Reaching high . . .

As part of our trip to Australia, Make-A-Wish allowed MacKale to choose three excursions that they would help organize during our trip to the Gold Coast.  The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary was one of the locations he chose to visit.

It's really a beautiful facility that allows you to get up close and personal with some of Australia's most interesting, cuddly and beautiful animals.

Some of the residents were more cuddly than others . . . 

But even the more temperamental ones were fascinating to watch  . . .

The facility is top notch without being overwhelming large and crowded . . .

The animals were fabulous in and of themselves, but if you really want to experience the sanctuary you need to get up high.  And by high I mean, way up in the trees.  The Currumbin Sanctuary has an added attraction of having an amazing Treetops Rope Course.  There are 80 crazy rope course obstacles including 11 zip lines that will take you to the tops of their trees overlooking the park.   

Mac picked this location as one of his excursions specifically because of this feature  . . .  I admit that I was INCREDIBLY nervous about it. Since his amputation, there has been a sense of 'no fear' with this kid, but I also wanted to be reasonable about his limitations.   This ropes course was WAY WAY WAY out of my own 50 plus-year-old body's comfort zone, but there was no way I was going to go all the way to Australia and not do it.  So up in the trees we went.

The obstacles start out what they consider to be at a beginners level as they bring you high and higher into the tops of the trees.  

I had no idea how it would be for MacKale on one leg plus a loaner . . .

MaGill  had no fear . . .

And McCoy took to the heights like a regular little monkey . . .

even when they got WAY up there.

I wish I had been able to get off the course faster to take pictures of some of the more daunting challenges, but I think these will give you an idea of how physically demanding just the few I captured were and how high into the trees the course took you.

I will never forget this moment when I could hear the dingos howling from their dens below this obstacle and McCoy and MacKale up in the treetops howling back at them.

It's definitely something that would never happen back home.  And because the ropes course wasn't enough . . .

There was also zip lining interwoven into the mix just to keep things interesting. 

Most of the zip lines were through the tops of the trees . . .

But a couple of them took us over the crocodile's pen . . .

and the kangaroo enclosure . . .

Of the three courses, 80 obstacles, and 11 zip lines, Mike, McCoy and MacKale finished every single one in a little over 3 hours.  (MaGill was too short for the black, advanced course so he and I completed the first two courses and then went crock shock zip lining, and I was able to run back in the woods to get these few pictures and videos.)   Proud momma moment?  You have no idea.  

I think each of us has our own favorite moments of our trip to Australia, but for me, despite my bruises and sore body the next day (Getting old is the pits!)  The Currumbin Sanctuary's Treetop Course was favorite part.  I could have never imagined three years ago while we were in the depths of chemo and surgery that our entire family would have the opportunity to travel to Australia.  That alone was a miracle and blessing, but to think of all us  . . . our entire family in the trees above all the animals of the sanctuary and pushing ourselves beyond what we thought ever capable  . . . it made my momma heart proud.  And it solidified the fact that while we may not always understand the path that God is putting before us . . . it might not be the path we choose . . . it might be ugly and hard and there may be tears of frustration along the way . . . we will get through it, we will reach new heights, accomplish seemingly impossible tasks and there will be joy on the other side.  

We all found our joy at Currumbin!  

Wishes . . .

Make a wish . . .

https://www.facebook.com/makeawishmi/

MacKale's first oncology appointment, on that first day when Dr. Mitchell laid her plan of action out for us and gave us all the good, the bad and the ugly of what was to come with MacKale's treatment and then after, she took MacKale aside and said, 'MacKale, you have an important job. Have you ever heard of Make-A-Wish? . . .'  At which point, she began to explain to him that he had a job to think of a wish, a big wish and focus on it during treatment.  MacKale didn't know at the time what he was about to face with treatment and surgery, but he knew that no matter what he was facing, he could focus on that wish as the end goal. 

I will be honest though.  Mike and I were not real comfortable with the idea of 'a wish' for MacKale when Dr. Mitchell brought it up that first day.  We always kind of felt like there were others out there far worse off than we were, and that a 'wish' seemed a bit extravagant and it made us uncomfortable to consider 'wishes' when the only thing we were wishing for was to save our child's life.  But Dr. Mitchell, knowing us as well as she did, simply looked at Mike and me when we started to object and said, 'this one isn't about you . . . this is about MacKale.  He needs this."  And once again . . . she was right.  The ability to make a wish and have that wish as something to focus on in the midst of the chaos of cancer treatment and surgery and all that comes with it is a blessing that can not quite fully be expressed.  It sustains kids in the darkest times of treatment . . .

