News & Events

Good evening Catie Team,

 It is our hope and prayer that this message finds you healthy, well, and in the loving embrace of the Father.

 As we look back on the updates and the memories of the past three years, you can imagine the range and depth of the emotions that we continue to experience.  You can imagine them because you have walked this journey with us and we continue to thank you.  Three years ago, Catie and Christine were heading to St. Jude after a wonderful couple of days in South Carolina with Catie’s Grandparents, Aunt Lynn, Uncle John and her cousins.  She had gone through the pain and the not knowing what was wrong to knowing that she had a tumor, having it removed and then finding out that it was a rare malignant cancer that would need aggressive treatment.  She was on the verge of testing, 31 radiation treatments, losing her hair, 2 rounds of chemo, and finding out that through all of that, she was going to lose her battle.  2 years ago, Christine and I and the fab 5 were hunkered down in the mountains trying to make sense of what had happened.  A year ago, even though time had elapsed since Catie’s death, we were struggling more than ever.  Max was falling into a miasma of hurt, pain and anger, and we were coming apart as a family. 

 Last weekend, as we celebrated our country’s independence, our faith and family is stronger than ever.  Remembering Catie still brings a tear to our eyes, but we move on.  Celebrating M.E.’s 5^th birthday meant that she has been alive for a longer period of time without Catie than with her. 

M.E. enjoying the beach

In general, we have had a good start to the summer.  4 of the fab 5 are on the swim team and go to practice every morning for a few hours.  Despite some grumbling, it provides them with a good workout, some time to blow off some steam, and a chance to be with other kids.  The vegetable gardens that were under construction when Catie was diagnosed are complete and full of zucchini, beans, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins and enough herbs to make any meal flavorful.  Each of the kids helps with weeding, watering and harvesting.  They all have their chores that they complete, and it most cases, they do so with a minimum of complaint.  They are generally happy and I find myself thanking God daily that to this point they are doing so well when so many siblings of cancer victims succumb to depression, anger management issues, behavioral issues, and addictions.  Catie is clearly doing a great job of taking care of each of them and while they each miss her in their own way, they all are proud of who Catie is and seek what they hope is her approval from heaven.

Maggie, Max, Mia, and Molly at swim team

 As for Catie’s Wish, it has been twenty-nine months since Catie went home to heaven and left us with our mission.  In that time some amazing accomplishments and blessings have come to fruition through you and thousands of people across the country and around the world.  Close to $3 million dollars has been raised in Catie’s name for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The legacy wish to commemorate her birthday, April 23^rd that Catie first shared with her us has spread and thousands have responded.  Imagine the number of calendars that were colored purple for Catie’s birthday this year, and please ask all those you meet to honor her with that tribute as a beautiful reminder of our beautiful, selfless little girl.

 Catie knew at seven years of age that prayer was an even bigger part of the battle against pediatric cancer.  People responded to this and logged over a quarter of a million prayers in just a few short weeks and the prayers continue to be prayed and counted.  Beautiful stories continue to reach us of families, schools, friends, gathering to pray for Catie’s intercession and an end to pediatric cancer and the hopefulness and unity provided by those prayers and those stories keep us going.  They also keep the families going that are fighting the battle now.  There are still hundreds of children and families going through the journey we walked with Catie, and we humbly ask for your continued prayers for them.  This battle is not yet over, but because of you, we are closer than ever before to an end and a cure.

 We continue to hold you in our daily prayers and hope that this summer is a time of renewal and blessing for you.

 God is good, all the time!

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

Michael and Marissa Brown organized the second annual Lemonade Stand at the Trindle Springs Neighborhood Yard Sale on May 7th.  The kids and their friends enthusiastically raised over $187 dollars for Catie’s Wish and spread the word about Catie and her mission.  With this kind of wonderful support from children across the country. we will beat pediatric cancer and fulfill Catie’s Wish.

John Christie, Ben Gnall, Michael Brown, Derek Yost. Marissa Brown, and Renee Scullen

Catie Team,

 Just a quick note to let you know that we celebrated Catie’s Birthday on Saturday in South Carolina where Catie spent so many wonderful vacations with her Poppy and Grammy and her Uncle John, Aunt Lynn, and cousins Anna, Douglas, and Austin.  We did many of the things that Catie loved to do, we went to the beach, jumped in the waves, flew kites, and ate cupcakes, (purple of course).  The next day was Easter, and celebrating the Resurrection gave us the joy to accept Catie’s physical absence and concentrate on her very real presence in our hearts.  There were few tears and a great deal of laughter.

