one perfect bubble

well, this is going to be the boring, lots of info paragraph. for the story, read after the picture :) tonight i volunteered at the 40th anniversary of the festival of trees. the festival of trees is kinda just what it sounds like. people or businesses donate trees, which are auctioned off. every penny made (by admission, buying trees, food or crafts) goes to primary childrens medical center, and families that cannot afford treatment. i worked at the sweet shop and sold candies, chocolates, pretzels, cookies and brownies to the visitors. tonight was a great night to work because it was the auction night and not too busy, so i was able to take a lot of breaks and see the trees. most trees are dedicated to someone and some trees offer explanations of the person's struggles or life story.

one, called one perfect bubble really stuck out to me.  it was simple as trees at the festival go. it was adorned with a few green, shiny ornaments and lots of clear glass balls. the picture of the baby had a bubble coming out of its mouth, which i thought was cute. it wasn't until i read the bio information that the full power of the tree hit me.

this tree was dedicated to a sweet baby boy. he had a disorder called trisomy 18, something that is close to my heart because i know someone who has fought her way out of her teens with trisomy 18. she has lived decades longer than doctors ever imagined. this friend's parents were told that she would not live more than days, the same thing the boy from the tree was told.

thats about when their stories separate. my friend's story is one of a years-long struggle and fight, defying all the odds. the little boy's story was an hour-long tale. his prognosis was not good, so throughout the last part of the pregnancy, his parents prayed fervently for just one hour with their baby. their righteous desire was granted, and they spent one hour with their sweet boy before his spirit left this earth. throughout the hour he was here, he blew bubbles from his mouth. one of those bubbles was the one in the picture that had caught my eye.

reading all of the plaques and stories of these small children and babies made me incredibly thankful for masey being here. it made me thankful for competent doctors who know what they are doing. mostly, though, it made me grateful for the countless families and kids who have gone before. those nameless people who we constantly hear about. we never hear names or even specifics. usually its not entirely clear we are hearing about people. but we hear about treatments that work better than others, side effects to look out for, and information about how masey's type of tumor behaves. all of that boils down to hundreds if not thousands of little boys, just like mason, just as beloved by their families, and just as precious, who have gone before. who have paved the way for mason today. i pray for those sweet kids and for their families, and am hugging my masey even tighter tonight.