| Missing you terribly |
[Jul. 14th, 2009|12:33 pm] |
Justin, I am missing you terribly today, buddy. I wish I could just hug and kiss you one more time. You are the best son a dad could ever hope for.
Now that the nice weather is here, it reminds me of all the fun we used to have in the yard. I miss doing those father/son things with you, shooting hoops, playing tee-ball, driving the remote controlled cars in the driveway. Hey, remember how you, me and Casey would play tackle football in the living room? Remember how the end zone was the couch and you would jump right over me to get on it? That was fun. Your blue candle still shines each night in your window. I like coming home to see it glowing in the night. I finally got my Justin tattoo on my arm in your honor. I got it on the 2nd year of you leaving for Heaven. I know you've seen it, though, and think it's cool!
I love you, my son, my friend, my pal. I will see you again some day.
Love, Dad xoxo |
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| Happy Birthday Justin |
[Feb. 10th, 2009|09:05 am] |
Happy 9th birthday my sweet, sweet boy. Since you left there is a deep, deep hole in my heart that will never be filled. You are missed every second of every day. I love you so much. You are my hero.
Love, Daddy xoxoxo |
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| New Years Resolution |
[Jan. 2nd, 2009|03:45 pm] |
New Year's Resolution For Bereaved Parents
I resolve...
That I will grieve as much, and for as long, as I feel like grieving, and
that I will not let others put a time table on my grief.
That I will grieve in whatever way I feel like grieving, and I will ignore
those who try to tell me what I should or should not be feeling and how I
should or should not be behaving.
That I will cry whenever and wherever I feel like crying, and that I will
not hold back my tears just because someone else feels I should be "brave"
or "getting better" or "healing by now."
That I will talk about my child as often as I want to, and that I will not
let others turn me off just because they can't deal with their own feelings.
That I will not expect family and friends to know how I feel, understanding
that no one who has not lost a child cannot possibly know how it feels.
That I will not blame myself for my child's death, and that I will
constantly remind myself that I did the best job of parenting I could
possibly have done.
But when feelings of guilt are overwhelming, I will remind myself that this
is a normal part of the grief process and it, too, will pass.
That I will not be afraid or ashamed to seek professional help if I feel it
is necessary.
That I will commune with my child at least once a day in whatever way feels
comfortable and natural to me, and that I won't feel compelled to explain
this communion to others or to justify or even discuss it with them.
That I will try to eat, sleep, and exercise every day in order to give my
body the strength it will need to help me cope with my grief.
To know that I am not losing my mind, and I will remind myself that loss of
memory, feelings of disorientation, lack of energy, and a sense of
vulnerability are all normal parts of the grief process.
To know that I will heal, even though it may take a long time.
To let myself heal and not to feel guilty about feeling better.
And when I find myself slipping back into the old moods of despair and
depression, I will tell myself that "slipping backward" is also a normal
part of the grief process and these moods, too, will pass.
To try to be happy about something for some part of every day, knowing that
at first, I may have to force myself to think cheerful thoughts, so
eventually they may become a habit.
That I will reach out at times, and try to help someone else, knowing that
helping others will help me to get over my depression.
That even though my child is dead, I will opt for life, knowing that is
what my child would want me to do. |
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| 2nd Christmas without you |
[Dec. 22nd, 2008|08:55 pm] |
Justin, I can't believe this is my second Christmas without you here. I miss you so much. I think about you all the time and I don't think that's ever going to change. Why did this happen to you? Why did it have to be you? I'll never understand. I'm going to watch some videos of you tomorrow and do some much needed crying. I tend to bottle these feelings up sometimes and then have to get them out. Christmas will never be the same without you.
Love, Daddy |
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| September was Childhood Cancer Awareness month |
[Oct. 6th, 2008|10:33 am] |
September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Did anyone see any yellow ribbons around?? Everywhere I look I see pink ribbons for breast cancer. Don't get me wrong, all cancers are horrible, but why is there no publicity for childhood cancer? I read on a Caring Bridge site that breast cancer receives $584 million in funding annually from NCI, $254 million for AIDS. Childhood cancer is currently only getting $26.4 million. Why is this?? Beautiful children are being stricken with this horrible disease every day, yet the funding is a fraction of what it should be. Increased awareness and funding has to be improved!!
