Life is good, right now. We are settling back in to our house, Spring is in the air, and Phoebe is beautiful and strong. Mae is loving school, she is happy, we have taken their bikes out of the shed, we are looking forward to seeing our flowers bloom this spring and getting ready to plant a vegetable garden; full of hope that we will reap the benefits. This will be our first complete Spring in this "new" house. The first Spring spent without extended stays in the hospital. The first time we will see the yellow blooms on a forsythia that was planted almost three years ago. Life is good.

Phoebe goes to CHEO once a week, for blood work, and/or chemo. She has no side effects from her first doses of chemo and this week she will receive another dose. She has an MRI scheduled for the beginning of May which will be her first post radiation scan and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, or scared, or a terrifying combination of both. We live with this fear everyday, but we also live with joy because Phoebe is here. We live with the hope that we have done everything we can to make sure that Phoebe sees a lifetime of Springs. We have learned throughout all of this that anything is possible.

Every day, however, I am reminded of just how devastating this disease is. Yesterday, my friend lost her beautiful boy to AML. He fought this leukemia for many years and like Phoebe, was treated at St.Jude. He fought so hard and my heart breaks for his family. Last week one of our neighbours at the Target House lost their precious daughter to Leukemia. To put in perspective, our reality. On our floor of about 12 apartments, only two children have not relapsed or passed away since we moved out last year.

There is always hope and wonderful things are being done to raise awareness. Mae's french teacher, Daun Lynch, is riding her bicycle across beautiful Newfoundland this summer to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. She is going to shout it from the rooftops, tell Phoebe's story as she goes, and I think this is simply amazing. There are great people, heroic people, all around us. You can check out her blog and journey at www.ridingforphoeberose.blogspot.com

In addition to this, there is a very special house at this year's Great Glebe Garage Sale. At 108 First Avenue in the Glebe, you can shop for treasures, sample delicious baked goods, cool off with a glass of lemonade, and support Candlelighter's"Suite Seats" program. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Refuse2Lose Team Bryce initiative of raising $50,000 per year for this program. The "Suite Seats" program allows children with cancer to enjoy hockey games and events at the Scotia Bank Place. Allowing families much needed time away from the hospital and children much needed time to just be kids, regardless of their diagnosis. It is a truly great program that my family has benefited from. Refuse to Lose Team Bryce was created in loving memory and honor of Bryce Jude. A beautiful and heroic boy who loved hockey and the Ottawa Senators. Mark May 25th on your calendars and check out the following link for more information on how you can help! https://www.facebook.com/events/457208547691692



The photos below are some of the beautiful wishes sent to Phoebe from her friends at Manor Park school.