History

Thursday, May 5, 2011 7:32 AM CDT

Hi Friends,

WOW, it's been a really long time since I updated. Our lives have returned to a new normal. I thought this would be a good time to update since Veronica is going to clinic today for labs and tests. It's been a year since she has seen her Hematologist/Oncologist. She had an appointment scheduled for December but her Doctor had to cancel and she was not in a hurry to reschedule.

Veronica has completed her first year of Graduate school at NCSU - majoring in Biomanufacturing. She graduated from NCSU last May, in Chemical Engineering. She received a full scholarship to Grad school, with health insurance and $15k stipend/year. She worked in the lab last summer as an intern and one day a week during the school year at The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences in RTP. I also work for a small startup company in the same building and get to see Veronica one day a week which is super nice! She will be beginning an internship at Biogen-Idec in mid-May (which was her #1 choice). She is feeling great and enjoying life!

Dustin also has completed his first year of Graduate school at NCSU. He graduated last May with a major in History and a minor in Coaching. He is working on his Master's in Teaching and working at The Parks & Rec and as a nanny for a young boy.

Nicollette is about to finish her Junior year and has her permit. It's just she & I at home now and she is the typical teenage girl. She swam on her high school swim team this year and is babysitting several days a week for our neighbors.

I continue to enjoy my job - it has been a year and 4 months since I began. I have been dating a very special man, Greg for almost one year and we are enjoying our time together. He became an empty nester last August (with 2 boys in college) and I feel like one since Nicollette has quite the social life! I have to say that dating at my age is ALOT of fun!!! I continue with my weekely Bible study and Small Group from my church once a month, weekly yoga class, hiking several times a week, and reading.

Our family continues to honor Sherilyn in many ways. We miss her so much! I recently went to Corolla with Greg and was able to share a piece of Sherilyn with him and fondly remember the happy memories that I had with Sherilyn there.

Thanks for checking in. I will post lab results later today.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Saturday, May 15, 2010 5:49 PM CDT

NCSU GRADUATIONS THIS WEEKEND!!!

Hi Friends,

I know it's been a really long time since I've updated - that's a good thing. A lot has happened since my February update.

Veronica went to Duke to see her Hematologist/Oncologist 2 weeks ago and all of her labs looked GREAT! She doesn't have to go back for 6 months.

Veronica graduated last night with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering-Magna Cum Laude (grade point average of 3.5 or above). This is absolutely amazing since she was diagnosed with leukemia between her freshman and sophmore year - went through chemo and stepped right back into her sophmore year to graduate the same year as her brother, Dustin. She also received a "Jimmy V Award" where the Professor told her story - which she had not shared with many. We were able to attend Senior Design Presentations last Monday on Centennial Campus. This was very nice as we were able to see the projects the students had worked on in Senior Design class. I admit it was way over my head - my daughter is brilliant! Veronica will begin a summer internship at The Hamner Institutes in Research Triangle Park. This is actually where I work, but I work for a small start-up company within The Hamner. She will be working with UNC Liver Research.

Dustin graduated today with a major in History and a minor in coaching. He will begin graduate school at NCSU this summer. I am so proud of him. We celebrated with lunch today. Tomorrow both Veronica & Dustin are flying to Venice for a 2 week European cruise, with their grandparents on their dad's side. This was their graduation gift!!! They will be going to Venice, Rome, Naples, & Florence, Italy; Mykonos, & Athens, Greece & Barcelona, Spain. I am very excited for them and wish I could fit in their suitcase.

My new job is going really well. I am thrilled to be keeping busy at a job that I enjoy. I am learning a lot since my company is a start up company.

I spent my 3rd Mother's Day without my sweet Sherilyn. But she managed to let me know how much she loved me via Nicollette. Nicollette was cleaning her room on Friday, which she used to share with Sherilyn, and she found a poem/letter that Sherilyn had written for me on 6 index cards. She gave it to me on Mother's Day. IT WAS AMAZING! She said how much she loved me - always & forever and that I was an angel in her life. It is priceless. God works in mysterious ways...and I am so thankful that I was given this gift from Sherbear on Mother's Day. Thank you God and thank you Sherilyn. I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! Sherilyn was really missed at Veronica & Dustin's graduation. She loved them both so much.

Thank you for checking in on our family. We love you all!

Laura

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 8:16 PM CST

Hello Friends~

It's been awhile since I have written...no reason, there just hasn't been much to write about. We are all doing well. Veronica and Dustin are just a few months shy of graduating from NCSU. Veronica has applied to a couple of places for an internship and Dustin took the GRE recently in order to get into Graduate School. Nicollette made honor roll on her latest report card. I am proud of them all!

