Lucas & the Hawleys

I assumed that most people that i invited to read my blog already knew who Lucas was, but I was told the other day that this is not true...

When I worked at Winwood (a year and a half ago) in the toddler room, a new little boy name Lucas was in my class. He was only there for a couple of months before i made my career change. He was definitely one of my favorites, even though he would run from me and didnt want to play with me :( and his mom and dad were super nice and pregnant with Lukey's sister, Megan.

Last March i received a phone call from my old boss. She was so upset and told me that Lucas has been diagnosed with cancer. I couldnt believe it. I had no idea what to think or what to do. I had no idea what the prognosis was and had never known a child that had cancer. I went out and bought a bunch of gifts and went to Winwood and waited for the Hawley's to pick up Megan. Casey (Luke's mom) was so sweet and i couldnt help but cry. A couple of months later i arranged a fundraiser for Lucas up at SportBounce. It was a huge success!

Everyday I would read about what Luke and his family were going through. It was heartbreaking.

After many rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant, Lucas is currently in remission! During his many months in and out of the hospital i never got to see luke, but now that he is feeling better, i have gotten to spend a couple hours a weekend playing with him and his sister. The Hawleys are so amazing. It has really put my own life into perspective to see what the have been through and how well they have dealt with something that no family should ever have to endure.

Because of the Hawleys, i have started donating blood on a regular basis and hope to be able to donate platelets if my iron count can ever get above 12.5. I have attempted twice and my iron was 12.4 both times. I have also started a relay for life team in honor of luke and his family. They have truly been an inspiration and have been a huge influence on the positive changes that i have made in my life recently. I cant thank them enough.

Hopefully for those of you who didnt know about Luke, now you do!

You can follow Lucas and the Hawleys journey by clicking on the link below, and entering your email address under “Interested in becoming a member of this community?”

Team LUKE