Take a day at a time

October 19th, 2020 was the day our lives forever changed. It was the day we were told “your child has cancer.” In that moment, I felt my heart being ripped out of my chest as the tears ran down my cheeks uncontrollably. The pain was completely unbearable and my mind instantly thought the absolute worst thoughts possible. My otherwise healthy 5 year old little girl was getting ready to have a port placed in her chest to begin receiving chemotherapy, a word I had only heard of and knew barely anything about. I would stay up late at night watching her sleep in her hospital bed and during the day, beg her to let me braid her beautiful hair while I still had the chance to. After numerous needle pokes, blood draws, procedures, and medications during our initial two week stay, I was finally starting to accept the reality of this nightmare. It was so hard for me to control my emotions – I just felt so weak.
One day as we were out traveling the halls of the 6th floor at Children’s Hospital, we finally said hello to the family with the little girl close in age to Haylee that we had seen roaming the halls a few times outside our door. Little did I know, this little girl would become one of Haylee’s closest friends and her mom one of mine. Going through this journey with another family has been so comforting. It helps us not feel so alone. We are there for each other whether that means being a shoulder to cry on during the harder days, sending words of encouragement, or reminding each other how far we have come in these long past four months. We can relate to each other on a level that nobody else can.
I have learned to take one day at a time and celebrate every single milestone. This experience has given me a new appreciation for life and each day that I have with my beautiful family. We will continue to hold onto our faith and remain hopeful as we work towards the finish line.