 The prayer total continues to climb daily with over a quarter of a million prayers logged in just a few short weeks.  While we have not yet reached a million prayers, keep them coming as we will leave the page up.  Catie’s Kids need the prayers as much today as they did in the days leading up to Catie’s birthday.  Thank you for continuing to remember these children as they wage the battle of and for their lives.

 Thank you also for your generous donations that continue to arrive daily.  We do not have any final totals yet, but continue to realize that every dollar, like every prayer makes a difference.  For example, we received a letter last week from a young girl who sent us $3.54 and 354 prayers.  What a wonderful testament to her understanding that eradicating pediatric cancer will take both research and prayers.  Many of the donations have beautiful notes attached, and the emotions that arise from these letters slows the process a bit.

 We also received some wonderful acknowledgements and thanks from the staff and patients at St. Jude for the cards and “Happys” that were sent to the Hospital to celebrate Catie’s birthday.  It is bittersweet to hear how alive Catie continues to be at St. Jude in the hearts and minds of the people who knew her and fell in love with her while she was there.  She really was and is a special little girl, and though I selfishly miss her terribly, I am so proud of her and happy for her that she is home for eternity.

 God is good, all the time,

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

 Keep those prayers coming – www.catieswish.org/praytoday

Catie Team,

     Thank you for continuing to journey with us as we honor and remember Catie and experience the effect her short life continues to have.  As we prepare for Easter and what would have been Catie’s 10^th birthday, we continue on the roller coaster ride inherent in the world of pediatric cancer.  Over a quarter of a million prayers have been said in a few short weeks by people across the country and around the world for Catie’s Kids, and each one of them has reached little Catie and God in heaven.  Please continue to pray and to have those prayers counted by logging onto www.catieswish.org/praytoday.  If you have many prayers to log and do not want to keep refreshing the page, send me an e-mail (kevin.catieswish@yahoo.com) and we will load the prayers for you.

     Christine and I attended a St. Jude event in Baltimore and had the opportunity to reconnect with the parents of some of Catie’s Kids; some who are still battling, some who are surviving, and some of whom have joined Catie.  Spending time with them, sharing our journeys and struggles, and at the same time supporting St. Jude made for a wonderfully exhausting evening.  Understanding anew the constant and unending battle that pediatric cancer wages on our children firmed our resolve to continue to do whatever we can, wherever we can.  Thank you for assisting us as we continue to seek to eradicate pediatric cancer through prayer and research.

     On a very positive note, the hundreds of Birthday cards for the patients, doctors, nurses and staff at St. Jude have been sent, timed to arrive by Catie’s birthday.  It is our way to let the kids and all of those that care for them know that they are remembered in a very special way on April 23^rd.  Remembering the look on Catie’s face when a letter or package would arrive and the joy that accompanied its arrival compels us to try to put that smile on as many faces as we can.

Catie's 1000 Kilowatt Smile

            Please know that each of you are remembered in our prayers.  May God bless you and the work of your hands.

 God is good, all the time

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

Catie’s Team,

     Catie’s Kids – we refer to them as Catie’s kids knowing how she wanted to help them from heaven and how she asked us to help them here on earth.  We list the names of all the kids that we pray for on the list http://catieswish.org/pray-with-us/injured-reserve-for-caties-team/ .  If there is a child that you know of that you would like us to add to this list please let us know.

      Another day, and another 46 children and their families have heard the words that we heard with Catie; “your child has cancer”.  Devastating words and yet many of those 46 will find hope, and a cure, and a cancer-free life because of the support and dedication of thousands who have been battling these diseases for years and continue to do so today.  We pray today for all of them, Catie’s Kids, their families, and the professionals who fight this battle every day.  Today a 7-year old girl in our community heard those words, we pray for her and for her family.  We have reached out to them and are praying for them as they decide on the best way to help their daughter.  Please join us as we pray.

 www.catieswish.org/praytoday

 Thank you

 God is good, all the time

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

 Catie Team,

      Spring is popping out all over.  The illegally planted crocuses in front of Catie’s grave, (Christine made me do it) are popping and so are the prayers for Catie’s Kids and an end to pediatric cancer. (We planted purple, Catie’s favorite and they are coming up yellow which is the color of Hope).  Just a few days ago, we asked that you join us in prayer so that we could record one million prayers for the eradication of pediatric cancer.  With Catie’s birthday April 23^rd just over a month away, we are pulling out all the stops, contacting prayer groups, colleges, Adoration Societies, Convents, Nursing homes etc. to invite and inspire people to join us, and it is our humble request that you do the same.  We have been blessed by the Sisters at EWTN who will be in 24 Hour Eucharistic Adoration until Catie’s birthday praying for a future when no child ever has to hear the words that Catie heard, “you have cancer and there is nothing we can do to stop it.”

