Our family faced more than a three year battle with our sweet, brave Reid. During this time, we had family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and even strangers offer their support to us. We received countless encouraging cards, visits, gift cards, monetary donations, meals, and special gifts for our two boys. The list went on and on of people showing up for us and doing what they could to help in such a terrible time. The kindness and generosity that our family received from others was such a blessing during Reid’s treatment.
Our #BraverReid was always able to be at the hospital with both his mommy and daddy for his inpatient stays. Bill and I knew we were in a fortunate spot to have such a great support system so we could spend our time and energy caring for Reid. We needed ALL of our energy to keep up with Reid’s demanding treatment schedule, unscheduled hospital visits (mostly during the middle of the night due to fever spikes), meds, central line care, blood draws, and most importantly-keeping up with Reid while he was playing during all of this. We were able to create as much normalcy as possible for Reid during treatment, which we feel is part of the reason that he soared through every single treatment. What a help it was to our mental health for Bill and I to have each other, time off of the unit floor for a walk, someone to vent to, or a quick coffee break, all while knowing Reid still had a parent with him to keep him comfortable. Looking back we know that was a luxury that is not afforded to so many.
Another luxury we had was that our younger son, Brady, was able to stay with his loving grandma & papa during Reid’s long inpatient stays. I never had to worry about him and knew my parents would be there whenever we needed them for Brady. This is not a typical situation for families fighting childhood cancer. What we knew was the heartbreak of leaving our Brady and short visits with him, and him not understanding why we were always leaving with Reid and not him. This was hard, and I’m glad he was little and will not remember it. So although that was horrible and agonizing, it is really nothing compared to what other families face. During our hospital stays we came to realize the heartbreaking reality of seeing families split apart for weeks at a time or just being able to be together on the weekends for short visits. Most of the time only one parent could be present with a child going through treatment, or worse, no parent at all.
Bill and I always knew we wanted to pass on the kindness we received from others and do what we could to help other families. It is impossible to fix all of a family’s burdens, and I wish I had more answers for these problems, but we hope to spread some kindness and do what we can to help families and bring some joy to them during treatment. By sharing resources, offering support, and providing financial assistance, the Rally for Reid Foundation hopes to make the road of treatment just a tiny bit easier. We know that any act of kindness and generosity can work wonders on a family’s morale.
Thank you for your support of our family and the Rally for Reid Foundation.
Sending Love,
Megan & The Rally for Reid Team