What Cancer Cannot Do
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
-Author Unknown
We finally had the opportunity to visit the McGowan family last month. It was so nice to spend some time with such a nice family. We got to meet little Dylan and Casey got to hang out with Miranda for the day. We hope to get the girls together more often...it'll be nice for them to have each other to lean on. We visited Matthew's resting place at the end of the day and left one of Justin's Jimmie Johnson cars for him.
On 9/29, Chili's restaurant donated 100% of it's profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as part of their $50 million committment to the hospital over the next 10 years. Joel and I went out to eat that night with some friends that lost their teenage daughter to Neuroblastoma. It was a great meal and was it was nice to know the money was going to a great cause. We colored in some Chili peppers in memory of Alyssa and Justin.
Justin, I still struggle with the memories of your last few days with us here on Earth. I knew you had to leave, but it was excruciating to let you go. Some days, I still can't believe that this happened to you. I wish it was a dream. I'll never forget the last time I held you in my arms as I carried you outside, your body was still warm.. it felt like you were carrying me. It breaks my heart knowing all the things I'll never get to see you do... conquer the skateboard, play on a basketball team, drive a car, maybe play in school band and that I'll never get see you grow up to be a man. You would have been a great husband and father, I know it. I know you see me cry almost every day for you, buddy, it's because I miss you so much. You were one of a kind, my friend, you always knew how to make people smile and laugh. I would give anything to spend one more hour, one more minute with you.
Love, Daddy |
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| Casey is 12 ! |
[Aug. 11th, 2008|10:02 am] |
Hey Justin. Can you believe your big sister is 12 years old? I know, that's what I said! She misses you sooo much, buddy. I really wish you could be here with her at the birthday parties and everything. I know you're participating in your own way and watching over her, but boy would it be wonderful to see you jumping in the pool, whacking at the pinata, stuffing your face with ice cream and goodies... I guess I can only see these things in home videos and in my memories now. It's not fair, Justin. You were taken way too soon.
While on our trip to Niagara Falls, Casey and I let one of your Tech Deck dudes float away into the water from the Bridal Veil falls. We wanted to leave a part of you behind on our trip. Maybe one of the beautiful rainbows that appear over the falls will pick up that little Tech Deck dude and bring him up to you?
I love you, Justin, with all my heart. I would give anything to have you back in my arms once again.
Love, Daddy |
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| I miss you, Justin |
[Jun. 27th, 2008|02:58 pm] |
Justin, I long for the day when I can call out your name and you'll come running, jump in my arms and give me a huge hug and kiss! I'll run after you, pretending I can't catch up. When I finally do, I'll tickle you like crazy until you yell "dad, stop I'm going to pee!"
But until then, buddy, I will hold you close in my heart, cry tears of joy and sadness, dream of you, remember our happy times, communicate with you in our special ways (like all the signs you gave me yesterday) and just simply love you. Love you for everything that you were and everything you gave to me. You made me so proud, I miss you sooo much my buddy, my friend. You are with me always and forever.
Love, Daddy xoxo |
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| Landscaping at Cemetery |
[Jun. 3rd, 2008|02:08 pm] |
The anniversary of Justin's passing is in about 3 weeks. June 26. Although so much has happened this past year, it still seems like it went by SO quickly. We are all dealing with this heartbreak one day at a time. Although the grief may be a little "softer," it will never be easier.
Justin, you are so precious to me, and I love you so, so much. You are my hero and you changed my life forever; I am so happy that you are my son and I couldn't be prouder of you. I wish the time we had together on Earth wasn't so short, buddy. I bought you a butterfly bush and planted it next to your memorial. It will have blue flowers in the summer and will attract butterflies, hummingbirds and bees. Hopefully not too many bees, I know you don't like those.