      I can remember when we met with Dr. Phillips at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and were trying to determine what kind of tumor Catie had and what the best options were.  There was the St. Jude protocol, (the one Catie eventually participated in at St. Jude), and a protocol from Boston Children’s Hospital.  Like all parents faced with two options and only one chance to save our child, we asked which one offered Catie the best chance at survival and a future.  Dr. Phillip’s answer was that it would take fifty years because of the rarity of Catie’s tumor to have enough patients on the two protocols and be able to determine which one had a greater degree of success.  While we were crestfallen, Catie chimed in from across the room, “that’s ok, I’m only seven, we have time.”

      What childlike faith, hope, and optimism.  Unfortunately, doctors and parents are having similar conversations to the one we had with Dr. Phillips at hospitals across the country today and they need our prayers.  Over 20,000 prayers have been said in the last 3 days.  We may never know God’s response.  Perhaps there is a child today that we will never know about who had one rogue cell that was about to begin to rapidly reproduce, and because of you storming heaven, that cell died instead and that child’s life was spared.  Perhaps a parent, under the strain of having a sick child, daunting financial responsibilities, chose not to abandon his family and leave his marriage, because of your prayers.

      Please log on today to www.catieswish.org/praytoday and say a prayer.  Say a Rosary and log 60 prayers.  Go to church for an hour and log 60 prayers.  If you go with someone else, log 120 prayers.  If you sing a prayer, log it twice because singing is praying twice.  Know that as you pray for Catie’s Kids, we are praying for you.  We have one seventh grade Religion class who are praying at the beginning of each class together.  That is 44 prayers.  They add up….once you start!!

 Pray today and pass it on.  The prayer you say today will make a difference in a child’s tomorrow and it will make a difference in your life as well!

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

Good evening Catie Team!!

 Now that we have entered the season of Lent, we begin preparing for Easter.  At the same time, we are preparing for Catie’s birthday which falls this year on the day before Easter.  Many of the preparations are parallels as we focus on prayer and giving to those less fortunate than ourselves for both Easter and Catie’s tenth birthday.  Prayer continues to be the unique attribute of Catie’s Wish, and we believe that in the end, it will provide the answer to the battle with pediatric cancer.  To that end, we are asking for your help.  The following is a link to a special new page of Catie’s website.  (www.catieswish.org/praytoday)  This link contains a counter that records every visit to the page.  It is our hope that between now and Catie’s birthday that we can record a million hits to the page signifying a million prayers that have been said for Catie’s Kids or for an end to pediatric cancer.  Will you help us?  All we ask is that you share the link and visit the page daily and say a prayer as you do so.  Thousands prayed for Catie around the world, can we now pray in her name and storm heaven together with a million prayers??  I believe we can!!

 Another exciting event coming up in the Catie’s Wish world in the first annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament in Mechanicsburg, PA sponsored by Catie’s Wish and 99 Series.  You will remember 99 Series as the publisher of Jared Trexler’s book, 99 Things you Wish you Knew Before Filling out Your Hoops Bracket.  Jared and 99 Series have partnered with us not only on the book, but on the tournament as well.  Log onto www.catieswish.org/give to get details on the tournament and to register.

 I want to share one amazing story with you.  On Wednesday night, as we were finishing dinner and getting the kids ready for bed, the doorbell rang and 3 of the girls from Catie’s class at St. Joseph’s and their moms were at the door.  They came in and after we talked for a bit, the girls presented Christine with a beautiful box wrapped in a purple bow and topped with a purple flower.  Christine opened the box and read the letter that was inside.  The letter read:

                   It Truly is Better to Give than to Receive….

In the short time that Catie was with us, she gave us much and taught us much….lessons we continue to put into practice each day.

 A few weeks ago, with the help of our parents, we had a joint 10^th birthday party to which we invited the entire 4^th grade.  Since we have been blessed with many things, we asked that in lieu of gifts, that anyone attending the party, simply bring a donation for Catie’s Wish.  In lieu of favors, our parents made donations to Catie’s Wish as well.

