December Update: Make-A-Wish makes Camryn's day and other assorted updates.

November 3rd - December 20th 2014

Well, admittedly, I have been a slacker with the blog the last 6 weeks. Things with Camryn have been going so well that I just have not felt the urgency to provide an update. Now, many reasons exist for an update, all good. First of all, since the last blog, written in early November, Camryn has been an absolute angel taking all of her medications which she is down to only three: the anti-rejection med which she will go off of in February, the anti viral pill which she will take until next June, and the magnesium pill which she will stop in June.   Camryn now has the cutest little short short hairstyle that suits her perfectly. Her hair is actually long enough now that she can actually "do something with it". Best of all, Camryn remains wart free. She has progressed so well her docs felt it was time for her to receive a flu shot because her immune system is functioning exceptionally well. Little by little we have been "introducing" Camryn back into society. She has gone with Lee Ann to some stores (early in the morning) and went with the family to select our Christmas tree over Thanksgiving. Camryn is still on track to begin attending school January 6th. Tomorrow morning (12/21/14) Camryn will return attend church for the first time since early June. She is so excited to see her friends and can't wait to "resume" living her life.

I want to share a couple of "fun" events that have happened since my last blog. First, for Thanksgiving, Lee Ann and I surprised Camryn by flying home McKay, Morgan, Casey and Kory. We had kept this all a secret so Camryn would have no idea. We had the kids go to the front door and ring the doorbell. She was shocked when she answered the door to find her siblings standing on the porch. She flew into the arms of Morgan and just sobbed for joy. The moment was precious and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving together, being truly, truly thankful for Camryn's rapid recovery. I believe that in a prior blog, I mentioned that Camryn was nominated by her Vanderbilt docs for Make-A-Wish, and Camryn's nomination was accepted by the Nashville chapter the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In fact, this Monday night, The Nashville chapter of Make-A-Wish will be hosting a "wish reveal" party for Camryn. This is where Camryn's wish, A trip to Disney World with her family, will become a reality. Camryn is unaware of the party so Monday night will be quite fun for all of us. Also, Macy's department store is a major sponsor of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each year, Macy's has a"Believe" campaign beginning in November where children can write a letter to Santa and drop the letter in the Macy's mail box. For every letter written, Macy's donates $1.00, up to 1 million dollars. As part of their campaign, local chapters of Make-A-Wish team up with Macy's to host a special day with one wish kid within a specific geographical area. Guess who was the Make-A-Wish kid selected to represent Middle Tennessee? Yip, that would be Camryn, and did she ever have a special day. Two weeks ago, Macy's invited Camryn to their store in Green Hills. Camryn had her nails done, had a makeover, did some shopping, and was treated like royalty. I will post some pictures below of the event. A special thank you to Macy's and to the Make-A-Wish sponsors for making Camryn's day a true "believe" day. Those awful life-saving days in the hospital, six week's worth, were so very difficult for Camryn, and any other child needing to endure chemotherapy. Believe Day and The Make-A-Wish Foundation events such as these, help these kids to appreciate the good times and feel special. We were so honored to have Camryn be a recipient of these events. Look for the next blog in two weeks, after we return from Camryn's Make-A-Wish trip at Disney World. I have posted pictures below of Camryn's Believe Day at Macy's.

This was the sign welcoming us at the main
entrance of Macy's.

Nails first, by a real professional
in the Macy's spa.

Make up time, "smoky eyes" and red lips
in process, at Camryn's request.

Just what she wanted, but a
little too grown up for Dad.

"striking a pose" with Dad.