Community

Today we were a part of a wonderful community campaign.  Fynn, a four year old in our region, was diagnosed with a rare from of (myeloid?) luekiema.  He is in need of a stem cell trans(plant/fusion?) and after searching the world wide data base of 7-8 million people they didn't come up with anyone.  We went to a blood-typing assembly line which was amazingly orgainzed and full of people.  We arrived right at the beginning and people were already lined up out the door of a high school sized gymnasim.  We were only there about 50 minutes, including registering and drawing blood.  I was so struck by the shear number of people who were there to help a little boy they didn't know.  Of course some people did know him...Jan heard a Dad showing a picture of Fynn to his son, saying 'you know him from the playground, remember?'  I was honored to be part of such a community mission and we hope they will find a match - I even hope it will be me! 

To anyone local:  the article I linked to also has information how to donate.  Each blood typing process costs €50, so they are thankful for any and all donations.

To everyone:  I encourage you to go and have your information "typed" so you can be added to the data base in order to help other children like Fynn in the future.  The whole time I kept thinking...this could be my son - how eternally grateful I would be for everyone's help.  Please keep Fynn and his family in your thoughts and prayers.  How thankful I am tonight for my healthy baby sleeping peacefully in his bed.

A Day of Thanksgiving

On Sunday, January 10th, Jan, Blaise, Grandma, Grandpa and I went to Uni-klinik Children's Hospital to give thanks for what we inofficially named Blaise's "second" birthday.  It was the day he was admitted and operated on and the day he was healed.  It was a strange day for me, I kept watch on the clock and kept thinking about what I was doing a year ago at that time.  It was a day full of terror, emotion and relief.  Our trip to the hospital was a reminder for us of how thankful we are and to pass on our thanks to the medical staff who are there every day helping families like us.  We visited the NICU, the "normal" floor where he moved after his NICU stint and dropped something off for Blaise's surgeon.  We took with us a miniscule token of our appreciation in the form of pasteries for the doctors and nurses.  We have vowed to do this every year on this day to show appreciation for all those this field and to make Blaise aware of how these talented people saved him.  Should we not be in Mainz one year we'll visit the closest Children's Hospital and give our thanks for medical staff who is helping babies like our friends Sam and Liam. 

I don't really know how to say thank you, but to just keep doing it over and over again.

Here are pictures from our walk up: