This afternoon, I went with my parents to our local cancer care facility for a tour and briefing. My father’s colon cancer from 2 years ago has traveled to his lungs through the lymphatic system and has become stage 4. We thought it had been completely removed. We were wrong. He begins his first chemo treatment next Tuesday.

A portion of the tour took us through the main treatment area. It was full to the exits with patients, each sitting quietly and likely somewhere else entirely in their mind. All of them were elderly. They had a sadness in their eyes, understandably so, but there was something else. I felt like I could see a lifetime of experience in them as well. Times gone by, love felt and given, hardships and triumphs.

It brought a powerful thought and defining difference to my mind, between what I was seeing and what it meant for children in the same circumstances. When I look in the eyes of my own children, I see wonderment, curiosity, and blind faith. I see a desire to touch, smell, taste, and learn about the world around us. I see a lot of experiences yet to be had.

We are coming together to give children “extra life,” not just treatment and research. Each donation means an extra smile. It means a longer hug or a new book full of adventure. It means having more chances to get back on that bike and learn to ride it without the training wheels. It means more vegetables, yeck! It means more bedtime prayers. It means more moments to fill with the things we take for granted.

CLICK HERE and join me. Play Games. Heal Kids.

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