Love, Daddy xoxoxo
Family and friends gathered yesterday to do some landscaping at Justin's resting place. We dug out all the old grass and put down new top soil and planted new seed. We planted a bunch of different annuals predominantly in blue and yellow (Jimmie Johnson colors, of course) in some nice mulch beds we created around the headstone and bench. It came out really great! Darlene had a great idea to build a race track around Justin's headstone. We're looking into different ways we could accomplish this. Once it's complete, I'll post some pictures on the site.
Casey will be in her summer ballet recital this month. This year the academy is doing a ballet version of "Wizard of Oz." Casey performs in 2 numbers this year, which is very exciting. She also has her piano recital coming up as well. She's been really busy getting ready for these events. She's wrapping up the 6th grade and did really terrific this year adjusting to school and getting excellent grades to boot!!
Some of us attended Childrens Hospital's "A Time to Remember," last week. It was a night to honor all of the patients of Boston Children's that passed away in the last year. The doctor's and nurses have a choir and they sang some beautiful songs, other doctor's read poems, played piano and violin. It really showed how much they all really cared about our children.
Sorry for not updating the site more often. I am still involved with icouldbeyourchild.org and do check in on the other families as often as I'm able. We have to believe that some day there will be a cure for this horrible cancer, and that no more children will die. We all must believe this.
~ Jeff |
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| Dana Farber Marathon Challenge |
[Apr. 18th, 2008|09:33 am] |
This Monday our friend Mike Doherty will be running the Boston Marathon for Dana Farber Cancer Institute again, this will be his 5th year running for DFCI. He will be running in Justin's memory this year. I attached a link below to an article about Mike and his fund raising efforts.
On Sunday, some of us will be going into Boston for the Pasta Party, which is held the day before the big race.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/tewksbury/fun/x1277308839
Hard to believe it's been almost 10 months since I lost my son to this horrible disease. Life is not the same without him here. I LOVE YOU JUSTIN, WITH ALL MY HEART!! We're having a spring cleanup day at the cemetery soon...we plan on landscaping and planting some bushes & plants to make Justin's resting place the most beautiful at Pinecrest. Casey continues to do well, and remains busy with school and her extra curricular activities. She's been attending "Good Grief," a class through HHHC for children who have lost a loved one. She likes the class a lot and told me last night she wished it wouldn't end (there's 3 more classes left.) There's a 12 year old boy in her class that lost his older brother about a year ago. Casey enjoys his company and they share some laughs together, which is nice to hear.
Thank you for continuing to keep Justin's memory alive and well...
~ Jeff |
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| Dental check-up? |
[Mar. 27th, 2008|02:48 pm] |
In the mail the other day I received a reminder from Justin's dentist that it was time for his check-up and cleaning. I guess they hadn't heard. Let me tell you, it's amazing what a little postcard can do to ruin your night.
I love you Justin... daddy's trying to be strong, buddy. |
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| Justin's birthday celebration |
[Mar. 3rd, 2008|10:46 am] |
On February 9th we celebrated the day of Justin's birth with family and good friends. We gathered at his resting place and honored a little boy that touched all of our hearts and changed our lives forever.
I LOVE YOU JUSTIN!!! I am so proud to be your daddy, and I miss you so, so much. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you and long for you to be with me, and of course all your friends and family here. I guess I should share you, huh? Sometimes I smile and laugh when I think of you and sometimes I cry. I cry because I love and miss you and I remember all the good times we had. I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, BUDDY!
At Justin's birthday, some of us read poems and we all shared happy memories of our little hero as we lit candles one by one. It was a bitter sweet day, but we definitely know that Justin was with us. While we were gathered at Justin's headstone, a navy blue and yellow (Jimmie Johnson's colors) helicopter flew by ..it was quite amazing. It flew pretty slow and we can't explain why it was in the area of the country cemetery. It was quite a site.