 42 4^th graders (including ourselves) plus siblings attended the party.  We had a fabulous time and even more importantly our birthday “wish” to raise money for Catie’s Wish was granted by the generosity of our classmates’ families and our own families.

 That being said, our birthday present is actually a present for you in honor of Catie’s upcoming birthday.  We are very proud and honored to be able to present you in this box, donations totaling $2,100 for Catie’s Wish.  Catie obviously continues to be an inspiration to so many, but especially her fellow classmates and their families.  We have no doubt that she was at our party with us, celebrating and having a good time with her St. Joe’s family who still love, admire, and miss her very much.

 With love and prayers today and always,

Lauren, Makenna, Lauren, and our families

 To say that we were awestruck would be an understatement.  I cried as I read the letter the first time, and just cried again as I typed it.  While I know that the girls are right that Catie was absolutely with them at the party, I really do wish that she was there in body and not just spirit.  I miss her.  It is strange, in the months following Catie’s death, I would go around a corner and almost expect to see her waiting there.  While that does not happen anymore, (I guess I have gotten used to the fact that she is gone) what happens now is that as I watch the Fab 5 grow and mature, I want to share new experiences with Catie but do not have that opportunity. 

 The Fab 5 are good.  Maggie had her first Mass as an altar server tonight and did a great job.  Max and Mia begin track for the St. Joe’s team on Monday, and Molly and M.E. are continuing to amaze us each day.

 Please remember to share the prayer link and visit it daily as we strive to reach our million prayer goal!!

 God is good, all the time

 Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

 When Christine wrote the last update, Scarred but Whole, she talked about the last two and a half years, the pain and the healing, the hope and the sorrow, the death and the life that has emerged from it.  This past week has been difficult and challenging.  It has been filled with St. Jude events, anniversaries of Catie’s last days on earth and of our goodbyes and memorials of her.  Two years is a long time in some ways and yet this week, it seems like just yesterday.  Each of us deals with it in our own ways and as we witness one another and love one another and see how we each react, the reactions compound.  Molly for example chose to wear an outfit on Sunday that was one of Catie’s favorites and when she walked into the room, with the obvious exception that she has a full head of hair, she could be Catie’s twin.  The mannerisms, the speech patters and inflections, the physical similarities are uncannily exact and while it is a clear indicator that life goes on, it makes the hole where Catie isn’t seem even larger.

 As Christine and I were lying in bed the other night, we discussed how we were doing and whether or not we really were whole, or if we were so entirely broken that our perspective was shot.  We prayed and talked about what whole really was and came up with different models to describe it.  An apple is whole.  Once you take a bite of it, it is no longer whole.  But now, it is open.  Aren’t we all called to share who we are and what we are with one another?  We could share the apple and it could in some way be thought of as whole, yet a part of all of us who shared in it.  As parents of Catie and the fab 5, we have certainly attempted to be open, to allow others to see inside in the faint hope that people could learn from our path without having to sacrifice a child to walk it.  Our constant message to anyone who would listen, (and it came from Catie herself), hug and love the people in your life, do it today, and keep doing it, you may never know how important that next hug or expression of love may be. 

 At that point in the conversation, the Holy Spirit and maybe Catie herself stepped in and Christine listened to them and asked me if she could look at my wedding ring.  I removed it and as I did so, we both realized the beauty of the symbol.  It is whole and open.  Whole because it is an unbroken circle without beginning or end, and open.  And like the perfection of the circle, it fulfills its purpose when its openness is shared in the placing of the ring upon the finger.  It is not only a symbol, but is also in reality; all about unity.  That ring and all that it represents is a touchstone for me.  It keeps me grounded even when life feels like one giant upheaval.  Christine is the source of some of that upheaval as I am sure I am for her, but at the end of the day, she is also the source of the healing and stability and balance that makes the upheaval bearable.  My hope is that whatever cross you carry in your day that you have someone to walk by your side as you carry it who loves you as much as Christine loves me.  Losing Catie to cancer has been the cause of some challenging days, but I have shared each of them with the woman of my dreams.

