I have no idea when I first heard of Lane Goodwin, the young teen from Kentucky who lost his battle with cancer this week. Someone must have sent me the Facebook link at some point, and somewhere along the way I became caught up in his struggle. The outpouring of love and support from total strangers was enough to lift my heart and make me believe in the basic decency of most people. Movie stars and athletes and farmers in the field were all photographed with their "thumbs up" for Lane. This brave little soldier, for as long as he could, would show his optimism with his own "thumbs up" and an increasingly weak smile.
What I found most amazing was the willingness of his mother to share her incredible pain with the world in order to raise consciousness about childhood cancer. There were pictures of her with Lane and his brother at Disney World, and at major league ball games, and many other places that people had generously arranged for them to visit. I will confess that when I first saw all the pictures I was a little skeptical, but it soon became obvious that this child was really dying and this was no scam. How does a mother share so many private moments at what she knows is the end of her child's life? Angie is incredibly brave and generous, and I suspect that trying to find the kernel of something positive in all this pain is all that is keeping her going. She has made a lot of people think about childhood cancer who never gave the issue a thought before, and that is definitely something positive. I have a young friend in my town who is now a junior in college who raised my consciousness on this issue a while ago. She, too, is a fighter, and she is doing well, thank you, God.
So when people ask me how we are dealing with the stress of sending two kids through college at the same time, my standard answer has become, "I thank God I'm not looking for money for chemotherapy," and that is true. There is no rhyme or reason for who gets cancer. No one deserves it, and it's especially hard to deal with it when it attacks a child.
Every day we are surrounded by reminders of how short and unpredictable life is, and also how beautiful. So enjoy the gorgeous autumn leaves, hug your kids, and say a prayer for Lane's family. He, himself, is finally resting pain-free in the arms of God.
What I found most amazing was the willingness of his mother to share her incredible pain with the world in order to raise consciousness about childhood cancer. There were pictures of her with Lane and his brother at Disney World, and at major league ball games, and many other places that people had generously arranged for them to visit. I will confess that when I first saw all the pictures I was a little skeptical, but it soon became obvious that this child was really dying and this was no scam. How does a mother share so many private moments at what she knows is the end of her child's life? Angie is incredibly brave and generous, and I suspect that trying to find the kernel of something positive in all this pain is all that is keeping her going. She has made a lot of people think about childhood cancer who never gave the issue a thought before, and that is definitely something positive. I have a young friend in my town who is now a junior in college who raised my consciousness on this issue a while ago. She, too, is a fighter, and she is doing well, thank you, God.
So when people ask me how we are dealing with the stress of sending two kids through college at the same time, my standard answer has become, "I thank God I'm not looking for money for chemotherapy," and that is true. There is no rhyme or reason for who gets cancer. No one deserves it, and it's especially hard to deal with it when it attacks a child.
Every day we are surrounded by reminders of how short and unpredictable life is, and also how beautiful. So enjoy the gorgeous autumn leaves, hug your kids, and say a prayer for Lane's family. He, himself, is finally resting pain-free in the arms of God.
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