Moments Like These: Baby Brady - Part 1

I still remember the night we all started to "suspect"  Bobby and Jen might have some big news! We were all at Lisa Stanko's wedding! I don't remember exactly what it was about that night that made the thought even pop into my head, but it did. And apparently I wasn't alone in that thinking, but of course we never asked, just waited to see.

Fast forward a few months, it was the day after my 30th Birthday Party and we were supposed to attend Tiffany and Justin's annual Halloween Party with all of our friends. Kipper and I had spent all day Saturday at Cook Children's with Lala and her family. My heart was broken because while we still held on for a miracle, the facts of the situation had started to set in - Lauren was dying.

When we left the hospital to head home I was beside myself in grief. I remember Kipper asking me what I wanted for dinner and all I could say was that we had to go to the party. I didn't care that we would be the only ones not in a costume or that we looked down right exhausted. If we went home all I would do I cry and worry, we needed time with friends...after all that is totally what Lala would have done! (especially since Halloween was HER holiday!) 

Everyone there knew what was going on, some tried to avoid the topic, others wanted to know how they could help. Yet all of that aside, being with our friends is EXACTLY what we needed. The best part? Not only did they help keep our mind off the situation a little, we found out some FABULOUS news! Two, yes you read that right, TWO of our friends were expecting! Both Shannon and Jen were pregnant, only weeks apart!

The days following were a total blur. Lauren passed away on November 1st and I begin helping her family plan her Celebration of Life. (I have started a blog about saying goodbye, but almost 6 months later I still haven't been able to finish it...but I couldn't tell this story without parts of hers. One day soon I promise I will hit "publish" on that blog)  For her service I painted a canvas so that all of the guests could sign it and that the family would be able to have something more than just a book that gets tucked away on a shelf. Because Bobby is not only an awesome framer, but owns Suitable for Framing, I asked him if he would be willing to donate a frame for the canvas so we could give it to the family ready to go on the wall.

When I went to go pick up the finished canvas Bobby told me he had been thinking a lot about it and he really wanted me to create something for their little boys nursery as my baby gift. I was completely honored, yet a little sacred. I normally create VERY girly things...they were having a BOY! And to top it off the "theme" for the nursery was very unique - Texas Country meets traveling with a splash of Elvis on the side! :)  

I begin to rack my brains on the perfect piece I could create for them, making sure I included things that had a special significance to them. I drew inspiration for not only the room theme, but Jen and Bobby's relationship. From places they traveled/lived, things they had done together, and even the lyrics to the song they danced to at their wedding.

During all of this I was in the middle of Spring Show and just didn't have the time to dedicate to the project just yet. I promised Jen and Bobby that, while I wouldn't have the canvas finished before the baby shower, I would have it done in time for it to be framed and on the wall before Baby Brady made his world debut!

So with the canvas half finished we celebrated Baby Brady at one of the best baby showers I have ever been to. There were no crazy baby shower games or gabbing groups of girls overloading Jen with parenting advice. That night they were surrounded by  their family and dear friends and there was nothing but love and celebration all around them.

That night was exactly what I needed for my final bit of inspiration! To be continued.....

Lala's 21st Birthday!

Earlier this summer I wrote a short recap blog about Lauren aka Lala. Needless to say it has been a long, hard journey filled with more tears and visits to the hospital that one should ever have to endure. But with all the pain, Lala touched lives all over the world.

Just several months before a girl who said she would rather DIE than lose her hair had found a new confidence in her bald head. She refused to let cancer keep her down and she lived her life according to HER rules. But most of all she showed the world just how powerful love and prayer can be.  And she sure as heck wasn't going to let cancer get in the way of her 21st birthday celebration!

Then it happened, the words came that everyone was waiting for, "Lauren, you are done!"   The chemo worked and she beat her nasty cancer! She had done what the doctors never thought she could do! Birthdays are about celebrating life and with those words, Lauren's 21st birthday celebration took on even greater meaning!

INCREDIBLE photo of Lauren's before and after CT scans:

 The scan on the right was taken in April (the huge white blob was her "grapefruit" tumor). The scan on the left was taken a week ago. Notice a big white blob? NO!!!!!!!! It's gone!!!!!! The scan on the left is the scan of normal lungs

Kipper and I were extremely honored to be invited to be a part of Lauren's 21st Birthday Celebration! And what was more fitting than a good old fashion costume party for the Queen of Halloween! (it is her favorite holiday!)


The love, emotion and celebration that filled the party that night made it like no other party I had ever been to. But the best part was seeing Lala bounce though her back yard in her Hello Kitty costume with the biggest smile on her face, surrounded by friends and loved ones. Here are a few of my favorite photos for that evening!

Princess Lala

Anyone who knows me or is friends with me on Facebook, knows about Lauren aka "Lala" and how much I adore this girl. Lauren is the middle daughter of my long time boss and dear friend, Melanie. I remember the pain and agony that came the first time Lauren was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Not only did she have cancer, but she had a very rare form of  pediatric cancer. I remember the celebration that followed her beating that cancer.  I remember the shock of hearing the cancer had returned at her 3 month check up in March 2009. After several scary months of hard praying Lauren was headed back to college in September 2009 - CANCER FREE!  (if you are interested in reading about her entire journey, Dana, her step dad kept an amazing blog. http://dhwilson2.blogspot.com) 

Fast forward to April 2011. I still am working for Melanie, just not at American Heart, now at Cancer Care Services. (best decision ever!) It was a seemingly normal day at work, until Melanie asked me to come into Donna's office, where she closed the door behind us. I could see something was wrong as her eyes were red and she was fighting off tears. Lauren hadn't been feeling well and had gone to the clinic at Texas State. They did an x-ray and found a spot. The call Melanie had just received was Lauren asking her to come pick her up in San Marcus to bring her home for a CT Scan. Worse case scenario Lala's cancer was back and this time in her lungs. It broke my heart to see the pain in Melanie's eyes that day, all I could do is cry and pray. 

Within days she was in the ICU, they were saying she would never go home, and that they should notify the family. As a last ditch effort they were going to try radiation and chemo, even though it didn't normally work on this type of cancer.  Yet when Lauren heard she would lose her hair, she said she would rather die than to be bald. Thank goodness for her sweet Prince Dillon who was able to make her see she was is beautiful no matter if she had hair or not, and she agreed to the treatment.  Her breathing kept improving, it was a none stop party in her ICU room with friends and loved ones. And most of all her gorgeous smile never faded. Within a few days she was out of  ICU and on the oncology floor. And in less than a week she is discharged from the hospital all together. 

Lauren's biggest fear was losing her hair and a dear, sweet friend of mine, Jenna, owner of Halo Salon made an offer to help Lauren through this traumatic experience. Several people shaved or cut their hair to support her, Kipper was one of the first and Lauren was there with us. That same night Lala got a rock star make over and we were so honored to be there to experience it with the family. Jenna, Kellen and Rachel at Halo helped make something so life altering a little fun. 

 We all know she has a very long battle ahead. I will keep praying and supporting Lala and the family however I can. And when I get scared for her, I remember the words she told to her mom in the ICU. "I've Got This!!!"

 To follow Lauren's story you can become a part of her facebook group Lala's Soldiers