Sometimes sharing something with the one you love helps them.  In a sense, the pain or hurt, once shared is halved.  Today is the feast of the Presentation of Jesus.  Mary and Joseph took forty day old Jesus to the temple with two turtledoves and offered Him back to His Father.  As parents, we do that with our children.  They are a gift from God, yet we baptize them and offer them back to Him.  We want to get them back to Him, in heaven where they will be safe and happy forever.  At the temple, Mary and Joseph met Simeon and Anna, two people who spent their day in prayer until God called them home.  Simeon tells Mary that because of who Jesus is, she will feel pain and a “sword will pierce her heart”.  I do not know what Joseph said to that, I do not know how he attempted to comfort Mary.  A mother’s love is an amazing strong, beautiful, delicate gift.  As a father, I cannot understand it completely, and if I was supposed to I imagine God would have given me different chromosomes.  The love and therefore the sadness Christine feels two years after Catie’s journey home is different than mine.  I can try to understand it, try to comprehend it and put it in my own terms, but at the end of the day, all I can really do is stop talking and hold her, provide her with some sense of home until God reunites us all.  We can never fully understand another person’s feelings, even if we walk a mile in their shoes.  What we can do is let them know that we love them and accept them wherever they are, say a prayer for them and offer a shoulder or a hug, or a smile.

 We spent last weekend with Christine’s brother Bill (aka Uncle Bill) and the kids had a wonderful time.  Max celebrated his birthday (he is now twelve!!) with his wonderful group of friends and had a great day.  It was much better than two years ago when his birthday was the day of Catie’s funeral.  He and Maggie represented their school in a regional “MathCounts” competition and did very well.  The fab 5 are good kids, and give us some beautiful moments as parents as we see them interact with one another.  While they are at odds at times, it is wonderful to see them work together; Sunday for example, they produced a highly effective coordinated attack upon me with an array of snowballs and shovelfuls of snow.  On Saturday, the fab 5 and Christine went snow tubing in the backyard, crashed multiple times into the fence around the garden, and looked to be on the edge of impending disaster.  Hearing the peals of laughter from the six of them, knowing the joy that was in their hearts felt as good as anything in the last two years. 

 There is a current marketing campaign for Kay Jewelers, a major supporter for St. Jude, that speaks about their open heart collection.  The goal of their campaign is to sell jewelery – that is their business.  Their slogan speaks right to the heart – love can only enter into an open heart – perfectly fitting for this time of year.  Fill your life with those you love and keep telling them how much you love them.  We tell this to Catie everyday and know that she hears us – some days when we allow it we can feel her love for us.  This only happens when our hearts are open.

 My prayer for each of you is that you have moments of joy and that you take the time to capture them in your memory.  It is those memories that will keep you going.

 God is good, all the time.

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

What makes one expression known for all ages like “life is a bowl of cherries” and others fade away as if never spoken?  My answer would be a shrug of my shoulders because the answer is unknown.  Some people live lives that are filled with every advantage and are grateful – not wanting to judge – my comment would be “PRAISE THE LORD”.  There are others who live lives filled with one challenge after another; they never seem to get a break.  Most of us live lives somewhere in the middle.  We have our good days and our bad days.

Looking at myself in the mirror this is where my reflection gazes back at me and we both see ourself in this middle.  Now does that mean that having buried our seven year old is seen by me as merely a challenge in my life?  At the time living through it probably not and now??  My answer on most days is hopefully.  Though on some days my answer would be, “it better be for my sake because this world has little time for a mourning mother” and that is the truth. 

Any attention that surrounded us during Catie’s illness was for Catie.  Any attention from anything that we have written hopefully is seen as a light shining on God.  Any attention that comes from us sharing Catie and her story – even two years later, hopefully – is seen as an attempt to bring awareness to this disease called Pediatric Cancer and rally others to join us in prayer and to do what is needed to further necessary research leading to cures.

Back in August of 2008 Catie was in radiation.  It seemed so easy for us.  The schedule was timely most days.  My internal mantra was “do what they tell you and everything will return to normal”.  My ability to survive was living in this bubble thinking it was possible to return to normal.   At this same time friends of ours were planning a fund raiser for Catie.  A dear friend sent me an e-mail to confirm the posters for the event.  The title of the poster read ROAD TO REMISSION.  Starring at the computer, thoughts jumbled, my breath slowed and my head began to sway as my fingers automatically dialed my phone.  Screaming into the phone “What do we expect to happen after treatment?  What is next for Catie?  When will we know if this is working?  What will we do if this doesn’t work?  Are we sure this is the best shot?  Did we research everything?”  These words are flying out of my mouth.  They are not heard or understood by me.  Finally all that can be heard is my love calmly saying “Sweetheart do you know what you are asking?  “What started all of this?  Where is Catie?  Is she alright?”  An e-mail came stating that they were planning a party and calling it the road to remission.  Is that what we want for Catie?  My love again calmly says, “Remission means the absence of cancer.”  My response is “Will she be cured?”  And again there is another calm response, “You realize that being cured of the cancer for Catie means a very specific thing.  It means being alive five years after the day she was diagnosed.  That is all.”  My screams are joined by tears, “Are you kidding me?  That is not what we want for Catie.  If that is the best that we can expect then why are we here?  Why did we leave you?” Calmly again the following words are heard saying, “There were no better options for Catie.  Nothing better is out there yet.  We are doing all that we can today to get her to tomorrow.  We are trading eighteen to get her to eight. Are you OK?”  “NO!”

