Super Hero Cooper

"Normalcy" these days is a delicate balance. Cooper has been feeling great, thanks to the maintenance phase he is in right now. We are thankful for that, and thankful for the constant progress that we see. If we're being honest, some days we almost forget that he is sick...almost. However, we have realized that sometimes when things feel more normal the going gets tough. I know that sounds strange, but to be honest, "normalcy" in a way allows you the space to fully realize all that has gone wrong. Allows you time to observe all that has come crashing down. In the past several months, none of this was recognized because we were simply running on adrenaline. Adrenaline can cloud your reality, or at least make you ignore it for a little while. Time and space allows you to recognize things for what they are, to see the negative, to feel the judgement, to have to answer all of the questions. It takes a toll. It often isn't until things settle that you feel

One of the few things that has been amazing over the past few months has been Cooper's growing love for sports.  He LOVES his Capitals hockey, and Redskins football (much to Mom's dismay as a Raven's fan), but Cooper's absolute biggest passion is James Madison football!  As most of you probably know from our previous posts, both of us graduated from JMU and have been fortunate enough to keep in touch with the amazing JMU community.  When we got our diagnosis, the JMU family, like all others in our lives, stepped up.  If you have been following this blog since it's inception you saw the post about JMU sending Cooper a care package - which was amazing!  When we entered into Coopers current phase of treatment, Cooper himself asked if he as well enough to go to a JMU football game.  To our amazement, Cooper's doctors told him that it was possible, BUT they wanted to keep close eyes on his current levels (Cooper is on an interim maintenance phase currently and g

While it is easy (and accurate) to view pediatric cancer as a struggle of physical stamina, emotional fortitude and patience, we have also been surprised at the surreal ability of this disease to bring out the goodness of those around you.  Cancer is one of those things that changes your life and the lives of those of those around you.  There are the obvious things to change like your daily life, how you view problems, but the thing that has really changed for us is how we see others.  Not just others as in friends and family, but OTHERS as in strangers, others of different faiths, others of different walks of life.  Cooper got to come in just for a minute and say hi and thank everyone! He was definitely the star of the show!  Coop with all of the instructors  Cooper back with the lovely and wonderful Ms. Jill!!!!! Cooper with his buddy and neighbor Brett....Special thanks to Brett's mom, Michelle for taking all of the pictures! In this light, we were a

After the week of no water and a lovely ER visit, it was time to have some Halloween fun. We finally got the nausea under control and he is actually feeling pretty awesome, all things considered since starting his maintenance phase.  Day trip to Caroll Creek  Happy Halloween from Evyn!  Darth Vader Pumpkin and Trick or Treating Cooper was so excited that he got to be a normal kiddo and go trick or treating!  Look how far we have come! 2 months ago Cooper couldn't run or jump. Look at him go!  The most exciting news ever...Cooper hasn't been able to ride his bike since July. His legs were finally strong enough and he had no pain!