Christmas in New York truly is magical, even under our circumstances.
Today, we spent the morning hanging out at the Ronald McDonald House, just enjoying the activities they had going on. Around one, I skipped out, hailed a cab, and went to pick up Liz so we could do a little holiday shopping. I had yet to get Wood a thing—talk about waiting until the last minute. Today really was the only free day I’ve had alone to do his shopping.
Liz and I walked the streets of New York for five hours straight. It was busy, chaotic, and so much fun. We had the best time together, and I feel so lucky to have her in my life. She is such an amazing young woman and truly is like a sister to me. The streets and shops were packed with people, and I could practically feel the city buzzing with holiday excitement. I loved every second of being right in the middle of it.
Today, I enjoyed escaping our reality for a few hours. Even though Liz and I talked about Ronan a lot, we spent most of the day simply soaking in our surroundings. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve.
Tonight, everyone came over to the Ronald McDonald House and we hung out. Ronan had a couple of meltdowns—he’s tired tonight—but he’s happy. Liam and Quinn have been great, and we’ve really been enjoying having them here. They love staying with us. RMH does such an amazing job creating fun activities for the kids, and every day there is something going on. We feel so blessed to be staying here for such a long time. It is a very safe, fun, positive environment. I just know Quinn and Liam are going to look back at this Christmas and remember it as a fun time, full of laughter and love.
I wonder what you are all up to. I wonder if Christmas means more to you this year. It does to me. All I want for Christmas is for my family to be healed, for my friendships to grow stronger, and for Ronan to be healthy.
It was so hard for me to see his tumor on the scan yesterday. It made everything so real. Seeing the very first scan, when the tumor was everywhere, took my breath away. It was so huge before. I just don’t understand how that thing was growing inside my baby and we had no idea. His stomach did not protrude at all. He acted and felt fine. The doctors couldn’t even feel it when they pressed on his stomach, yet it was everywhere. Such a terrifying thing.
If it hadn’t been for his little left eye, we would have never known what was going on. I am thankful every single day that it metastasized to the orbit of his eye. Otherwise, who knows when—or if—we would have caught this.
Tonight, Karen, Olivia, and Liz went to church here at 11 p.m. I wanted to go with them, but I felt like I needed to be with my boys. Karen said she was going to pray extra hard for Ronan, and for me. What a beautiful gift they have given me this Christmas. I couldn’t ask for more. The thought of those three beautiful souls sitting in a church in NYC, praying for us, brings tears to my eyes. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever been given.
I know he is going to be healed. I know he is going to grow up and be the most amazing man. There are too many people thinking and praying for it to go any other way. Too much love surrounds this little boy of ours.
This Christmas, I would like to say thank you to all of you and leave you with a little toast. To all of my family, friends, strangers—near and far—thank you for thinking of Ronan, for following his journey, and for believing in him. A toast to all of you. Cheers.
To the nearest.
To the dearest.
To the truest.
To the ones who’ve been there.
To the ones who will be there.
To dropping everything.
To honesty.
To no judgments.
To no doubts.
To loyalty.
To trust.
To humbleness.
To knowing what matters most.
To having our back.
To asking for nothing in return.
To accepting.
To loving.
To kindness.
To living your life full of selflessness.
To all of you who know this is true, and who know it is your soul we see shining through.
Happiest holidays.
Leave a Reply