And so right after MacKale started treatment, our Make-A-Wish team, Rose and Sam, came and visited MacKale at home to talk about what his wish might be.  It's kind of a nerve-wracking process for a parent, because, Mike and I had no influence over the wish-making process.   Sam and Rose did an amazing job of spending time with MacKale and really helping him pinpoint some things that he may like. They told him to 'wish big' without any guarantees of a specific wish coming true, but to do it anyway.  While all wishes might not be possible, they would try their best to do what they could. Kids wish to meet famous athletes and stars, they wish for vacations to Disneyland or for bedroom makeovers, toys or even swimming pools.  It's crazy the amazing things that Make-A-Wish has been able to accomplish for kids.   At the time that MacKale was trying to pinpoint his wish, we were in the hospital watching A LOT of television.  If it wasn't ESPN or the Golf Channel, then it was Animal Planet.  As a result, top on Mac's list were things like . . . have a tree house build by the Tree House Masters, go to a Super Bowl or Augusta for the Masters or travel to Steve Irwin's Zoo in Australia.  I wasn't really sure what would end up being his top choice, but knowing his love of adventure, experiences and a wanderlust for travel over 'stuff,'  I shouldn't have been surprised that a trip to Australia topped his list. 

While most wishes don't take three years in the making, I requested that we wait to fulfill MacKale's wish until his original surgery healed and he was able to walk and could enjoy such a trip.  I couldn't imagine Australia on crutches would be much fun.  But then . . . that leg never really did heal well enough for us to make those plans in time and when we knew we would be facing reconstruction or amputation,  Mike and I kind of doubted that MacKale's wish would ever come to fruition.  I asked Make-A-Wish if we could have some more time to figure out what we were going to do about MacKale's mobility because ultimately, a trip that far wasn't going to happen until and unless we could get this boy moving.   They graciously kept his wish on hold and waited for us.  

Fast forward to this amazing year of changes . . .  Granted, his version of mobility may not be the same as other 14-year-old boys his age . . . never-the-less, MacKale is walking . . . independently and on his own. He is strong (and tall--where the heck did that come from . . .)  His amputation has been a game changer for him and our entire family.  So after a year of cancer treatment and another two years finding his way back to walking, we were finally at a point where we felt our entire family could pack our bags and embrace an adventure.

(cue the Men At Work music)  

Australia Here We Come!

There are so many people that make a wish like this possible.  The coordination and organization alone were amazing.  Everything down to the last detail was laid out for us and our Michigan Make-A-Wish had thought of everything . . . even a ride to the airport.   

The Verhey Limousine company out of Grand Rapids not only picked us up for the first leg of our adventure but when our flight out of Grand Rapids go changed and our connection in Detroit was in jeopardy of being missed, they graciously offered to drive us to Detroit. 

Once we arrived in Detroit, it was smooth sailing.  Delta and Virgin Airlines took great care of us throughout our entire trip.

And when you're traveling as far and long as we were, that's no small feat.  

The attendants were gracious enough to take care of MacKale's 'leg' so he could be more comfortable during the long 13 hour trip from LAX to Brisbane.  His leg actually flew first class and got to hang out up at the bar until they had to 'cut it off.'  (Ok so that was probably actually not as funny as it sounded after 20 hours of flying, but at the time it cracked us all up.)

From Brisbane, we drove to the Gold Coast's Surfer Paradise to get settled in our 40th-floor condo at the Mantra Circle on Cavill for the week. What an amazing view . . .

and weather!  

We were exhausted but excited for our week of fun and adventure in Australia.

There is just so much to share about our amazing trip . . . we could have blown up Facebook and Instagram over the course of our trip, but Mike and I made a conscious decision to go Social Media free and just BE.  We still took tons of photos and video that we would love to share, we just didn't want to take precious time during our trip posting pictures when we could be living and loving life in Australia.  So if you're interested in seeing more stop by MacKale's blog over the next couple of days, and I will share some pictures and highlights from our trip.  

So tomorrow . . . the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Tree Tops Rope Course Challenge and Zip Lines and my absolute favorite moment of our trip . . . I mean, if I really have to choose just one. 

Because We Won't Stop . . .