We wrapped up the day with a great lunch at Olive Garden, one of Justin's favorite restaurants. We toasted Justin with orange soda and mac-n-cheese and for dessert, homemade cupcakes Darlene made. Everyone had a good time and I'm sure Justin did too. During the meal another thing happened that made us know that Justin was among us. Directly under where we had placed Justin's framed photo at the head of the table, a blue crayon was spotted on the floor. Justin's favorite color (as we all know) is blue, and it was directly under the photo, as if to say "Hi Mom, hi Dad, hey everybody, I'm sitting here coloring with all of the other kids! Thanks for the great party!"
~Jeff |
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| Justin's birthday 2/9 |
[Jan. 31st, 2008|10:42 am] |
It's been 5 weeks since my last posting in here, wow. A new year is here, a new year of anniversaries and firsts without my Justin. They are all very tough to swallow.
I MISS YOU SOOOOO MUCH JUSTIN! I LOVE YOU AND KNOW YOU ARE WITH ME ALWAYS!! I stare at your picture a lot, buddy and imagine my hands holding your face and giving you kisses. I close my eyes and try to remember the way you smelled and how good it felt to hold you. I wish I didn't have to only imagine.
I've still been going to my weekly support group meetings with Compassionate Friends. It is a nice group of parents and it's nice to be able to relate to others that have been dealt the same loss, the loss of a child. I have been trying to focus on the happy times and not dwell on the last few months of Justin's life. Here's a saying I learned from my support group...
"I do not ask that you forget your dear departed. I want you to remember. I only ask that you remember more than the moment of death, more than the funeral, more than the hours of mourning. Remember life! Remember the whole life, not just the final page of it."
Casey and I decided that our new tradition is to leave up the Christmas tree until Justin's birthday on February 9th, so the tree is still in our living room, shining brightly just as Justin did. Justin loved Christmas and the tree, so we thought that would be a cool thing to do.
Justin's birthday is coming up in February. This would have been Justin's 8th birthday on Earth. We plan on getting together with family and friends to celebrate his life and have a nice lunch at one of his favorite restaurants. We'll try to make the best of it, that's all we can do.
I still try to follow some of the children with this disease, and offer help when I can. I'll get e-mails occasionally from desperate parents seeking info. or help and asking about Burzynski Clinic. I try to give my honest opinions and tell them what I learned and know about this horrible disease.
Thank you all for continuing to check the website and follow Justin's story.
~ Jeff |
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| Merry Christmas |
[Dec. 21st, 2007|08:48 am] |
I wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It was a difficult year to say the least, it is SO hard not having our sweet Justin here with us, but we continue to try to focus on Casey and the positive things in our lives knowing that even though Justin is not physically here, his spirit remains and he really is "with us."
It's crazy that Christmas is Tuesday, boy that crept up fast... The holidays are particularly hard, but I think sometimes the anticipation of the holiday itself is worse than the day turns out to be, let's hope that's the case with Christmas and ringing in the new year.
We have lost 4 more precious children (that we know of) to brain stem tumors since my last posting in November. May Haley, Chance, Lawson & Madeline rest in peace, these poor children, it's just not fair. I truly will NEVER understand why this has to happen to children. The 26th will be the 6 month anniversary of Justin's death, the time is flying by so fast...I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!
Jim and Di Lipski have invited me to be a member on their board for "I Could Be Your Child" and I have accepted. I am truly humbled and honored to be a part of this. They are in the process of setting up the organization as 501(c)3 non-profit at this time.
We have had so much snow here in New England it's a bit ridiculous. Because Justin's resting place is in a country cemetery, the plowing and maintenance is basically non-existent. It's been tough getting over there to visit or clean up all the snow in and around his headstone & bench.
We made the donation of the funds raised at "Jammin' for Justin" to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium a few weeks ago. Thanks to Deb's Lakeview Lounge and Lowell Rocks for organizing this event in Justin's honor and for all the folks that attended. The donation was over $5,500 which was fantastic! Also, the monies raised at our mini-golf event, bowl-a-thon, scrap-a-thon and snowboard raffle will be donated to Make-a-wish and perhaps the Cancer Coalition, Houston. The CCA will accept donations for a specific patient, so we are hoping to find a child getting treatment at Burzynski that needs our help.
