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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
Thursday, September 4, 2008 Hi friends –
Most of you have probably given up on me by now and with good reason. Brace yourselves – you’re in for a long one!
We’ve been happily enjoying a relatively low-key, but busy summer. Jacob is talking up a storm now, and is perhaps the most independent, "has to do everything himself" toddler I have ever met (provided Mom's within eyesight, of course). I literally hear, "No, I'll do it" at least 200 times a day. And if you make the mistake of starting to help him with something, you can forget about him taking over where you've left off. He will literally undo everything you've just done and start over from the beginning. It's hilarious! I'm told one day his independent streak will make life easier – not quite sure that day is here yet, though! He has also become our own little hot-rod. A friend gave us their battery-powered car for Jacob to drive some time ago, and he's finally gotten into it this summer. Actually, it's a golf cart, and as anyone who knows my parents would guess, they think that is absolutely perfect! He is finally getting the hang of steering, which makes the whole experience a lot less stressful (no more leaping out of his path) and more fun for everyone. He loves to go out in the cul-de-sac and do donuts!
In between "driving," trips to the pool, and playdates with friends, we've managed to squeeze in the zoo, Children's Museum, splashing in Centennial Park, and a couple of trips on friends' boats this summer. We finally head to the beach in September, and I know Jacob is going to love it. He had such a ball seeing the ocean for the first time last year, and now that he loves sand too, he should truly be in hog heaven.
Little man officially started preschool three mornings a week this week. He definitely sheds a few tears at drop off, but then tells me what fun he had all day by the time I pick him up. And believe it or not, we already have our first homework assignment...a family collage. It's interesting the things you think and worry about after losing a child. Somewhere down the list for me has always been how Hayley's future siblings would handle the school/church/social situations that inevitably arise – the family portraits they’re asked to draw, the inevitable questions about siblings. Would Hayley be part of these? How would they handle it? How would we handle how they choose to handle it? After all, it's awkward enough for a 30-something who doesn’t want to scare new people off, yet wants them to "know" our first-born baby girl. And so it begins...Jacob’s first-ever preschool family collage. I'm sure the other parents won’t think twice about it, but for a parent that has lost a child, it definitely causes some angst – perhaps it is just the reminder that the physical presentation of our family doesn't align with the one in our hearts. Hayley is of course included (and Jacob won't think twice about it), but I wonder if my heart will skip a beat every time this type of "project" comes around or if it will ever just seem normal.
Another milestone survived was what would have been Hayley's first day of kindergarten. I have dreaded this one for a long time, but as is often the case for me, the anticipation was worse than the reality. I pretty much practiced "avoidance" on the first day of school – avoided talking to friends whose children were also starting, avoided seeing the school buses, etc. Not always the best method, but it made for a relatively low-stress day. Fortunately, these milestones come further and farther between as time goes on.
While we're on the topic of Hayley, we can't go without saying a congrats to our friend Merrill, who not only relapsed with AML since our last posting, but has already finished her radiation treatment and is back to "no evidence of disease" status. Hayley absolutely adored Merrill (they were hall mates on many long hospital stays), and we're so thrilled for her good news.
Onto the big stuff...I think if you talk to any "blog writer," they'll tell you that what you read on a blog is never the full depiction of reality. Whether a need to protect privacy, protect readers or whatever the case may be, there are always circumstances or events that aren't fully detailed on a Web site. I say that to preface that in many ways, it has been a hard year. I briefly alluded to our hope to have another baby, but I have not gone into much further detail. Suffice to say that after two chemical pregnancies (June and Sept. 07), we went the fertility route. After nearly a year of treatments, even two failed IVFs, we truly had to wonder what was meant to be. Surely, we were meant to be parents again - that I believed in my heart. But the dreaded "why" questions started creeping in, as they often do. I tried so hard to hold onto Proverbs 20:24, which in my paraphrased “mantra” counsels, "If the Lord is directing your footsteps, why question everything that happens along the way?" Wise guidance to say the least, but a thought that's not always easy to follow when life has thrown the experiences at you that it has. So, what next? We started researching adoption, talked to friends who had gone that route, attended seminars, even filled out our initial application with a selected agency...and then we decided to give fertility one last hurrah.
I have a friend who at first hoped – and now believes – that good things would happen to us on the 19th – as a way of "compensating" for Hayley's home-going on that same day. The theory seemed to hold some merit when we found out we were expecting Jacob on 10/19/05, although truthfully I hadn't given it much thought since then. Without getting into all the details, the number 19 appeared again and again throughout this last fertility cycle. Call it a heavenly sign or merely a happy coincidence. I don't really know, but it made my heart smile, and part of me knew it was meant to be. And so...we are beyond thrilled to say we are finally expecting our third baby this Spring. It's still a little on the early side (9 weeks), but we have seen the heartbeat twice now which is always such an amazing moment. I can't fully express how excited we are to meet the newest member of our family. At times, I'm still scared to believe it's real. And after all the difficulties, we go into this fully aware that it may well be our last child - or at least our last biological child - so I am really trying to treasure every second – nausea and all. As always, we welcome your prayers for our new little one, and hope you'll join in our excitement!
Last but not least, thanks to all of you who e-mailed and wrote requesting an update. It really moves me to know there are people out there still checking in on us. Hopefully, now you know why I wanted to hold out just another week! : - ) I promise a final update after we return from the beach (before moving to a family blog). Yes, it's time!
Enjoy the pics!
If you didn’t have a chance to see his two-year slideshow, click here. (It will take a minute or two to load on your screen, but it’s worth it!)
Loving the wind in his hair!
Not so sure about this raft thing...
Happy on the 4th!
Nothing makes him happier at the pool than a bucket and a watering can!
Exploring the “farm” at the Children’s Museum
Menace behind the wheel...
Watch out, world!
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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