From Mom...

'Children with cancer are like candles in the wind who accept the possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of wind from nowhere and yet, they flicker and dance to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzles those of us who watch their light.'

Someone from our rhabdo support group shared this today and I loved it! Nick has truly been brilliant through his challenges as I watch him grow and learn from this mysterious teacher called cancer.

Nick was very brief when writing about his encounter with Lee's Strategic Coach class we visited last week. Here's my spin...Lee coaches hundreds of entrepreneurs, mainly out of Chicago, on a quarterly basis. Each one has personally followed Nick's journey and have expressed their heartfelt wishes of healing, prayers, words of encouragement, etc. But it is difficult for Lee to convey the magnitude of these messages to Nick of just how many people from all over the world are supporting him -just not the same as hearing it directly.

Lee was hosting a group of about 50 in Salt Lake City and invited Nick and I to stop in to say hi - Nick would have the opportunity to meet some of the people that have been rooting for him over the past 18 months. We snuck in as Lee was wrapping up before the lunch break. He announced that he had brought in his Positive Focus to share and asked Nick and I to come up front. I have met several of the participants and staff over the years, so everyone waved and said hi to me. Then Lee said to them, "And this young man here, is Nick..." The entire room stood up and gave Nick a full-on standing ovation! The compassion and warmth was overwhelming! Nick and I stood in between Lee as Lee tried to regain his emotions (applause still going). He smacked Nick on the side of the head, but still couldn't find the words to speak. He smacked him again, this time getting a worried look from Nick that silently stated, "Hey, get a grip before you hurt me!" Lee turned the time over to the group to go ahead and ask Nick anything they wanted.

The group continued to stand as one after another asked Nick questions and tearfully shared stories of their own journeys made easier by Nick's inspiration. Some questions were tough, "My friend is dying from cancer and has given up. What can I say to him?" to my personal favorite, "Are you cancer free?" Nick's answer of being in remission for 10 months brought out another round of applause. When they finally broke for lunch, several stayed to shake Nick's hand to offer congratulations. One friend of ours is a paraplegic. He told Nick, "You inspire me, man! Watch, I WILL walk again someday!" Nick 100% believes he will. Another friend had taken a Gratitude Rock with him when he had to have prostate cancer surgery. When the nurses asked him why he had the rock, our friend responded, "To remind me that this is nothing compared to what my buddy, Nick has gone through"

This was a very important afternoon for Nick. He got to personally witness the strength of just a few of those that have been in his corner helping his fight. But more importantly, he got to thank them. Very impactful and very beautiful. I am very thankful to Lee and Strategic Coach for sharing this amazing group of powerful individuals with our family.

On a lighter note, I'm training for the marathon and I truly hate it. I happen to hate cancer more, so I'll keep doing it. I'm going to try and take some pictures of our various family members in their misery (feel free to forward any picts you may have and I'd love to post them here, too). No pictures of me - that isn't funny.

With love,

Lori