Happy Birthday!!

Well, today is Matthew's fourth birthday. My sweet boy. He's excited that he'll be four now, and he definitely knows what kinds of presents he wants, but I know he doesn't grasp the depth of meaning this day holds.

I know that all of my children's birthdays will hold a new, special meaning to me now. It is a celebration of life. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father that he spared the life of my son. I am so thankful that the rest of my children have had healthy lives.

I don't know if I've mentioned this in Matthew's blog before or not - I know I've written it elsewhere, so I apologize if I'm repeating myself. I have a friend who is somewhere in her early fourties, I assume. She told me shortly after Matthew's diagnosis (after I told her how good his chances are) that she remembers when she was a little girl, Leukemia was essentially a death sentence. The numbers agree. In 1970, it was first discovered that some patients could survive Leukemia. That's only 41 years ago.

30 years ago, the survival rate was roughly 10%. My friend said that news of a diagnosis like that was spoken quietly when she was a child. The family would plan a special trip - like to Disneyland or something - to make some good last memories. Then they would come home and put the child in treatment, in hopes of prolonging their life, and meanwhile, they would plan the funeral.

Fast forward 20 years - 10 years ago, the survival rate was roughly 50 - 70%. So 1 out of every 2 diagnosed kids would live. That's awful, still! I have seen 4 kids diagnosed with Matthew's same type of cancer since he was diagnosed - and those are just the families I've met. So, out of our five, 2 or 3 wouldn't have made it. That makes my heart hurt to think about.

Today, a child with Matthew's diagnosis has an 85-90% chance of a complete cure at the end of treatment. Boys have to go through treatment for a year longer than girls, but even though his treatment plan is long, I feel completely confident that he will beat this. At the end of his treatment, if he was one of the unlucky 10-15% who is not cured, we would still have options for him. Options like Bone Marrow Transplant, or radiation therapy. In my mind, that adds even more to his chances of survival.

The reason I share all of that is because today - on his birthday - I really feel the depth of how lucky we are. I am reflecting back on all of the families who have sacrificed, and so many who have paid the ultimate price, to improve treatment. I cannot ever hope to pay them back, but will spend my life paying it forward.

I'm so thankful to be living in this day and age. In another time in history, this would probably already have had a very different outcome, and I'm painfully aware of that. Every time I think of how much his treatment sucks, I remind myself that it's better than the alternative. I'm so thankful to the families who came before us who found it in their hearts to give extra blood and bone marrow for study purposes, knowing that although it wasn't going to help their child, it might help another child in the future. It worked. I hope they know that. I'm thankful that because of them, we can celebrate his life today.

So, join me in celebrating. Not just for him, but for all who came before him. He is a vibrant little boy, who will live on to lead a full life, and I am positive he will be a leader who will affect the lives of many.

Today is his first birthday as a SURVIVOR! May many, many more follow.

Happy birthday, Sweet Matthew Burr! We love you!