Last Friday, June 5th, Nick, Isaac and I participated in Relay for Life which was held in Cedar Rapids, IA. Nick and I have both participated in Relay for Life in the past but this year was EXTRA special to us.
For those of you that don't know Relay for Life is a nationwide event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. It's a fun filled night with live music. Of course, Isaac started dancing right away. ;-) People come and walk around a track all through the night. They have luminaries lining the track. You can dedicate a luminary for anyone that lost the fight with cancer, survived it, or is currently fighting it. As we walked the track we found Isaac's...
As many of you know Nick works are Target and we were blessed by so many of Nick's team there. They made Target t-shirts that said "#TeamIsaac" on the back. They also made Isaac a shirt that said "I am Isaac". :-) It was so heartwarming to see so many of Nick's co-workers support us through this fight.
At one point of the night they honor cancer survivors during the "Survivor Walk" around a track. The American Cancer Society defines "survivor" as anyone who has ever heard the words "You have cancer". It doesn't matter if you already fought and are in the clear or if you are in the midst of fighting. Thus, this makes Isaac a cancer SURVIVOR! So, Nick, and I were able to walk around the track with Isaac during the survivor walk. This was a special time for us. They lines us up in groups by the time period which you were diagnosed. Isaac was in the 1 year or less group. Each survivor received a medal and 1 ribbon per year you have lived with your diagnosis. Since Isaac was diagnosed this year he received 1 ribbon. Next year he will get 2, and so on and so on. We saw some people with a whole lot of ribbons ;-) Good for them!
I have a feeling that this is an event that will be close to our family's heart for a long time in coming. We foresee our family going each year and it will be exciting to see Isaac grow up and be able to walk as a survivor with an increasing amount of ribbons each year. :-)
Nick's parents were even able to make it for the event. They drove all the way from Texas and arrived just in the nick-of-time. Here is a picture of Tom (Nick's stepdad) and Isaac taken by a giant HOPE sign... so fitting. :-)
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