No More Chemo!

Our niece, Claire, was diagnosed with Leukemia about 2 years ago. I still remember when Andrew got a call from his brother, Brent, with the news. We were both shocked and sad. Nobody expects an 8 year old to have cancer.

I think the news hit me extra hard because I was teaching school at the time and had 9 year olds in my class. I tried to imagine what it would be like if one of them found out that they had cancer and how devastating that would be. The day following the hard news about Claire, I told my students about the cancer. This was the only time my students ever saw me cry. I couldn't control my emotions.

Claire has such a unique personality and is so fun to be around! She loves animals and is very bright. Claire is extremely good at games and beats many adults. Claire is also a talented musician and sings exceptionally well. Claire didn't let cancer get the best of her and fought so hard, even though it was tough.

It's hard for me to imagine what Claire went through during the last two years. I do know that she: 1) Lost all of her hair 2) Had multiple overnight stays in the hospital 3) Had to follow a very strict pill schedule 4) Was unable to attend school for a while. 

Despite everything that she went through, Claire kept a positive attitude and so did her parents. I remember hearing Deena (Claire's mom) talk about the cancer. Basically, Deena said that Claire got cancer at the best age she could have. She explained that having cancer as a teenager would have been very difficult. She also mentioned that dealing with cancer earlier in life would have been extra challenging because Claire wouldn't have understood what was going on. I am astounded at Deena's optimism.

Claire is now done with chemo treatments! There is no better reason to have a party. We were able to go to Spokane to be at the celebration. It was an unforgettable night and I even teared up a bit . (I'm not much of a crier.) At most Ditto parties or big events, there is a variety/talent show. This party followed the Ditto tradition with a neat program. Claire was the finale and changed the words to the song, "You're Welcome" from Moana. She thanked everyone for all of the support and did some impressive rapping. Once she finished, she got a standing ovation. It was such a powerful moment. Not only did Claire do a fantastic job performing the song, but Claire survived cancer. I was very touched to see everyone on their feet to celebrate such a big moment. 

 

The party included the largest dessert bar I've ever seen! Everything was so delicious and the church cultural hall was decorated beautifully. The party ended with some loud music and dancing. The next day we were able to spend time with ALL of Andrew's siblings and nieces and nephews. Everyone was together (except Alex who is on a mission) which is so rare with a group of over 40 people!

Even though I still clearly remember how heartbroken I was to hear that Claire had cancer, I now have a much happier memory fresh in my mind. 

Book Club

I started a book club this year with my friend Shaylee! I was nervous to be in charge of a book club, but I'm loving it! There are 24 people who are in the club; however, only about 10-15 people come to each meeting. I'm pleased with how many people come and am happy book club has been a success. I look forward to the first Thursday of every month.

Here are the books we're reading for the first 6 months this year:

January: "Out of My Mind" By: Sharon Draper

February: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" By: Mary Ann Shaffer 

March: “When You Reach Me” By: Rebecca Stead 

April: "Tuesday's With Morrie" By: Mitch Album

May: "The 13th Tale" By: Diane Setterfield

June: When Breath Becomes Air" By: Paul Kalantihi

All of the people in the book club are from my ward. I posted about the idea on a playgroup page for young sisters in the ward. Something that has been hard for me is not picking what books we read. I have tried to give other people within the book club a chance to choose. It has been good for me to read books I wouldn't necessarily pick. Everyone has such different tastes in books. 

We only have books picked through June. I'm still trying to decide what I want to do after that. There are a couple of other books people recommended, but I'm not really a fan. I want people to know that I'm open to their ideas, but I also don't want to read a lengthy LDS fiction novel. That being said, I chose "Out of My Mind" and hosted the January meeting at my house. I thought it would be a good book to start with because it's a quick, easy read and has a powerful message.

Food is obviously a big part of book club. I made sugar cookies and had marshmallow frosting with fruit, for mini fruit pizzas. I also made 7 layer dip. 

What we have done at our first 2 meetings is have questions in a bowl and each person takes one. We use the questions as a guide for our discussion. I like this method because it allows everyone to participate in the conversation and read their question. (Whoever hosts decides how to do it, but this is what we've done for the first two months.) My mom is in a book club and she gave me this idea. It's so great because people who are less likely to speak up, have a chance to.

I loved "The Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society" which we discussed at our February meeting and it's becoming a movie! We are going to go see it as a book club together when it comes out. I can hardly wait! This is one of my all-time favorite books.

Something I want to remember for future book clubs is to discuss right off the bat peoples comfort levels. Do people only want to read books that are rated G? I didn't bring this up and then swearing came up. We have decided as a group to only read books that are "PG-13." People can only suggest a book that they have read before, so they know the content.

All in all, this has been a very positive experience for me. I love to discuss a good book and several people have mentioned loving the social outlet. Most of us have young babies at home and like to have some girl time out. My only problem is that I've been reading so much that sometimes I mix up the book we read for book club with another one. I love reading and escaping with the characters into a new universe.