more and more aware that life isn't a guarantee.

He had to learn lessons of life and death, fear and uncertainty, and brutal realities no one should have to deal with before the age of 7.

He also learned how awesome people are and how kind they can be in your darkest hour.

He learned about God and His grace and mercy.

And he learned about courage, fight, and HOPE!

Zach continued to grow older while continuing to have a heart of kindness and love.

And he became a Chef...

A candle blower-outer...

A giver of smiles...

A patient brother...

An explorer...

A comedian...

Handsome....

Sweet....

An artist...

A friend...

A military hopeful...

A wrestler...

A drummer and trombone player...

A great snowball target...

And three months ago, at the age of 10, he became a bone marrow donor.    

                                                     

To try to save his little brother's life.

There was no other match in the entire world. Zach was the only one...and he was a perfect match.

Without Zach's bone marrow donation, Braden would have died in a very short time.

So Zach went through surgery to have his bone marrow extracted and then transfused into his brother.

Knowing full well that his cells could save Braden's life...

....or they might not.

That's a lot for a ten year old to carry on his shoulders.

After his cells were blessed by the Pastor in the room, Zach said, "Mom, this wasn't much fun but I would do it again."

And as the nurse transfused Zach's cells into Braden's body, the tubing miraculously formed the shape of a heart...

Zach didn't just donate his bone marrow.

He donated his love...

and brotherly HOPE.

Zach is a pretty amazing boy and I am blessed to be his mom.

I thank God for this little boy every single day.

And I learn from him....every single day.

I learn what LOVE really means.

I learn what HOPE really means.

And I learn that DREAMS take many different forms. 

It's not just about what title you will be called...what caption will be on your pictures.

It's about what caption your heart wields. 

What your heart shows the world about how to live life by putting other's before yourself....about taking risks to try to save others.

Zach is eleven now. 

I wonder how many more powerful lesson this young man has to teach me in the next 11.

I can't wait to find out.

We love you Zach!

Normal...

When our son, Braden, was 8 months old, he was playing with one of those shape toy thingies. You put the correct shape in the correct hole. This one was musical and had a big center hole that had a reflective sticker in the bottom of it.

Braden was sitting in the center of our family room floor and dropping throwing the pieces into the center hole in a very aggressive and focused manner. I as watched with my 20+ year educator eye, I began to freak out.

I tried showing him what he was supposed to do, even did it hand-over-hand and he got it!

And then he immediately returned to his repetitive action. I could see that what he was doing was patterned and stimulating behavior.

And I knew.

I made some calls, and some evaluations done and although he wasn't old enough for us to make an official diagnosis, we began treating it like what I believed he had...

autism.

My heart broke. Our son was a child with autism and life as we had dreamed for him was not going to be a reality.  Even with five therapies a week and my husband, me and our sitter working with all day and evening we would not be able to change that fact.

He wasn't going to be able to have a "normal" future.

My worry was that he wouldn't be independent, he would never drive a car, get married, have children...all of the things we all assume will happen as a part of the normal growing up process.

I remember having coffee with a friend who had a son on the spectrum and explaining how I just wanted him to be able to play baseball with his brother in the yard like other children.

I just wanted things to be normal.

Then Braden was diagnosed with cancer and has been fighting for 6.5 years. It turns out the autism has been a blessing because he has no idea what "normal" is...

he doesn't know everyone doesn't feel horrible all the time, he doesn't know everyone doesn't go bald with treatments, he doesn't know everyone doesn't live a large percentage of their lives in hospitals hooked up to tubes and bags of chemo, he doesn't know everyone doesn't get shots all the time...

He thinks all those things ARE normal. And because of that...he is the happiest boy in the entire world even with his crappy circumstances. It's all about perspective.

The biggest benefit is that because of his autism, he doesn't know he is supposed to die. He doesn't have to be afraid because he doesn't even know what cancer is or that he is sick. He doesn't have to be afraid.

I'm grateful for autism now.

GRATEFUL!

And I'm not trying to "train" him out of his autism anymore.

This "different normal" is a gift. And this young man has taught thousands of people about HOPE and FAITH and BRAVERY and FIGHT!

But....my mommy heart still wants the normal things for Braden.

Last night after dinner, we went outside to play basketball...Braden's favorite thing in the entire world!

I noticed some bushes that were very overgrown so I got out the clippers and snuck two feet away from him to clip a few branches. Having a child with autism is like have a two year old all the time, you cannot leave them because you don't know what they will get into or where they will disappear to. There is no "me" time because you are always on watch and that makes things like simply trimming bushes two feet away from him difficult to do.

I could hear the basketball bouncing so I knew we were good...for a couple of minutes anyway.

Then I heard two basketballs...his brother, Zach who is 11, joined him.

Then I heard, "Braden, let's play baseball!"

Rats...I was going to have to stop trimming so I could help Braden play baseball.