Casey was wonderful in her piano and chorus recitals last week; she is in the Nutcracker today and this weekend, which should be a lot of fun to watch. She is growing up so fast and has had to deal with things well beyond her years, she is an amazing young girl who I am so proud of!
Please continue to support the families and this cause, too many babies are dying and too many families are suffering. Remember what's important this holiday season.
With hope for the future...
Jeff |
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| Happy Thanksgiving! |
[Nov. 26th, 2007|02:04 pm] |
It's been almost a month since my last post, sorry. Time has been flying by. Today marks 5 months (yes, sadly 5) since Justin died. Most days are still like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. I know that everything I feel is normal and that there's no right or wrong way to grieve, it's just very tiring to live each day like that.
Justin's headstone and bench have been placed at the cemetery. I put some pictures in the Photo Gallery for you to see. The memorials came out beautiful (as beautiful as something like that can be, I suppose) and we are very happy with the final product. It's extremely difficult to go there and look at Justin's pictures on the stone, the reality of this is overwhelming at times. He was such a terrific kid and we all miss him so much. Darlene and Casey placed a nice little Christmas tree next to the stone and anyone who visits is encouraged to place an ornament on Justin's tree.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope everyone is thankful this holiday season...for the people in their lives, for their health, for their children. It was difficult not having Justin here with us this holiday, but we tried to make the best of it. We know that he's here in spirit, but oh, just to hold him, kiss & hug him, talk to him, play with him, for just one more day.. how we long for just one more day.
Casey is doing good. She did very good on her 1st report card and is trying really hard to do well in school. She's making mom and dad very proud! She has many new friends and we're trying our best to support her in whatever she needs. I know she misses her brother and it must be so hard to comprehend all of this at times. Casey has a busy December with upcoming performances in the Nutcracker, a piano recital and a chorus recital. She really has a love for the arts which is so nice to see.
I also wanted to mention that Darlene got a tattoo on her wrist with Justin's name, it came out really nice. I put a photo of it in the Photo Gallery. Please continue to support all the children and families going through their battles with childhood cancer, no child deserves this, no family deserves this. Visit icouldbeyourchild.org to read all their stories, donate to a good cause, send a quick e-mail to a family, it could make all the difference this holiday season.
Thank you,
Jeff |
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| Happy Halloween Justin!! |
[Oct. 31st, 2007|08:22 am] |
Happy Halloween Justin!!! It won't be the same trick or treating without you, buddy. We miss you and love you SOOOO much!!
Justin's Gramma Sandie handmade his Curious George costume last year, he was so adorable in it. He really had a great night and we are happy that he was well enough at that time to go, he loved Halloween. I hope that his young friends Emily, Olivia, Theo, his cousin Haley, and of course Casey, will always remember that special night with him.
Another angel has earned his wings, Grant Truhler lost his battle with brain cancer on 10/23/07. Please take a moment to pray for Grant's peaceful journey and for all the kids battling cancer in this world. Why this has to happen to children I'll never understand.
Jeff |
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| Justin's headstone has arrived |
[Oct. 18th, 2007|10:26 am] |
Justin's headstone and bench have arrived and will be placed at Pinecrest Cemetery in the next week or so. We just have to decide what we want inscribed on the bench. It will be nice to finally have the permanent marker in place, but in the same respect will be difficult for us as "permanent" is hard to accept. We know that Justin is with us and is keeping an eye on everyone, but it doesn't make us miss him any less. Darlene and Casey placed a few pumpkins and some hay at his grave the other day, it looks nice. We will have a cleanup and planting day in the Spring as it's too late in the year to do that now.
Our goddaughter Jenna's 7th birthday is today. Saturday is her actual party, it should be a fun day for her, but will be tough not to have Justin there to celebrate it with everyone. That little cutie in the photo above is Jenna, she will always be a special friend to Justin and Casey and is like a little sister to them.
