An Early Birthday Soiree'

This post is #114 in a year-long series ... Through this series of posts I plan to share our family's experiences during our 17-year-old daughter's year-long battle with brain cancer, which began in February of 2008. My desire is to process through the events of that year from the perspective that a decade of time has brought ... for myself, really. But if you'd like to follow along, you're welcome to join me.

October 18, 2008

Hannah's 17th birthday was rapidly approaching on October 22nd, and honestly, I was struggling a little bit with how we were going to celebrate this event with her prognosis dangling over our heads.  How could we possibly wring any joy out of this birthday, which, without a miracle, would almost certainly be her last?

Thankfully, our amazing family and friends made made the days leading up to her birthday so special ... not just for Hannah, but for all of us.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the El Dorado High School Class of 1985 for their kindness to Hannah and our family. This is my husband's graduating class, and they are an exceptionally close group of folks.   A large number of his classmates followed Hannah's story through our emails, and as her 17th birthday approached, they took up a collection, and ten years ago today they hosted a party (which they called a "soiree'") for her. They presented her with a flat-screen TV, a DVD player, and a collection of her favorite movies. We installed the TV in her bedroom (we've never allowed our kids to have TVs in their bedrooms, but this was a unique circumstance!) and that TV was a great way for her to pass the time when she didn't feel well enough to get out of bed.  Such thoughtful gifts!

Hannah received another wonderful early birthday surprise when several members of our immediate and extended family went in together and presented her with a beautiful red laptop computer!  She couldn't have been more thrilled.  She used it constantly over the next couple of months ... at least until her vision deteriorated to the point she could no longer use it.  Then I began to use it to send my email updates.

A mother never forgets kindnesses extended to her children ... These are indelibly etched in my mind.