My Biggest Supporter- Day 3

Wow, so this week is much harder to keep up with then I thought but I am proud that I am on day 3! I feel like I am back at Longwood doing my English 101 assignments... Thank God I am not being graded on them.
As Joanne said I don’t think Brian can count. He is my co-pilot in this life. We are both supported by so many people. Yes the day to day falls on me however the burden and the responsibility is 100% shared. So taking him out of this question~


This is a tough one to answer. There have been so many people who have supported us from the moment Joshua was rushed to the ER. I was at a conference in Maryland apx 5 hours away from home when it happened. I got the call and apx 20 creative memories consultants that I know and love and several more I don’t know, surrounded us in prayer. Then there was the West Family... my good dear friend Hillary who has suffered her own loss packed up her family and drove me the 5 long hours home, she got a ticket, missed the conference, her kids were back in the car less than 12 hours from when they arrived but she got me to the hospital. There was the doctors and nurses at the hospital explaining things, talking to my husband giving him the info to pass on to me via phone, the resident who when I arrived spent hours holding my hand and crying with me. The staff in our endo office who have time and time again answered the same questions 15 times for me. My brother and sister in law who arrived at the hospital to be with Brian until I could get there, who were just “there” for him.


My parents who picked up Jackson and took him to their house, shopped to get supplies in the house and are the sounding board when I am spinning. They have been there 24 hours a day for me to call and work through something with. My mom has done a lot of watching Jackson for appointments or watched Joshua in my van so I can have Jackson at an appointment but have Joshua close by. I am truly grateful for the strength they have taught me to have, without it I could not survive this.
My in-laws who like myself were not local when everything started but who drove 3 hours just to be there if needed, stayed at the house to help with Jackson if needed, made food for us and supported Brian in ways that only his parents can, have contributed financially to the insulin fund to help out, supported us with calls, encouragement and prayers!


There were the people who showed up at the hospital with food and goodies to keep us fed. There were the countless people who brought meals the house MWF for 2 months straight who just wanted to help make things easier... I can never thank them enough for that. The people who placed us on every prayer list they can. My brother in law and sister in law in Seattle that signed up for the walk within days of our DX, who began researching and finding things for us while we were still in the hospital. My other Brother and sister in law who has been strongest sounding board, she is a pharmacist so she answers each question I have, Mike is one of Joshua's God Fathers and he has been there for me to listen to me and remind me to take care of me. I have friends like you wouldn’t believe that have picked Jackson up for play dates, time for him to be a kid, talked with me for hours, are asking to be taught how to help care for Joshua should the need arise. These friends have helped me to feel normal on some of the most un-normal days.


The online community has been a life line for me without question. You all understand and know what I am going through better and before I do. I can’t thank you enough for all you have given me in this short time but there is one person who if not for her I would not have found you or connected the way I should have... My sister Sara.


Words cannot express the support she has given us. She may not even know what she has done. Many of you may have read her on this blog and have visited her site as well. You see Sara lives in Rochester, NY, I live in Chesapeake, VA we are apx 13 hours apart. This wasn’t a big deal when she moved. We weren’t that close. Now we have the relationship my parents dreamt we would have for years. She is my best friend. We talk usually 2 times a day. She is Joshua's God Mother and was with me in the delivery room the second he was born. When she heard what was happening her world was crashing around her, her job as an sign language interpreter was on the brink of being lost, she was planning a wonderful wedding for October, her fiancé was in his first year of residency and yet she didn’t hesitate for a second. She was on the next plane here for 2 WEEKS! She moved in to my small cozy home and slept on a sofa for the entire time. She became my "wife" while Brian had to go back to work. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, took Jackson to school with me. She learned how to test, what was high, what was low, helped me set up the schedule and plan and let me cry. All so I could adjust to living with this game changer. Mom and Sara found you all and she pushed encouraged me to connect with you. She continues to support me in so many ways. Since she was here for so much early on she knows what to ask, understands when I say I just need to not think about D and when I just need to vent. She is my go to gal. I can’t find up or down if I haven’t talked to her in a day.

To all of you: it's only been 4 months since this took over our lives thank you for all you have done to help us find our new normal. We love you for it!