Halloween is less than 2 weeks away. Justin loved Halloween, last year he was Curious George and even though we had to wheel him around in the wheelchair most of the time, he had a great time and loved getting all the candy. Casey will be Super-girl this year and has been invited to several Halloween parties from her new friends at school.
I read this poem on Brooke William's site and thought I'd post it..
After the death of a child...
Please, don't ask me if I'm over it yet.
I'll never be over it.
Please, don't tell me he's in a better place.
He isn't here with me.
Please, don't say "at least he isn't suffering."
I have yet to come to terms with why he had to suffer at all.
Please, don't tell me you know how I feel-
unless you've lost a child yourself.
Please, don't ask me if I feel better.
Bereavement isn't a condition that clears up.
Please, don't tell me "at least you had him so many years."
What year would you choose for your child to die?
Please, don't tell me that "God never gives us more than we can bear."
Please, just say you are sorry.
Please, just say you remember my child.
Please, just let me talk about my child.
Please, mention my child's name.
Please, just let me cry."
5 more angels have earned their wings since my last post. Hannah, Trinity, Sophie, Jordan and Simon. Please visit icouldbeyourchild.org and go into "Lifted Up" to read about these children. These are not just names, they are beautiful children and grieving families. Please support Pediatric Brain Tumor Awareness and Research so that we can one day find a cure for this horrible disease.
Thank you,
Jeff |
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| 3 months |
[Oct. 1st, 2007|09:29 am] |
Last Wednesday was 3 months since our precious little boy left this Earth. For me, there seems to be a few more good days then bad lately. Obviously, Justin is on my mind all the time, but I've been trying to focus on the good times and happy memories as much as possible. Visits to his resting place however are still very difficult for me, I miss my son so bad. It's hard to deal with all the different emotions.. sadness, anger, peace, longing, loneliness. Justin was my only son, he was supposed to grow up to be a man. I was supposed to have the thrill of watching that. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. I know they say that God only takes the best, but...
The "Jammin for Justin" fundraiser was held on the 23rd at Deb's Lakeview Lounge and was a big success. A big shout out to John Russell and all the volunteers for organizing this 2nd annual event. The bands were excellent and lots of supportive folks came out for our Justin. Justin's oncologist from Dana Farber, Dr. Chi spoke which was a nice touch to the event I thought. The money raised will be donated to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium.
Some of us attended the Home, Health and Hospice Service of Remembrance last week in Merrimack. It was nice service in which HHHC recognized all of their patients that died by reading off their names and lighting a candle in their memory. This particular service was for patients who died in April, May and June. We were amazed at the number of names they read off. Most of the people were elderly, which made us realize how truly in the minority we are, losing a child.
All last week Casey was on a 4 day field trip with school called Nature's Classroom. She had a blast! They learned lots about nature, the environment, animals, history, etc. She doing so well, and keeps plugging along with her school work and activities.
There have been several more children that we have lost recently to "the monster," so please pray for them and the families left behind. Go to www.icouldbeyouirchild.org and look in "Lifted Up" for their heroic stories. No family should have to go through this.
Jeff |
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| Chase Sammut |
[Sep. 20th, 2007|08:58 am] |
Chase Sammut passed away yesterday. When Justin was first diagnosed, Chase was one of the first few children that I found having the same tumor. John Sammut provided me with a lot of information about the clinical trial through Burzynski and was a big help. Chase fought courageously for over 2 years with this disease. Here is a posting from Chase's website, may he rest in peace...
After a long, grueling battle for over two years, Chase followed his calling to the light to be greeted into the arms of Jesus and receive his angel wings. Over the past week and a half, we treated his port infection once again with a strong combination of IV antibiotics. However, this time his organs couldn’t endure the trauma and his kidneys and liver were starting to fail. Over the weekend, we began getting an indication that he was struggling – he was retaining fluids and the swelling was getting worse. After trying everything we’ve learned over the past few rounds of infections without making progress, last night we decided to have Chase admitted to St. John hospital. They actually administered the same treatments we were using without making any more progress so it became very clear that this was the decision between Chase and God, regardless of anyone’s efforts. His battle ended peacefully this afternoon in our arms and we couldn’t be prouder of our Chaser Boy! He hung in there to the very end and seemed to hold off taking this journey until we were all ready for him to go in peace.
