We are on the road for a quick family vacation and fifteen minutes into the trip Mason has already put down almost an entire cantaloupe and two slim jims. 30 minutes later I look back and he has a death grip on the remaining deliciously unhealthy meat products.
There is the right way to do things, the wrong way, and then there is dad’s way. Love you dad.
Yesterday Mason’s baseball team took a heart breaking loss after being up 11-0 that went to the last out of the game to end the season. It quickly went from a blowout to a pretty tense game in just three innings. We had it won and then everyone just fell apart. We should have won the game. In my few years of coaching, I don’t recall ever taking a loss as hard as this one. When talking to the boys I could feel myself nearing a tear, very odd for me when it comes to youth baseball as I usually keep it all in the proper perspective, but I couldn’t help but feel like I let the parents down. How sad is that, I was more concerned about how I let the parents down and not the kids? Sure, the kids were upset, but five minutes after the game was over I saw at least three of them running the bases laughing away. On the ride home all I could think about was the many things I might have done different to have won the game. I was really beating myself up for a lot of things, then Cutler got home and he was all over me to play video games with him. It was then that I snapped back to reality and realized that it was just youth baseball. It wasn’t a game of survival like Cutler went through when he was six months old. There were no scholarships on the line, no pro scouts searching for the next great 8 year old, it was just youth baseball. It wasn’t like every six months when we worry about if the leukemia has returned and Cutler must start the fight over again. It was just youth baseball. For now on, when I start to feel down about something like this again, I am going to grab Cutler and sit down for a video game.
It’s been awhile, but Cutler and I got the call to head back to TV land and use his cute looks and charm to help spread the word of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This time we filmed a show, “Plugged In To DFW”, that will air locally on CBS at 6:30 am on Saturday morning. The entire 30 minutes will be dedicated to the LLS and their current effort to help end AML called “Fight AML”. As a reminder, this is what Cutler had at 6 months old, which is extremely rare for infants. AML has a high frequency for coming back and so it is even more difficult to combat. We have been very blessed to have a miracle fighter for a child. Unfortunately others aren’t as fortunate and so I am honored to help the LLS spread the word any chance we get and this time the host was awesome enough to discuss with Cutler and get some good responses from him(good for a freshly turned five year old that is). For those local to the Dallas area, I would encourage you to record and watch or just wake up early and watch and to help spread the word. There was some very good information discussed about the LLS and AML in general. CBS is going to send me a copy of the show next week, when I get it I will be sure to share. A special thanks to our good friend Jennifer Flaherty for helping getting the LLS this opportunity at her awesome station.
I once nearly killed a man for similar, but I let this one get away with it.
It’s been awhile since our neighborhood has been patrolled by Super Cutler, but today he decided it was time to suit up and get back to work.
He even had time to play a little baseball with me.
Today, after a lot of prodding from Mason and a discussion with the children’s pastor at church, we decided that Mason was mature enough and fully understood the decision he was making and allowed him to be baptized. Listening to him yesterday talk to Pastor Greg brought tears to our eyes as we realized just how much he knew, how mature he could be, and how much it meant to him. We are so very proud and happy for Mason. To make it even more special I finally let go of my “I was baptized as a baby” mentality and submitted to a better life as well.
A couple days ago I was walking Mason to school and it was messing with him and trying to make him hold my hand. This is when he informed me that only kindergartners and first graders hold their parents’ hand on the way to school. Where as the time gone? At least Cutler still cuddles with me.
Cutler did extremely well with the blood draw, better than a lot of friends my age would do, and his blood came back clean. So just another six months until his five year anniversary of his transplant and then when that is all clear we go to annual check ups and the doctors allow us to relax and breathe a bit more. It will also be one less day that he could get away with anything with us. And as always, here is his picture with the bear and now he is so big he can finally stand up with him. Thank you for your continued prayers.
Here is a picture of the boys on Saturday night. They get along so well…when they are asleep. The little one has his semi annual appointment tomorrow with the oncologist and I would be lying if I said we weren’t experiencing some anxiety. It’s amazing how we can let it slip our minds even just a little what he has been through and that our fight is never over. Then the night before the appointment all hell breaks loose in our heads. Please pray for another clean check up and for Cutler to handle the blood draw as well as he did when he was younger and oblivious to the needle.
Team Fricke 
