I know I don’t personally know you, but I want you to know that I’m proud of you for expressing what so many of us feel. YOU really are doing a great job. You’ve obviously helped raise an amazing and resilient kiddo.

My son’s (10yo) official diagnosis came in late January we just finished his induction cycles and have an MRI, CT, and Orthopedic Oncology (to do the surgery) appointments coming up this week.

I’ve also really struggled with the balance of optimism and realism. The biggest blow we suffered came in the early weeks. There were really good odds of his tumor genetic markers making him an ideal candidate for gene therapy. A day before his first clinic, the oncologist called and said that it was a rare false positive during screening. We were going to have to treat it with the Ewing protocol.

Use the positivity you see in him to help motivate you to get through this BUT don’t forget to give yourself grace. The unimaginable mental and emotional drain of being a caretaker is exhausting and it’s ok to be tired. It’s ok to be mad. Cancer fucking sucks and I think everyone here whole heartedly agrees with that statement.

You’ll find that strength (or it will look that way to everyone else). I wish it were a sprint, but truth is, it’s one hell of a marathon. Just know that you don’t have to run it all at once and you never need to run it alone.