A trust fund will be established in Chase’s name to benefit Grandivew Farm, which is used to support the therapy of LifeHorse a specially designed therapeutic horseback riding program for terminally and chronically ill children to ride and be around horses. Donations came be made through their website at www.lifehorse.org.
We truly appreciate all the dedicated support of Chase’s Prayer Warriors around the world. We couldn’t have made this journey without all your prayers and Chase is now our special angel in heaven. We look forward to celebrating his life and remembering how he touched us all.
God Bless!!
John & Carol Sammut
Chase & Barbara Ann |
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| Scrap-a-thon & tree planting |
[Sep. 18th, 2007|10:49 am] |
This past Saturday was the "Scrap-booking Marathon" which was organized by some wonderful co-workers/friends of mine. The scrap-bookers paradise ran all day long and proceeds by Creative Memories were donated to Justin's Fund. There were a bunch of other things happening such as a bake sale, raffles and massages. It raised over $1,500 for our cause! Thank you to everyone that organized and helped out at this event!
On Sunday, a few of us went up to Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital for David's House annual memorial tree planting. They plant a tree each year in honor of the children that died who had been patients at CHaD. Although Justin was only a patient there for a week, it was there he was first diagnosed and had his emergency shunt surgery before we transferred his care to Boston. It was difficult to go back up there as many sad memories remain, but we were glad we went. Although tears were shed, I feel they were healing tears. My mom and Casey stayed at David's House www.davids-house.org (similar to a Ronald McDonald house) for that week back in January 06'. I had never been over to see it, as we had always slept in Justin's room. It is a beautiful place for families of sick kids receiving treatment at CHaD to stay. David was a little boy that passed away from leukemia in the 80's, his parents created and had David's House built to help these families.
Casey continues to do well in school and is making new friends. The teachers say she is adjusting very well considering everything she has gone through and it being her first year at public school. She's looking forward to Halloween coming next month and has talked about maybe being Supergirl! That would definitely be a fitting costume for our Casey.
Jammin for Justin is this Sunday 9/23 at Deb's Lakeview Lounge in Dracut, MA. Check the fundraiser section for all the details. Justin's oncologist from Dana Farber will be speaking at around 6 p.m. and should be a great afternoon of live music, dancing, raffles, food, etc. It's from 2-10 p.m.
We love you Justin!
Jeff |
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| Another successful event |
[Sep. 11th, 2007|10:04 am] |
The miniature golf tournament was a great success! Thanks to everyone that volunteered their time, our sponsors and for the 170 golfers that came out to support our cause. A huge thank you to Tee-Off at Mel's (teefoffatmels.com) for letting us hold the event at their facility. We had lots of feedback from folks who really had a good time and enjoyed our unique event.
We were able to raise $ 3,100 !! We will donate it to research, awareness and to help other families in need. At the end of the night, Casey released some balloons for her brother. When she let go off them, they started floating off towards the batting cages instead of straight up. It was too dark to tell where they ended up going, but perhaps Justin wanted to get them all stuck in the batting cage netting as a little practical joke on all of us? Good one, buddy.
It is nice to get everyone together for these events and it feels good that we are doing something to help. We know that Justin is looking down at us with a smile. We miss you so much, pal, it's not the same without you around. You are SO loved, by SO many. I know you can feel it.
There are 2 final events planned for 2007, the Scrap-booking marathon on 9/15 in North Andover and Jammin' for Justin on 9/23 in Dracut. Check the fundraiser tab for more details about these 2 events. The bands for the "Jam" have been announced and the flyer should now be available to print.
As you remember our little guy, please remember all the children who have lost their lives and the families dealing with the same grief as we do. There are many kids fighting this disease right now, please say special prayers for all of them.
Jeff |
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justinsfund's journal