Real Talk: Family Edition

So, the truth is, I'm really close with my family. My mom and dad, every one knows, are extremely important to me and have always been my biggest cheerleaders.  My sis, while we might not always agree, was the first little girl I ever wanted to take care of when I was just the ripe ol' age of 8. And of course you know my daughter is my whole world. But it goes beyond that. My extended family means the world to me. My aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, in-laws and friends that have become family. I have a lot of people that I love very much and I am a lucky, blessed girl. And of course, when one of this family is hurting, well that makes me hurt, too. This is really a terrible preface to where I'm going but I'm trying because this is something that's really hard for me to talk about so just hang in there, okay?

So, I went on a road trip with my parents and A and the dogs in April. I was excited to just get away and relax and I figured the time "unplugged" would do me some good and I would have plenty of time to work on my novel. A few days into the road trip, my aunt called with some news. As it turns out, her husband, my uncle, had a brain tumor. At that very instant the news was shared, there was no question we were going to go "up home" to New England to be with the family during this time. It was almost as if none of us in the RV had to even say anything, we all just knew that's what we were going to do. So we drove back to Maryland, hopped on a plane the next day and flew to Maine. We visited in the hospital before my uncle had surgery to get his brain tumor removed. The surgery seemed to go well, but of course a brain tumor is never a good sign of anything. After a couple week's time, my aunt and uncle shared more news. My uncle has been diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread creating tumors in the brain.

This news breaks my heart to think about. The whole situation. At first, I was pissed, to be honest. I just kept wondering why do bad things happen to good people? It just isn't fair. My uncle is an awesome dude. He served his time in the Army as well as served as a volunteer fireman in New Hampshire for 17 years. He's a really funny guy and I am always laughing around him - hell he's still even funny after this news! He put others before himself, not only as a dad and husband but as a firefighter. He was injured during a water rescue and of course ran into burning buildings, in the line of duty. He loves his kids and his wife, my aunt. My aunt works really hard and is also an amazing person. She is my dad's youngest sister and I get mistakenly called her name quite often. Which I find hilarious every time. She, too, is a funny lady (hey, my whole family is, what can I say?) and she is one of the most positive people I know, even through this whole situation. My cousins are 16 and 20 and I hate that they have to see their dad go through this. The son is going to the fire academy to also become a fireman. They're awesome kids (can I even call him a kid since he's 20? Probably not. SORRY!) and to me, it's just incredibly unfair that this is happening to them.

Even though they live in New Hampshire, they've always been a constant in my life. Sine I was little I've spent many summers in New England. They were there for my graduation from college - sporting shirts my mom made with my face and she did it! printed on them (I was late for graduation and my aunts and mom came running down to rescue me from traffic. One of my aunts drove my car to find a parking spot while my mom and aunt ran me to get to graduation on time!) They were there for my wedding. They were there in Florida for Jonny's funeral. We've gone on vacations together. We've had good talks. I just love them. And I hate that they have to face this scary time. But I will be damned if they face it alone. No way, no how.

I want to help at the very least. There's not much I can really do. I'm not a doctor, I'm not a therapist, I'm not a cancer professional, I'm not much except for one gal that really loves them. So the first thing I'm going to do is share their story, share how awesome they are and ask for help. Unfortunately, they do not have health insurance and I honestly don't even want to think about what the medical bills are going to be as well as every day bills on top of that. My mom worked with Lynn (from St Pete's H.O.T. who put together Ariana's trust fund fundraiser and works with our troops) to set up a fundraising page for my uncle and  his family. Our family. I'm just asking you to please check out the fundraising page and if there's anything you can spare, please make a donation. Every dollar will help. It will mean a lot to them, it will mean a lot to me.

Click here to help out!

Thank you guys. I will try my best to be less non existant, but as you can see, times are a little crazy right now. I'm asking also for prayers, well wishes, and happy vibes.

Semper Fi,
Mrs. P