Landen's Ninth Birthday Today - May 10th

 

If you have read my Dedication to Landen - my precious great grandson, then you know the story.  If not, please go read it so you can appreciate my post today.

 

Landen passed away at the age of four years and three months of a horrible cancer called Neuroblastoma.  He was diagnosed in June of 2007 and was given 30 days to live.  He endured many chemos, radiation and a stem cell transplant and survived for 15 months - outliving all of the doctor's predictions.

 

If you've never seen a young child go thru this and I pray you never do, it is the most heart wrenching thing that I have ever gone thru.  We spent that 15 months in and out of the hospital - never leaving him for one minute by himself.

 

I did things that I never thought I would do - like climbing up and down the slide at the St. Francis Children's Hospital playground just to "do it again JuJu".

 

Once when Landen had chemo and he knew he was going to lose his hair again, he wanted to cut it.  So, we gave him a Mohawk and he laughed so hard.  He even tried to give Poppy a Mohawk.  John would have never let anyone put gel in his hair and play with it, but Landen did.

 

 

 

The next morning, he woke up and his hair was falling out, so he wanted the rest of it cut.  But, he had his Mohawk for an evening.

 

This precious boy loved to eat and really never lost his appetite.  He loved tacos and would occasionally want them for breakfast.  A fantastic crew at Taco Bueno found out our plight and told us anytime he wanted tacos for breakfast - just to call them and by the time we got there, they would have them ready for him.  This was back before they served breakfast like they do now.

 

He loved McDonald's cheeseburgers and fra-fries.  How many trips we made at various hours of the day and night to get him whatever he wanted.

 

He loved Spiderman, Superman and Batman.  I made him a cape and he wore it up and down the hospital corridors on our walks.  When he couldn't walk, he wore it in rides in the wagon.

 

The Doctors, nurses and staff at St. Francis were the most caring and precious people I have ever met.  They were there for everything he needed.  When he had to go to Oklahoma City for the stem cell transplant, his favorite nurse came on the day they gave him a party for his final day in the transplant ward.

 

This picture is on my nightstand and every night I tell him good nite and that I love him.

 

I thank the Lord for Laynee who has charmed us with her girly girl ways and we love her dearly.

 

If you have a little one, love them and hold them especially tight today. 

 

Landen would be nine years old today.  He's been gone from us for five years on August 31st.  He passed away on our 40th wedding anniversary so it is always a bittersweet day.

 

Till next time, Judy

Note:  Forgive the quality of the photos.  These were taken with my old regular camera and I had to retake them again to be able to post them.