Why am I a St. Jude Partner in Hope?  The answer is simple. 

Because I have a little boy. Brody is 4 ½ years old and I can't imagine a world without the simple daily joys he affords me.  My heart bleeds for any parent left with only the memories of a child taken too soon from cancer.

I'm a Partner in Hope because:

  • Every time we walk outside, he reaches up with his little hand and grabs mine.
  • I love the way he stretches out the word Dadddddee when addressing me.
  • He always asks at least 3 or 4 questions about the story I just read to him.  Because he doesn’t want me to leave yet…
  • Every time we ask him if he wants to go to a game, he asks what mascot is going to be there.
  • He’s getting so much better at his please and thank yous.
  • He loves his family so much and always wants to see his Grandpa Dukes, his Grammy and his Papa.
  • Every time I go to walk the dogs, he asks “Can I go with you to walk the boys outside?”
  • Even when he’s being a little poop head, he still makes me smile while I’m trying to hold in my frustration.
  • When I ask him how his dinner is, he says it’s “Good.  The chicken is good.  Nice and crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside”
  • He just told me about his new girlfriend at school.
  • He hated trick-or-treating and yelled "This is the worst Halloween ever" after he rang a strangers doorbell.
  • He knows I miss my best friend Joe who passed away 4 years ago.  And he brings him up in conversation to me, almost as if he knows I want to talk about him.
  • He loves to wear costumes and play dress up and be characters.
  • Try as I might, he doesn’t give a shit about playing sports.

I know there are moms and dads out there that had a little boy once.  And they would give anything to hold their hold little hand, bring them to Grammy/Papas house, go trick-or-treating, hear about girlfriends, and take them meet a mascots.

What these moms and dads have left are memories of their child as a 4 or 5 year-old. An incomplete story...an incomplete life.

I can’t think of a life without my little man.

Because of that, I’m a Partner in Hope.

Please become a Partner In Hope. Your $20 donation per month (on your credit card) helps continue the fight. You will also receive a "This Shirt Saves Lives" t-shirt and tickets to our 2020 Heartstrings For Hope concert with Devin Dawson. Be a part of history, help fight childhood cancer.

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