Thank you everyone, for your continued thoughts and prayers....
I can't tell you what it was like to get the honorary black belt at the service.........
When we took it from the Sensei...the entire church sobbed. One of the karate kids that did Karate with Nathan and was in his first grade class broke down, it was heart breaking. The boyscouts and all of the local leaders were in uniform and carried the flag up front which was so wonderful, they did crowd control and were just great boyscouts. I won't see my baby's face anymore, not healthy, not sick, not dying, and not in a casket...it is finally over and I just feel very tired and empty, the last two days were wonderful, terribly sad and exhausting.
We actually had reporters at the funeral, there was a posted sign in town that said, "Nathan, fly with the angels", this wasn't just a family mourning, it was an entire community.
It only took Nathan seven years to touch so many people....what will we all do with our next seven years? Here is what I wrote for the service: We have heard it over and over……..”Nathan inspires me”.
Nathan inspired many in such a short period of time. He inspired people all over the town, the country and even the world. Nathan was very aware of his world. Before he was ill, he wanted to help the children of Hurricane Katrina and ran a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. He saw the other children around him in the hospital, he wanted to donate his body parts because he saw how that donation helped his roommate, he wished for blood and platelets to become available for his friends who were very sick.
He asked why people didn’t want to get on the bone marrow registry; didn’t they know that all of those children at the hospital were waiting? As everyone read of Nathan’s fight and concerns, they began to see things in a different light. Many have written to Nathan to say that they are now on the Bone Marrow Registry; they have become regular blood and platelet donors. Some stepped forward and ran bone marrow drives, blood drives and fundraisers. Nathan saw these things and was overwhelmed. Now, Nathan is free of these worries.
He fought such a brave battle and beat his Leukemia. He kept moving forward and survived his transplant. No matter what the outcome was, Nathan was a fighter, a winner and a compassionate person and he shared his journey and thoughts with us and it is now up to all of us not to forget. Nathan was seven-years-old, he chose to fight and make a difference and now it is your turn. All of the people who were inspired by Nathan, who remember all that Nathan fought for and all that Nathan experienced will carry those thoughts with them.
When the time comes to decide if you will move the world in a positive direction, remember Nathan’s fight and what it has taught you.
After putting it off for some time, I have finally made the plunge and purchased a new car. I am pretty stoked about it. I picked it up yesterday. Damn, what a difference than that 150,000 mile, 10 year old machine I was driving around. It is a 2006 Honda Accord EX V6, fully loaded with navigation. No more excuses for getting lost. Although, I have to admit that even with the navigation, I still got lost slightly last night. Although, my co-pilot (who is in need of a name) got me back on track to my destination.
