Today our girl turned 6!!!
Happy Birthday Addie Bean. What an amazing day we had celebrating you.
Addie Lynn Brenden I am beyond blessed to be your Mommy!! You are the bravest, strongest, sweetest and sassiest girl in town and am I so thankful you are mine!! Every day spent with this girl is a true gift and we are thankful for every moment!!
Birthdays are such an amazing reminder of life, something to be celebrated, a day devoted to that individual, to shower them with love and to give thanks to God for the presence they have in your life. Birthdays for everyone should be meaningful, and birthdays for a girl that has survived Stage 4 cancer are truly miraculous!! Addie's third birthday will forever mark a turn for me and my feelings about life. I really had no idea how precious life was until we were faced with the horrific nightmare of our daughter having cancer.
Addie's 3rd birthday came just one month after the news that she, our perfect 2 year old daughter, had Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. That day three years ago I was filled with so many emotions. Addie's birthday from that point on took on an even greater meaning and from diagnosis forward my eyes would forever be opened to the harsh realities of what the future could hold for children with cancer. Looking back to that day. Addie had finished her 2nd round of chemo and there were still so many unknowns. We had already shaved her head because we could no longer manage seeing the strands of hair everywhere. We had started getting adjusted to the fact that we would be at the hospital more than home and that time spent at home was a valuable gift. We had quickly learned that there was no longer such a thing as planned days or future plans, it was a life that was lived moment by moment. Germs had taken on a whole new meaning, sicknesses, common colds, and live vaccinations had become dangerous risks for our girl. Daily shots at home, painful dressing changes, nasty medicines, IV poles, chemotherapy, fevers, and nausea were becoming a part of our normal routine. I had learned to just keep the suitcase packed because if she felt warm it was an automatic 3 day stay with our beloved hospital family. We were living a life we didn't even know was possible, our 2 year old had cancer and we had entered the cancer world.
Addie's 3rd birthday came just one month after the news that she, our perfect 2 year old daughter, had Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. That day three years ago I was filled with so many emotions. Addie's birthday from that point on took on an even greater meaning and from diagnosis forward my eyes would forever be opened to the harsh realities of what the future could hold for children with cancer. Looking back to that day. Addie had finished her 2nd round of chemo and there were still so many unknowns. We had already shaved her head because we could no longer manage seeing the strands of hair everywhere. We had started getting adjusted to the fact that we would be at the hospital more than home and that time spent at home was a valuable gift. We had quickly learned that there was no longer such a thing as planned days or future plans, it was a life that was lived moment by moment. Germs had taken on a whole new meaning, sicknesses, common colds, and live vaccinations had become dangerous risks for our girl. Daily shots at home, painful dressing changes, nasty medicines, IV poles, chemotherapy, fevers, and nausea were becoming a part of our normal routine. I had learned to just keep the suitcase packed because if she felt warm it was an automatic 3 day stay with our beloved hospital family. We were living a life we didn't even know was possible, our 2 year old had cancer and we had entered the cancer world.
That year, we had no idea if we would be home for her birthday and we didn't know how she would be feeling, but prayers were answered and we were able to celebrate Addie's 3rd Birthday with our loving family at home and in just the way she wanted. She wanted a naughty monkey cake (what she called werewolfs) and she loved rainbows, so we did tie-die shirts for our entire family. I still wear that shirt for bed regularly, it should have probably been retired long ago but it marks a day that means so much. I was reading through some old TeamAddie posts today and I was amazed how happy and hopeful we remained through it all, a time full of so much fear yet HOPE overcame it!! That was Jesus, and all the wonderful people who prayed us through it all!! Thank you for supporting our girl and for helping the light shine through the darkness!!
Today, 3 years later, I am once again filled with many emotions. I am immensely grateful that we are here today and celebrating another year of life for my beautiful girl. I am so thankful that she is happy, cancer free and getting to live a perfectly "ordinary" life. Addie gets to just be a 6 year old, enjoying a summer filled with swimming, a little tball, a bit of golf, lots of sister time and loads of fun. My girl today is cancer-free and for that I am eternally grateful. Am I still scared, of course, every single day I push the fear out and fill the yucky feeling with HOPE and Jesus. I am hopeful that my girl will never have to know cancer again, I will forever pray that she will be cancer free for an eternity. I praise God for this time. Every single day is a gift from Him and I am so eternally grateful for each one and continue to pray for a million more with my sweet girls. Praise God that we are here 3 years later and celebrating this beautiful girl's 6th year of life!! We are so incredibly blessed to be where we are today!! This Mommy heart is overflowing with love for my beautiful family and for our faithful Heavenly Father
God is so good!!
Psalm 46:5
Thank you Lee and Linda for another fun birthday party. Thank you everyone who came and made her day extra special. I am feeling beyond blessed with the amazing people we have in our lives here in Cedar Falls and so thankful they were there to help us celebrate our girl.
Mermaids were the theme for #6; not sure how she comes up with these ideas but when Addie wants something you had better make it happen :)
