My Dearest Lyndsey, This is My Wish For You…….
Dear Lyndsey:
I was recently asked what my wish for you would be, if I could choose from any wish. It’s seems a little too obvious a response to say, my wish is that you never have to go up against cancer again. It is a natural desire that any human being would want that for a child, so I am going to wish for something a little different:
My wish is that you will take this “limbo” year of doctor’s appointments, chemo treatments, medications, side effects, and all of the other yucky stuff that has come with it and continue to do brave bold things with even more passion than you did before. You are learning earlier than others that life is precious and all of the things we enjoy about it are not to be taken for granted. You’ve handled all that has happened to you with so much grace, courage, and strength. It has been amazing to watch you persevere and maintain what normalcy you can with great determination and sheer will. I am not surprised though because stubbornness, will and determination have long been ingrained in your nature. As you know, these are traits that have frustrated me at times, but at the same time I always knew they would serve you well later in life —- I really expected “later” to be when you were up and out on your own, but I am so glad now that you have these traits as you are using them well.
So here is how I’m going to measure whether my wish for you is coming true — in the amount gray hairs on my head. As you get back to a more active life when treatment is finished, and the port is removed, I am counting on you to do even more amazing things on the soccer field than you used to, and go back to your goal of pulling more flags than any boy on the flag football field. I look forward to signing you up for the snowboarding lesson you were telling me you wanted to get to do. Gosh, I’m just looking forward to lifting all of the physical constraints you’ve had to live with, my athletic girl!
Now, while I realize the original question centered on only one wish–you know me, I never seem to run out of things to say, so of course this means I have more than one wish for you. The other is that you will make medulloblastoma a blip in the rear view mirror but not so much a blip that you forget about it. I hope you will find ways to give back to the community that has been so generous with our family and to help other kids whose lives are turned upside-down by cancer as yours has been this year.
I love you so very much!
Mom
Thank you to Lyndsey’s family for allowing us into their lives and for sharing their journey with us. If you would like to join us in sending notes of encouragement to Lyndsey, please visit her blog at https://lyndseydworkin.blogspot.com/.
Lyndsey, we NEGU for you!