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Hayley's Corner 
“One joy scatters a hundred griefs”
Hayley Elizabeth Thomson
February 3, 2003 – December 19, 2004
"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness like stars for ever and ever." - Daniel 12:3
Hayley's Story
Hayley Elizabeth Thomson was diagnosed with AML leukemia on February 25, 2004, shortly after her first birthday. AML leukemia, the more aggressive of the two forms of leukemia, is acute, fast growing and more common in adults than in children. Hayley was admitted to the AFLAC Cancer Center for her care and treatment. For months, Hayley was a model patient, entering remission by April and suffering little to no side effects from the intense chemotherapy she received. She took hospital life in stride, and celebrated many of her firsts there -including walking and talking. Surprising to everyone, Hayley relapsed in the skin and bone marrow on July 9th, two weeks short of completing her therapy. She was never to reach a solid remission again, despite numerous chemotherapy and experimental protocols. Her relapses were fast and furious, and included cancer hiding in her spinal fluid and stomach. Knowing time was of the essence, we quickly moved forward with a cord blood transplant on November 4th. Hayley received intense chemo and total body irradiation prior to the actual transplant, but it wasn't enough. She relapsed 14 days later, with 23 percent cancer in her blood. On December 19th, Hayley received her much deserved rest and went home to be with her Heavenly Father, cancer-free at last.
To read about Hayley's history and see MANY more pictures, see link at bottom of page.
Hayley's friends and their families need your prayers too:
Ali, Ben, Brady, Brandon, Carmel, Carter, Catie, Chandler, Coulter, Daniel, Ethan, Gwen, Haley E., Jack S., Jack W., Jacob, Jake, Keith, Kylie, Maddie, Mary Grace, McKinley, Merrill, Ryan, William
Children with cancer need blood and platelet transfusions frequently, and often have to wait due to shortages. Please make an appointment to give by calling 1-800-826-2026 or your local red cross.
Are you pregnant and not planning to store your baby's cord blood? Consider donating - it's free and could save a cancer patient's life. Details are available at www.cryo-intl.com and 2/27/06 journal entry.
JACOB IS HERE!
May 29, 2006
6 lbs 3 oz., 18.5 inches
Jacob’s newborn photos are in! Check out the slideshow by clicking here. All photos shown courtesy of AGR Photography (agrgallery.com.) Thanks, Alisha!
Journal
Monday, March 9, 2008 8:21 PM CST Hi guys - It's not much to look at it yet, but the blog is up and semi- functional. No baby yet, but when there's news, it will be here:www.miraclesandmemories.blogspot.com. Come on over and check us out!
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Monday, December 8, 2008
Hi friends –
I have yet to find the time to start a family blog, and with three month's passing, I figured I had better go ahead and update you one way or another!! Thankfully, life has been good for the Thomsons. Even as the always bittersweet month of December is upon us, we are so thankful for all our blessings – most importantly the gifts of Hayley, Jacob and Baby_____?!?!?
And so, I'll cut right to it. Baby Thomson #3 is doing great, kicking up a storm, appears to be very healthy, and yes, we did find out the gender. We are excited that we are expecting a baby GIRL in March (well, really April 8th, but we all know I won't make it that far!). I seriously had the ultrasound technician check four different times because I wasn't sure I should believe her! I was truly convinced this baby was another boy (which would have been wonderful in its own right). Jacob, on the other hand, apparently knew better than we did all along. Anytime we would ask him if it was a little brother or sister, he always emphatically responded, "sister!" Interestingly, the u/s tech said that little kids are almost always right about these things! Having been the mom now of both a little girl and little boy, I truly think I would have been thrilled either way this time, but I'll be the first to admit that I've always feared never having a little girl again....so without question, we're ecstatic. It will definitely be nice – although perhaps a little bittersweet - to have pink in the house again. I have to say that after steering clear of the little girl sections of stores for four years, it's a bit strange to be looking at them again. I've bought a few items for the little miss’ room, but I haven't yet worked up to buying any clothes. Mostly, I think I am scared to believe it's real until she's here. I'm still struggling with whether or not to use Hayley's clothes, and I'm now leaning towards 'not' with a few exceptions. I think part of me needs things to be totally different – (as if they wouldn't be anyway, right?)!
