In Honor of MeMawMom..

It has been 3 weeks since we cut Brenna's hair to donate, but we haven't been able to make our schedule work with the doctors at the Center to get by and drop it off. We wanted to be able to see Dr. Young when we took it by, and she only works late on Tuesdays. SO yesterday worked out for us to take it up there since Aunt Emily was picking up Brenna. We met there at 4, and Brenna was so excited to take it in! She marched in there and walked up and waited patiently for Ms. Donna (the sweetest lady you will ever meet!) to get done with another patient.

Then we went back to see Dr. Young and Pam. We actually caught Dr Young at a good time, she was just working on paperwork in the office. Brenna went right in and explained to her why she was there and why she was donating her hair. I was so proud of her!! I didn't quit smiling. Neither did she!

I was so thankful for everyone in the office who showed their pride in Brenna Grace. I think it boosted her pride in herself too!

Me, Dr. Young, Brenna, and Pam, the Patient Navigator. Pam is the sweetest thing and has the best personality! She was there and running the show when we went to the Merry Makeovers with Mom in December. She was so bubbly and sweet to everyone. She can make you feel special even on your worst day. I can't believe that I was in the center, hugging Ms. Donna, Dr. Young, Pam, and the chemo nurses and NOT crying! God sure did surround me with His Grace. I felt pride to be there, not grief. It was strange. That place holds some of our worst moments and memories. However, it also held hope. Every visit held a huge amount of anxiety when we went in for scan results. However no matter what results Dr. Young gave us (and she gave us our fair share of good and bad results) our anxiety always turned into hope. If the results were good, we had hope that we were turning a corner and Mom would beat this. And if the results were bad, then we had hope in the new course of action that Dr. Young was taking. We knew from the beginning that the type of cancer Mom had wasn't good. But we never lost that HOPE. I hoped every time that we entered those doors that our outcome would be different than what it was. But that was not meant to be. Now our job is to carry on Mom's legacy and keep her memory alive. Brenna Grace did just that yesterday. I wish pictures showed the pride that she felt yesterday telling Dr. Young that she was doing this for her MeMawMom! It was beyond precious.

I am so thankful for this center. They did so much for my Mama, and made her feel so loved. (along with the rest of us). They did their best to make her feel better each time she went in. Even though Mom didn't win her battle this side of Heaven, we have full confidence that Dr. Young did everything in her power to help her. I am thankful that she was part of our cancer journey. On our last visit to her office, she was crying with us when we decided it was time to stop treatments and enter hospice care. She was a blessing to our lives, as was the whole staff at the center! I hate to say this- but I miss going there! It was part of our weekly lives, and we grew to love each and every one of the people that work there. I miss them! I may have to find (A NON CANCER RELATED) excuse to go back and visit! :) And while I kept it totally together while I was there, I came totally unraveled when I got in my car. I am thankful that God protected me when I needed to be strong and supportive of my baby girl. And maybe it was in part due to the fact that every time I entered those doors with Mom I put on my "game face". My game face got me through many difficult appointments and treatments. It includes a numb feeling with a big smile and a cheerleader voice! I had to be Mom's cheerleader while I was in there, so I did the same for Brenna. When we got in the car (while I was trying to not let the girls know I was sobbing under my sunshades), Brenna started talking (I know- go figure... Brenna... TALK! LOL) about a fundraiser that they did at her school. They took up donations for kids with cancer. She said it wasn't fair that they only donated it to kids with cancer, they should also take up money for adults with cancer, like MeMawMom!! (don't get me wrong- kids with cancer is an important cause, but to my 8 year old's heart, adults with cancer hits a little closer to home). So she informed me that she had talked to her Aunt Emily on the way to town and she wants to do a fundraiser and donate it to cancer patients! OMG yall- as a friend said on FB, she was born 40 years old! Her heart is so full of love, and I am so proud of her desire to serve. She even told me that she wants to do a garage sale and find toys and things that she doesn't need anymore to sell. (she also told Aunt Emily that she would start with all of her BOWS! But don't worry- this Mama won't let that happen any time soon!) When I made the suggestion one morning that she could donate her hair- I had no idea where it would take us. I foresee us looking for a way to SERVE others in the near future! Especially cancer patients. I'm not sure what that will be yet, but if anyone hears of anything please let me know! I will leave you with a picture of the three cutest munchkins on the planet showing their love for the place that helped us have their MeMawMom as long as we did.