Meeting Angels......

One thing I was told before we came to NYC was once we stepped foot into the Ronald McDonald house life would never be the same.  That is an understatement.  The gift of the surgery was one thing but meeting the kids at the house was something else.  They have a way of capturing your heart.  Some of the best times we spent while staying there were the late nights.  Many of the children that "live" there are in treatment at one of the nearby hospitals.  Many of them sleep in the afternoons and are wide awake late at night.  Morgan made a few friends while staying there...one of the first was a 5 yr old little boy Nathen.  He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma and had been living in the RMH while he had his treatments.   Nathen has this way of capturing you with his smile.   I met his Mom Amanda there too.  He has moved to California for treatment...praying every day for a cure!! While the kids play, or eat a very late meal the Moms sit and talk, do nails, or just hang out in the dining hall mostly.   Morgan really enjoyed getting to know all the kids.  Many of the parents asked "What type of cancer does your son have?"  I felt really sad, knowing we were there for such a simple surgery, and they were there fighting for survival.  It made me feel guilty for feeling happiness knowing the everyday battles they faced.  I met another family that week also...a beautiful little girl Ashlynn Hauser, she stayed there with her mom Danielle Howard.  She had the most beautiful eyes and smile.  She lost her battle in December 2011 and is now an Angel flying free.  No more pain and no more suffering.  Here is a picture of the three of them one night enjoying popsicles.....

There were many more children we met and parents that each had a story of their journey...each different in some ways but like in others.  We feel so blessed to have met each and every one of them.  We will never forget the time we spent with them. 

We went on several trips throughout that week.  The first trip was to Scarsdale NY to visit the Scarsdale Fire department for their 2nd annual "A day in the Country".  The fire department set up a complete carnival for the RMH Camp kids, games where everyone wins, a rock climbing wall and a huge picnic for the kids and their families!  They also took all of us to the local swimming pool, where they had rented it just for us.  The kids could spend a day outside having fun...forgetting for just that afternoon that they were sick.  They could just be kids having fun and playing.  It was awesome!  The local Rotary Club gave each child a tote bag stuffed with goodies. 

                                        

Another day we took a Luxury tour bus to the Jershey Shore where one of the camp counselors, his family and neighbors opened up their beach houses to the entire camp for the afternoon.  We were able to go to the beach, relax in the air conditioning, play mini golf, and have a picnic catered by the local neighbor hood.  It was another great day to get out of the city.

                                         

The evening meals were mostly brought in by local businesses/corporations, with volunteers to help serve and spend time with the families.  One evening a carnival atmosphere was arranged on one of the terrace patios at the RMH.  Complete with face painting, caricature drawings of the kids, and a magic show too.

Morgan getting his face painted, with Nathen, Ashlynn and Stella watching.

Morgan decided to venture out alone one day.  With the help of the maintenance man at the RMH we took the subway and train to Hoboken to see "Carlos Bakery"  where Cake Boss is filmed.  We actually maneuvered pretty well in the city and found our way without a problem.  Well at least until we got there and realized there was a 3 hour wait in the hot sun.  I asked a really nice lady to take our picture in front of the bakery.  We really only wanted to get a few cannolis, so I asked her if she would but us a few when she went in the bakery.  We took the cannolis with us on the train and went to Times Square.  One of my favorite memories was eating cannolis in the plaza area watching people walk by.

                   

It really amazed me how well Morgan did after the surgery.  One of the main challenges was keeping him cool, but we managed.   One of the last nights we were there, late at night as usual, we were hanging out with some of the kids making balloon animals and playing.  I had an idea, I asked the kids if they would like to see Morgan dance some of his Hip Hop dances.  So we moved into the living room on the first floor and the kids all squeezed together on the one sofa.  Morgan did a few dances for them that he learned here in our after school program called "Reach" .  I heard one of the little girls say "This is fun wish we had some popcorn!"  The smiles on their faces were worth it all, they really seemed to enjoy watching him.  I only wished we had organized a time to show the whole camp and maybe even teach them an easy dance...maybe someday. 

Our week was coming to an end...we were called by Diane at Little Baby Face Foundation telling us we would be filming a documentary on Monday when the bandages came off.  We arrived there early in the morning and two other families were there also.  This was such an exciting day. 

He looked AMAZING!!!

We returned back to the RMH to get our things and get ready to leave. I knew saying goodbye was going to be hard.  I packed everything and cleaned our room.  We moved everything into the dining hall until it was time to leave for the train station.  Morgan went to say good bye to all the kids and before I knew it he was back crying big crocodile tears.  At first I thought maybe someone bumped his ears..but he said "No...I went down to the kids room to say good bye to everyone and the counselor said Hey everybody Morgan is going home today !! Everyone turned and said Good Bye Morgan"  I said I know we have to leave...he said " You don't understand I can't leave my kids!.. I told him they have to stay there to have treatment and get better.  We have to go back home .  Wow I just imagined seeing all those beautiful kids we had been so lucky to meet....smiling at him and happy that he was going home.  This was so bittersweet...we have had an experience we will never forget.  The surgery was a gift but meeting everyone and the experiences we have had at the RMH was more than I ever could have imagined.  In a few hours we would be boarding the train for home, going back to our lives.  But our lives would never be the same... (just a quick note to all who read my blog...to understand this entry please read the three previous ones oldest to newest,..,.it will complete the story ... :)