Jacob, meanwhile, is very excited to be a big brother. Mr. Independent tells us all the time that he's going to put diapers on the baby all by himself when she gets here (ha! If nothing else, he'll probably be a great diaper runner!). Anyone out there with great sibling transition tips, let us know! It seems he is growing up so quickly lately. He seriously talks non-stop. He has not hit the "why" phase, but he has hit the "what’s this?" phase. We must get asked that question 100 time a day, and as soon as you answer, he says, "yes, it's a XYZ" as if he knew the whole time. Sometimes I could truly just cry looking at this precious little boy who has brought us so much joy and happiness. I am not quite sure where we'd be without him. And as much as I am looking forward to having two under our roof at once, I'm a bit sad about missing out on all our special one-on-one time.
He has had a busy few months to say the least. We hit the beach in September (to see pictures, click on the journal history page. I ran out of room!), and then October brought pumpkin picking, corn maizes and a trip to DC for Alan's grandmother’s (GG’s) 95th birthday party. It was quite a bash and Jacob got "dressed" for the event in a suit and tie! Can you believe he didn't give us the slightest trouble about putting it on?
Wheelbarrow ride at the pumpkin patch...
A little corny, but cute!
All decked out!
Dancing with Nana
After that came fall parties and Halloween. He truly LOVED Halloween, and still occasionally throws out a "Happy Halloween" right after a "Happy Thanksgiving" or a "Merry Christmas." We figured he'd be done after 5-10 houses, but he shocked us when he trekked to 25 houses in the neighborhood. (I think he was more excited to ring all the doorbells than anything!). Then came Fall Fest at school and his very first pony and horse rides. A lot of the kids were scared of the horses, but Jacob was totally into it. He rode them five times!
My favorite cowboy!
Enjoying the loot.
Is this the look of concentration or what?
Loving it!
And then…Thanksgiving. As you'll see, Jacob came dressed for the occasion! We had so much fun at my parents with Alan's mom and my aunt and uncle from Texas. Truly, in spite of all we've been through, we feel so blessed to have the most incredible family!
In his preschool handywork…
Me and my big blessing
In other news, please send out some prayers to our friends the Morgans. I]ll try for a brief summary...Ryan (link above) was headed into transplant for Stage 4 neuroblastoma at Eggleston as we were headed out with Hayley back in late 2004. I can vividly remember seeing his Mom, Missy, in the clinic waiting room a few times, and she always had the sweetest most encouraging things to say to us during that difficult time. Well, Ryan relapsed in the summer of 2007, which was devastating news enough, but then Missy was diagnosed with breast cancer later that same year. So, together, Mom and son endured chemo, radiation and so much more. Long story short, just last month, Missy went for a checkup after having a headache and cough for a few weeks. Not only was her breast cancer back, but it was in her lungs, bone and she also had DIC, an aggressive cancer marker in her blood. They essentially sent her home to die. A few weeks have now gone by, and I am thrilled to say that Missy seems to be rallying, feeling generally pretty well, and the DIC marker, at last check, was gone. But please keep this precious family in your prayers. Not only is Missy undergoing chemo and still having some difficulty breathing, but Ryan's being treated for two cancer spots on his latest scan. It is hard for even me to imagine. Ryan's link is above, and you can keep up with Missy’s journey at www.caringbridge.org/visit/missymorgan.
Last but not least, of course, December 19th will be the fourth anniversary of Hayley's homegoing. We're keeping up with our annual traditions and although I'm not completely dreading it like I have in the past, it's never easy and the pregnancy hormones are bound to sneak up and get me. Four years later, we still miss our sweet girl every single day – her chubby cheeks, her smile, her laugh, her warm, squeezable presence. With all the wonder of the season upon us, we are trying to focus on the good things – the happy memories of her sweet life on earth and even our most precious memory of that special night – those three wonderful and unexpected smiles we got before she took her last breath. I know she is happier than I can imagine in heaven, and although I can't hug her, I am comforted to know that Jesus can. For that I am truly eternally grateful.
As always, thank for checking in on us and for your continued prayers. Here's wishing you all a healthy and happy holiday surrounded by friends and family! And I promise we'll have a family blog by 2009!!
Love,
Dayna, Alan & Jacob
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: .......heaven
Links: http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=24&groupID=98162&ck= Hayley's original Web page, history and lots of photos
http://www.marrow.org Learn how to save a life by becoming a bone marrow donor and/or donating your baby's cord blood!
http://www.curesearch.org Focused on finding a cure for PEDIATRIC cancer
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