This conversation and so many other conversations that I had between June 2008 and January 2009 are seared into my mind.  They are the mental scars that are a part of me.  Kevin carries his own as I am sure do each of the Fab 5.  In this conversation that Kevin and I had in August 2008 I had yet to understand that normal or a returning to normal was not possible.  I wanted all the blessings that I had before and like a spoiled child wanted to give none of them back.  I wanted Catie whole and healthy and home.  There was no second option.  Later in August I would sit in the Radiation waiting room and have a very similar conversation with another St. Jude mother.  While her daughter was ahead of Catie in treatment by two weeks, she was still seeking the return to normal.  Understanding this difference between where I was only weeks before and where I was now was began to create the new me – scarred but whole.

Catie's Collage

Now as we approach the second anniversary of Catie’s death many of the moments flood our memories and either tears fall or laughter erupts from deep within me.  We visited Catie’s grave last weekend.  We sprinkled conversation hearts and prayed.  The kids ate cookies and slid in the snow.  Kevin was quiet as he gave his little girl a chocolate rose.  I know that she is not there.  I know that she is with us and yet visible only in my faith.  She is also visible in the love that is still poured out to our family. 

This past Christmas another angel was added to our garden.  She is blue and beautiful.  When we returned from South Carolina she was standing next to our statue of the Blessed Mother.  We have moved the blue angel to the side garden so that she can look over Catie’s fairy garden that Mia maintains for all of us.  Isn’t that what we are supposed to do; maintain – to keep in existence or preserve – our faith, our families, our friendships, our marriages, our world for love of another? 

Somewhere over the last two years the scars have healed and I am whole and home.  I can hardly ever sit through Mass without tears falling – but they fell before Catie was sick.  I am not bitter or sad – though I loved my daughter dearly and long to be with her again.  There is joy in my life.  There is clarity in my life.  There is love in my life and I am grateful for all that share my life and our lives.  Someday, God willing, I will join Catie in heaven with the Lord and I hope to see you all there.  In the meantime I am here and there is much to do.  No time to want life to be different – accept it as it is and look for the blessings that do exist – they are there trust me.

Somehow throughout this entire experience of loving, losing and regaining both Catie and myself I have come to understand more fully where I am headed.  Knowing where you are going is  as important as the plan of how to get there.  God is in control.  He takes the lead and the only true suffering that I do is when I attempt to take control back. God has His own plans to bless me, love me and one day bring me home – if I choose.  Yet even knowing this there are days that I do not make the choice to follow God, to love those He placed in my life or to allow them to love me – why?  I was blessed by God to live with and exercise my free will.  Each day that I freely choose to live and love as God asks, is a better day for me. 

Those are the days like yesterday when we shared with listeners of Country Cares the importance and meaning of St. Jude even as we are remembering that they were not able to save Catie.  Days like today when we went to Central PA Fitness and thanked everyone who participated and gave to their fundraisers for St. Jude.  Tomorrow we will be at Trindle Bowl for the Bowl-a-Thon to celebrate and remember the life of Corey Somerville.  Corey is a member of the St. Jude family.  He battled his cancer at a young age – younger than Catie – and was cured and yet he died last year due to complications that resulted from the treatment he received.  There is still work to be done; successful protocols that find cures, cures that beat the cancer and leave the patient healthy and able to live out their dreams and wishes.

Cures cannot be found without research.  Research cannot be done without fundraising.  Fundraising cannot be done without willing and generous donors.  Prayer is needed at every step for everyone involved.  On January 25^th, the second anniversary of Catie’s birth to eternal life; join us in prayer for a cure to pediatric cancer and in thanksgiving for all who are engaged in finding a cure.  We will be at the 9am Mass at St. Joseph and then we will spend the day remembering our beloved Catie.

God is good, all the time,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E. and always Catie