No Power In The 'Verse Can Stop Me

Most people love to share, be it their cookies, life stories, their opinion of Facebook, just about anything that can be passed on from one to another.  Jayne is one of those people.  He can't share in the usual ways because his food is breast milk (nobody else really wants that), he lacks distinguishable language skills, though he does know how to communicate, and we won't let him have cookies because of Cookie Monster's tragic overdose a few years back.  But he loves to share his smiles and laughs with everyone and anyone, as long as he has been given time to size you up.  It's hard to not be affected by him when he is in a good mood (which is most of the time, all things considered).  However, his other form of charity to the people around him revolves around the one thing that all of humanity share: bodily functions.  That was precisely the method which Jayne used to wake us up this morning, peeing on mom.  It started as a rivulet but soon became a torrent of "Oh god what is that?  Why? Why?".

So that was fun.

In the past couple of days we have been visited and contacted by some very good people who were interested in spreading Jayne's story and our ongoing struggle with leukemia.  We had a photographer come in yesterday morning to capture the awesome little ball of cuteness that is my son.  He posed and smiled, even did a few things on that we had been hoping to get a picture of, like his stinkbug routine.  The name of the organization is Flashes of Hope and their goal is to photograph every single child with cancer to spread awareness of these brave individuals and the unfathomable circumstance that they and their families have been thrust into with only one option: to fight their way out as best as they can.  They not only capture just how heartbreaking it is for a child to have cancer but how, incredibly, there are twinkles of immense cheer, optimism, and strength within them.  Sometimes it is hard to see those sparks when they are hidden behind IV stands, a wheelchair, a head covering, and trapped within the confines of the walls which scream, "Sick person here!".  And so, Flashes of Hope strives to bring those dazzling lights within each child to the forefront and show the rest of the world  that cancer is not the end and that there is still something that can be done, not just for the kids currently diagnosed, but for the millions who have yet to be diagnosed, the ones who aren't even born yet.  It isn't just a fight for the now, but a fight for the future, one that I have really take upon myself to further in anyway I can.  

One of the ways that I try to accomplish this is through exposure.  No, not being dropped in Alaska naked and dipped in bear bate.  Every picture of Jayne that we put up, every charity that grabs a hold of his story and runs with it (sometimes quite literally), every person who has wanted to do something for my family, every article written about the subject, helps spread the good word.  Those words are, "We can beat this", though sometimes those words become the background of this very blog.  On Thursday night, I was put into contact with a man by the name of Rodolfo Roman, a writer for Fox News Latino.  In Florida.  He had heard about Justin Gaethje donating his gloves for the auction down in Safford and how the World Series of Fighting not only did a story on it for their website but then went a step further and donated things of their own in an effort to bring in some more financial support for the three of us.  Mr. Roman wanted to write an article on Jayne and how Justin helped him out in his time of need.  So we talked for half an hour or so about Jayne, about the leukemia, about the situation that my wife and I were suddenly thrust into, and my desire to use this experience as a spearhead to do whatever I could to help every family who has to go through this or will go through this.  

Lastly, we got a message on Facebook from one of our friends in the Mountains concerning a wristband sale for Jayne's benefit.  They are fairly simple: orange (the color of leukemia-fighters everywhere, making them very bad at being ninjas but safe when they are riding bikes at night) and saying simply, "The Boy They Call Jayne".  It's a good name, we should give a medal to whomever came up with it...  Anyway, it's five dollars per band and there are two sizes, youth and adult.  My sources tell me that youth fits adult, so I think it should be more akin to adult and Hulk but that's just me.  They should be here in a week or so, I don't think there is a group or event page on everyone's favorite stalking medium, but the post was shared by Shay, Cherla, and myself.  

I would, again, like to thank everyone who has thrown their hat into our ring.  Not just financially but morally as well.  It has been very helpful to us to know that we have so many people rooting for Jayne and willing to help out however they can, even if that is just sharing this blog with others around them or telling them about the auction or marking Jayne's Day on your calendar (it's June 11, in case you forgot, more to come on that).  Sometimes the best thing that you can do is just to be there and we are quite lucky that our friends and family are as amazing as they have been.  Thank you all, I consider each and every one of you to be my friend.  Your support of this tiny lad fighting for his future and, in some aspects his very life, makes you mighty.