Balloons for Liam, a Guest Blog by Dawn F.

Please take a moment to read this blog written by Dawn, one remarkably strong momma:

The first thing you learn as a parent is nothing ever goes according to plan. Even armed with this knowledge, you can never be prepared to hear your child is sick. I remember where I was sitting when the doctor said cancer. I remember my husband pacing as the doctor explained what they found. I remember taking quick breaths trying not to cry. I remember the doctor leaving the room and both my husband and I breaking down in tears.

I always felt my job as a parent was to keep my child safe and healthy. Being told your child is sick surges emotion. I felt I had failed. I knew in my head I could not have done anything to prevent this but I didn’t feel that in my heart. When we see friends, often I am told how strong I am. I don’t feel strong at all. I cry. I cry all the time. I cry for the pain my son feels, I cry for his lost childhood, I cry because I can not fix this. I cry.

What I know I can do it share our story. This is what I can do to help my son. Even though I could not keep him healthy, I have to believe by sharing our story people’s thoughts and prayers are what will help him get better.

What I have learned from our experience is:

Know your child’s illness- you are their best advocate. The doctors are not only there for your child, they are there for the parent also. The more you know about your child’s illness, the better you will be able to help them. By knowing the illness you will be able to recognize what is normal behavior and what is not.

Let others help. Having a sick child can take over your entire life. There were times I had to have a friend come over just so I could sleep. My son wanted to be held all the time, it was the only way he was comfortable. Let friends come help you sleep, clean or bring you some meals.

Make life at home as normal as possible. With spending so much time in the hospital, I find the routine at home helpful not only for my son, but for myself. While at home is the only time we are on a schedule. Knowing what to expect helps us get through the day in the best moods as possible, especially helpful when your little one is not feeling well.

Take time for yourself. This is the hardest for us as parents to do. When my son is in the hospital, I refuse to leave my son’s side. I realized once we were home, the only way to keep my sanity would be to take a break. For me a break is going for a run, taking a trip to target and sewing. All these things help me forget, even for a short time, that my child is sick. This “escape” keeps the dark cloud from hovering over me all day.

On March 9th, Liam’s first birthday, he will be having surgery to remove his tumor. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers on this day. In honor of his birthday we will be releasing 365 balloons from Freedom Park on March 4th. If you are in the Charlotte area and see the balloons that afternoon please think of my son.

To learn more about their story, visit: briananddawnfudge.blogspot.com