perspective and prayers

It's all about perspective.

I had a rough day with the boys. Lots of screaming, yelling, crying, fussing and fighting. They are sleeping now, and the house is finally quiet. I checked my email and had an update on a little boy named Patrick Chance. I personally do not know this Patrick. I have never had the opportunity to meet him, nor his family. He is the child of a friend of a friend. For over a year now, he has been fighting a type of cancer called neuroblastoma. I've been following along with updates on his CarePage... reading about ups and downs of his treatment and recovery. Life is no longer normal for the Chance family. Frequent trips to New York for treatment, days filled with medicine and needles. Day filled, I'm sure, with a mixture of fear and faith. Today's update from Patrick's dad reads:

Yesterday was shorter and better than Monday. Today was much worse. He received a third rescue of Dilaudid that caused predictable irritability, itching, and inability to sleep. He is finally asleep after hours of playing through the wean from narcotics with the attendant misplaced anger - with me as the target. I finally got a break of sorts when he agreed to go to the pub for steak. So we sat in a booth while I rubbed his feet (neuropathic pain from antibody) and fed us both. I managed an occasional pull from my pint. It wasn't the most sterile meal we have ever had, but it was OK. Tomorrow I won't have Alev's help during the morning and his treatment. Given the rough day and belated crash, I plan to let Patrick sleep in until time to return to Sloan. I hopefully can do some laundry and maybe return a few business calls in the morning. The city is cool and refreshing in ways but a stark reminder of cancer in others. Crabbing at the beach seems remote and idyllic. I will think of those days often during days like today. They will come back. SRC

No matter how bad I think my day was, it doesn't compare to the kind of days that the Chance family has to live through. My day - a day filled with healthy, grumpy children - would be an answered prayer for them. A good day.

Despite all this family has been through, they continue to praise God. I admire their strength. And I pray for their son.

I've been trying to find a way to end this blog... a way to tie this all up in a neat package. But I can't. All I can think about is how thankful I am that my children are healthy. I can only pray that one day the Chances are going to be able to say the same thing.