I realize that it has been a LONG time since I've updated MacKale's blog.  Trust me when I say, no news is good news.  We have been blissfully happy, living a scan free life for six months.  But then, I thought, after all this time, today would be an appropriate day to touch base and catch up.  Today is the last day of September and the last day of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.  It just so happens that it was also three years ago today that Mike and I traveled with MacKale to Devos to begin the journey that would take him from diagnosis to treatment to surgery to more treatment and on and on and on  . . . until today! Three years  . . . many buckets of tears . . . hours of prayer . . . countless miles in the car and by plane visiting doctors . . . to get to  . . . today!

Today, Mac is happy and whole and living life to fullest.  In fact, he's golfing in Arizona this weekend which is just about the best way to thumb his nose at cancer.  He doesn't dwell on the past. He's a "living in the here and now" kind of kid.

He spent the summer at camps . . . on rope courses of all things . . .

golfing a lot and just hanging out like a typical kid.

He's back in school and managing the JV soccer team.  I wonder and worry sometimes that watching all his friends playing the sport he loved so dearly must be disappointing to him . . . but he tells me, 'At least I'm doing something, and I'm not sitting around at home.'  He's right. He's not sitting around at home.  We can hardly keep up with his and his brothers' schedules. The truth is, having his leg amputated has given him a great deal of freedom and a new, brighter look on life.  And he has told us it was the best decision he could have ever made.  We couldn't agree more, and it, surprisingly, seems like the most natural thing ever to see him walking with a prosthetic.  He doesn't get a lot of sympathy from his brothers, he can do darn near anything, and much to his brothers' delight, his chore list has gotten significantly longer.

The one thing we didn't anticipate was that he would grow so much.  In fact, he's outgrown his socket and so in the next week, he'll be traveling back down to Mary Freebed to get fitted for a new socket and pick up a new knee.  It's exciting times.  And it makes it really easy for all of us to forget that come December, we are right back at scans.  We continue to pretend that cancer has left our life until that day comes back around . . . but it always comes back around and when it does, it reminds us of how hard this journey has been and how much we wish we could rid the world of this horrendous killer that is taking away too many of our children. I know the lessons I have learned and the change that being a cancer mom has had on me,  how cancer has changed Mike and the little boys and, of course, Mac.  And while I believe we are stronger for it, I don't wish this experience on any parent, sibling or child.

And that's why during the month of September, we are especially annoying and in your face about the facts surrounding pediatric cancer.  If you follow my personal page or Mike's on Facebook, I'm sure I have cluttered your feed daily with the truth about pediatric cancer.

I thank God for our family and friends that support us in this . . . from taking up the cause like Mike's office . . .

to cutting out ginormous yellow ribbons for signs like the parents of Mac's golfing buddy Harry . . . (thank you Chipmans)

to simply sharing our posts. . . .


I know we were a little over the top, but honestly, I am not sorry for it.  I love you all, and I appreciate your support and prayers, but I can't be sorry for making anyone uncomfortable when it comes to kids dying of cancer and very little being done about it.  So I post my uncomfortable statistics and pray that all of you will not be blind like I once was to all of it. I pray that you will extend the same kindness and support you gave our family during the darkest days of our life to the 1000s of kids that need you to be their voice.  I hope that, unlike me, you won't just scroll through and look at the statistics and think 'that's so sad' because that's exactly what I did before cancer struck our family.  I felt bad about it, I had empathy . . . but I didn't do a damn thing about it.  And now . . . well now it's personal. Now I'm mad. Now I'm frustrated. Now I'm ready to do something.  Because you see . . . I'm a mom and I'm a teacher and it's just in my DNA to take care of kids and want what's best for them and MORE THAN 4% of funding for pediatric cancer IS the right thing.   If we continue with only 4% then we will continue to see kids dying.  We will not change the fact that in the 30 days that I shared all these facts about pediatric cancer, nearly 21,900 kids across the world were diagnosed with cancer and 7500 died . . . in JUST 30 days.

So when you're saying your prayers for MacKale and our family (and please keep us in those prayers), please pray for a change and a miracle.  Pray that we will find a way to cure this horrendous disease, to shake up the big drug companies, to make saving kids a priority.  And if you find it in your heart to do more . . . then bless you.  And if you can't, then please share our message, indulge us with our annoying posts and continue to pray.

And in case you missed it . . .

30 Days of Pediatric Cancer Awareness

and finally . . .

Blessings to you all and keep those prayers coming!