Thanksgiving, Day 11: My Son Josh

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I am very thankful to have Josh in my life. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from him: How to take risks, how to have patience and, most recently, how to persevere so many challenges. In the last year, he has gone from being a normal, seemingly healthy teenager to a cancer warrior.

Josh, I wish you the best birthday ever. As luck would have it, your birthday landed on a day when you weren’t on chemotherapy, didn’t need to get a blood test, didn’t have any other types of doctors’ appointments, and don’t have therapy scheduled. This might sound like a typical day-in-the-life for most people, but what you are going through is not typical. I’ve learned to appreciate the peacefulness of a “boring” day when we can just stay at home and have a little less to worry about. Not every day can be like today. Tomorrow will be busier, and your next round of chemotherapy is coming up soon. But, I’ve also learned to appreciate every day I have with you. The best moments are when I can make you laugh, share memes, or talk about our favorite topics.

My birthday wish for you is that you have more days like today in the near future. A day where your chemotherapy treatments have ended, you have fewer doctors’ appointments, and you can focus on normal things like school and continuing to recover. That everyday you know that I am proud of the progress that you’ve made, and that I love you.