Thankful for cancer?  Certainly not.  But, this journey to Aidan’s miracle has provided our entire family untold blessings for which we will never forget and for which we are indeed incredibly thankful.

You see, before Aidan’s diagnosis we simply accepted our lives for what they were and really did not appreciate the blessings that already surrounded us.  All that changed on the afternoon of April 14, 2006.  It is cliché to say our lives were changed forever, but that is the reality that a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma diagnosis brings.  Those days of taking things for granted are now gone forever and will never return again.

The doctors, nurses, lab techs, and researchers were going to work everyday before Aidan’s diagnosis, but now we clearly see them for the hard working, dedicated, and compassionate people that they really are.  Our co-workers, neighbors, and community were always there, but now we see them for the loving, generous, and caring folks that they always were.  And most of all… our friends and family surrounded us each day, but we did not realize exactly how much we loved each other and how different our lives would be if one was to leave us and leave a hole behind.  Well, having this reality thrust upon us, we will never look at life or each other the same way ever again.