So I hurried, I clipped fast and furiously so I could get as much done as possible while they got the wiffle balls and bats out.

And then it happened...the sound of Zach pitching and Braden hitting! Zach was telling Braden "Good hit Braden" and Braden was giggling.

I came around the corner and this is what I saw...

I gasped...took a picture and just stood and smiled.

It was happening....the dream I told my friend I wanted and was so sad we wouldn't get.

My boys playing baseball in the yard by themselves.

Holy smokes!!

As I watched smiling with tears running down my cheeks, they completely ignored me and switched places.

WHAT?

And they were sharing and taking turns voluntarily?

I didn't want anyone to pinch me because if I was asleep I did NOT want to be awakened.

And they kept playing for a long time!

Aren't they sweet and cute? (proud momma here)

I was able to go back to trimming the bushes, collecting the branches, and putting them in lawn sacks.

And that friends...has never happened in 9.5 years!

I went in the garage to put away the clippers and heard a loud scream and crying.

I freaked out!

Braden is only 66 days out of a bone marrow transplant. Zach was perfectly matched his bone marrow donor.

I SPRINTED outside and saw Braden crouched down on the drive way grabbing his eye. Zach was standing beside him trying to comfort him and crying too explaining that he had accidentally hit the wiffle ball into Braden's eye.

It left a mark.

A big, beautiful, red, swollen mark...

...that was an injury from playing baseball with his brother.

It wasn't from cancer.

It wasn't from the autism and not being safely supervised.

It was from playing baseball like every other kid.

It was "normal".

NORMAL!

That crazy red, swollen eye was a gift.

And they kept playing baseball. And  his eye was all better in about 10 minutes.

My dream came true! 

Maybe...just maybe...nothing is impossible...

HOPE!

"Jenny"...

I have this friend...

I really do have more than one friend (giving myself an encouraging high five right now).  And each and every one of them has a heart of gold. They are selfless and wonderful and amazing, or they wouldn't be my friends.

I have zero tolerance for "Mama Drama" females and I quickly walk away and wish people well when that is their specialty. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Occasionally I like to write about my friends because they are so special, and today is one of those days.

Now, each of my friends is special for a lot of reasons, But there's this one....and she will want to remain anonymous because she does NOT like to have any attention called to her in any shape or form.

So to preserve her anonymity, I'll come up with a pseudonym for her.  Now let's see....

Starlight Moonbeam?

Nah.

Bat Girl?

Wonder Woman?

Hmmmm...closer....

She-Ra Princess of Power?

I kinda like that one...

Wait! Eureka!

How about....Jenny?

Yup, that's a great name because it rhymes with many (and she does many things for many people) and it rhymes with penny (because she's raised a bunch of them for kids with cancer) AND it rhymes with Lenny...

(that one just made me giggle a little when I was running through rhyming words in my head)

So..."Jenny"... (as we will call her)...is pretty awesome!

She's smart, kind, giving, funny, silly, and strong.

She won't agree to any of those descriptors...because she is very, and I mean VERY humble.

Jenny is one of those people who helps others just because she simply wants to help others and make a difference. It's really that simple.

I "met" Jenny about 6 years ago when someone put together a race for Braden to raise money for his medical costs. She called me out of the blue and offered to put together a silent auction at the race. I remember vividly saying that we would be honored but it was so much work...was she sure?

She said of course and then put together a silent auction that raised over $10,000! I had never met her...she just heard about Braden and wanted to help! I was shocked and amazed.

Along the way, we became friends and I am honored to call her one of my besties. She's the kind of person that makes you a better person just because she's your friend!

(Maybe I should have gone with She-Ra Princess of Power instead)...

...hmmmmm....

Anyway, Jenny was a huge part of starting our charity, Braden's Hope For Childhood Cancer, and has turned dreams into reality through organizing, managing, initiating, acting, and always making a difference for our children with cancer.

Just because she's a good person and wants to help! She doesn't have a child with cancer. She doesn't get paid to do this. She just wants to help our kids and she spend more hours than I can even begin to count doing it.

She's completely selfless. So selfless I stand in awe!

Simply put, she inspires me to be a better person.

I think out of all of the traits she possesses, the one I admire and respect the most is her humility.

You can give Jenny a pat on the back for about a full 2 seconds...and then you have to stop it! She really doesn't want any thanks, she is helping from her heart.

And I mean completely....totally...and selflessly...helping from her heart.

So because every time I try to thank her in person, she smiles and changes the subject, I'm ratting her out in this blog.

BOOM!! :)  That'll teach her!  LOL!!

People like that earn the greatest gift I can give them...my respect. I don't give that away readily or easily.  I totally respect Jenny....or whatever her real name is. ;)

Jenny is one of those people you just want to be around because....well...she is just that awesome!

So if you read this "Jenny"...thank you for letting me be your friend!

I love you!

Cheers!