Ella's Done

I don't know what the future holds for us at this point, but I guess nobody does.  I wish on Ella's last day of chemo I was able to go "Wow, we are done!", but truth be told I did not.  All I could do was wonder what the chances are that she will have to go through this again.  I think with something that you spend years going through, you have to spend at least that much time to feel free of it. I know this is hard to understand.  I have mentioned it to a few people and they could only say 'But your done!". But, really we are not "Done". There are scars left on this family that will never go away.  Scars on Ella's body that will fade, but never fully disappear. Friendships lost, that will never fully return.  Experiences that were missed out on and replaced with ones that nobody wants their 4 year old to go through. This is not limited to cancer, but anyone with a disease that threatens their life, or their child's life.

I know that God willing, Ella will not remember most of this journey, but it is forever ingrained in my memory and her fathers.  I pray that she will never have to go through any of this again.  I pray that there will be more research into Childhood Cancer because I do not want to meet another parent that has just learned their child has an uncertain future. I pray that all these memories will fade and be replaced by new and better ones. The one phrase that still sticks in my mind after these 2+ years is one nurse Gail said to me the first day I met her.  "No dreams should be lost for this child.". They were never lost, but they have been replaced by different ones. Ones of health and happiness.  For a childhood filled with laughter and no more needles. For her memories of this journey to only be of the wonderful people she met and how strong she really is.

I have one final video of Ella journey.  This one goes to what I hope, is the end of her cancer battle.  It was so hard to pick images for only 3 minutes, and I chose the ones that might not be the ones I like the best, but that tell her story.  As always, feel free to share this video.  Anything that helps to raise awareness is appreciated.

For those that have followed us on this journey, we Thank You.  Thank you for just being there for us and listening an praying.
Blessings~Katie, Steve, Josh & Ella.

Ella's Journey

Make A Wish

Ella and the Dolphin!

Family shot. Doesn't everyone look better in a wet suit?

Well, Ella got her Wish.  She wished for a Disney cruise and to swim with the dolphins, and that is what she did! She was so brave with the dolphin.  She went up by herself, hugged and kissed the dolphin, and then fed it cold slimy fish, and she loved every minute of it.

They loved that our room had bunk beds and a balcony.  Josh was super adventurous and tried lots of new foods.  Ella said her favorite thing was the Aqua-Duck waterside on the ship.

The first night we got there, we explored the boat, but the Ella fell asleep before dinner and Josh soon after because the woke up at 2am to catch the flight. Plus Josh was still recovering from pneumonia.  The second day we did the Dolphin Adventure and the third was a day at Disney's Island.  This was fun and relaxing.  The kids got a kick out of the swinging hammocks and built a boat out of sand with dad. The forth day we were at sea and even though the air was chilly, the pools were warm.  in the afternoon we escaped inside and caught a movie with the kids in the beautiful theater on-board the ship.  Overall, the kids had a wonderful time!

The cruise ship in sand.

Epcot

After we finished the cruise, we headed to Disney for 4 more days with grandma and grandpa.  I don't know for sure who smiled more? Grandma and Grandpa or Ella and Josh!  We hit 4 parks and the pool.  The lines were nonresistant and the even opened the new Fantasy Land Park early, so we got to go on all those rides too. Ella was a thrill seeker and went on the Tower of Terror with Josh and dad, but she knows her limits and opted out of the 2nd ride. Her favorite ride was Sorring that she and Grandma went on together 3 times!  They were two very happy girls.

I hope this ends our adventure in Leukemia/cancer land.  From now on Ella will have monthly check-ups and Steve and I will continue to count our blessings and know that we are the lucky ones in all of this.  Cancer did not beat us.  It did not kill my child, it did not destroy my family.  We win.

We are very grateful to Make A Wish for making Ella's dream come true.  I have a million pictures and it was really hard to choose which ones to post.  I leave you with one more of Ella and Josh.

Blessings, and gratitude for every comment and prayer from all of you in Blogger Land.  Thank you.
Katie

Two very happy and wonderful kids.

The Truth 365: Be the Voice for Children by Watching and Sharing this Film

 Hi Friends and Family!

I PROMISE to post Ella's Make A Wish adventure soon, but I wanted to share this video with you.  it is meant to help make our government more aware that research is needed for Childhood Cancers.  If it is too hard for you to watch, just imagine living it.  If you cant make it through, please post it on your Facebook or other Social Media to help raise awareness.  You can also go to their website and sign their petition.

Thank you.
 
Blessings~Katie