I was recently offered a job as Business Manager for a startup company called Drug Discovery Ctr. of Innovation (DDCOI) located at The Hamner Institute for Health Sciences in RTP. I am currently working Monday thru Friday from 8-2, but will eventually go full-time. This company has developed a business plan to bridge the gap between NC Universities and Non-Profits and NC Biotech/Pharmaceutical companies to ultimately develop oncology therapeutics. As I said in my interview, "Who could be more passionate about getting drugs to the bedside than me?" I am thrilled about this opportunity!

I answered phones for the MIX 101.5 radiothon last week and $1,019,396.00 was raised!!! Another amazing year for Duke Children's Hospital.

Thank you for continuing to check in on us.

f.r.o.G,

Laura

Thursday, January 7, 2010 1:04 PM CST

Hi Friends~

Happy New Year! I hope for happiness and health for all of you this year.

I really enjoyed spending time with Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette over the Christmas break. I wasn't ready for school to begin for Nicollette as the stress-free environment was a nice change. Veronica & Dustin begin their final semesters at NCSU on Monday. I can't believe my 2 oldest children are on the home stretch of their college careers.

Christmas came and went so fast. It was nice as my brother & his wife from Virginia and sister and her husband were here from Arizona. We had a big group. We all missed Sherilyn so much...the holidays will never be the same without her. The luster is gone for me, but I keep up with all the traditions because that is what Sherilyn loved and my children deserve.

I continue to look for a job. I am taking a Continuing Education class on Microsoft Office 2007 which is helping me feel more computer literate.

Nicollette & I, my friend Denise and Sherilyn's best friend, Kara went to Duke Children's Hospital before Christmas and stuffed stockings. Then we went up to the Day Hospital and dropped off goodies for the nurses and lots of gifts for the kids.

Love, Laura

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 9:34 PM CST

Hello Friends~

I will be collecting stocking stuffers for Duke Children's Hospital again this year. If you are interested in donating items I will need them by Dec. 14th so that we have time to fill the stockings. We are accepting items for boys and girls infant through teenager. If you have any questions, please email me at Lauraha65@nc.rr.com or call me at 919-848-6079.

Thank you,

Laura

Thursday, November 26, 2009 6:04 PM CST

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Dear Friends~

I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful Thanksgiving Day we had today. I enjoyed a wonderful meal with my family at my sister's house. A few days ago I found a Thanksgiving card and Christmas card that Sherilyn had made for my sister and I brought it to her house today. What a wonderful gift for my sister and me to see a note from Sherilyn...She had written "I Love You" and had an angel sticker that said "With God, All things are possible." The Thanksgiving card was homemade and had a turkey on the front. Sherilyn loved to make homemade cards for her family. This was very special. Before dinner we all had a leaf made out of construction paper and a pen and we were asked to write what we were thankful for...then all the leaves were put in a basket and we passed the basket around and each read one. My sister's said that she was thankful for Sherilyn's notes :) She was such a special and thoughtful daughter...and she was especilly missed today when we celebrated Thanksgiving.

I served Thanksgiving lunch at Duke Children's Hospital today from 10-12:30. I was able to see a few of my girls favorite nurses and some of the staff and get big hugs from them. Everyone was so thankful for our church serving them a hot Thanksgiving feast.

Although it was bittersweet getting on the service elevator the first time without Sherilyn and seeing the decorated windows on the 5th floor as Sherilyn drew a cat and flowers on the same windows years ago. I felt blessed for not being at Duke as I saw sick children with masks and their families and remembered the many years we spent at Duke.

Thank you God for my children, family & friends!

Hug your kids today and tell them how much you love them!

Laura

Friday, November 13, 2009 8:17 AM CST

Hi Friends~

We are off to Corolla to spend Sherilyn's 2nd anniversary doing what she loved best...playing at the beach...shell hunting, playing games (especially Disney Monopoly, Parchesi, gin rummy, & Quiddler) taking walks...eating good food, and just being together as a family.

It has been an especially rough year for me emotionally, but I am looking forward to spending time with my children in a little piece of heaven here on earth...and I will be praying for those "angel moments."

f.r.o.G,

Laura

Monday, November 2, 2009 9:39 AM CST

Hi Friends~

Adams Angels won the #1 spot again this year! We raised an amazing $20,102 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thank you for your awesome support!

On another bright note we took Veronica to clinic on Thursday for labs and an echo. Her labs looked great and Dr. Rosoff will sent Veronica the results of her echo this week. She doesn't have to return to Duke for 6 months!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a wonderful week!

Laura

Thursday, October 22, 2009 6:25 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

We all had a lot of fun at the Light the Night walk last Saturday night, even if it was freezing. The new venue, Halifax Mall, was a terrific place and the turnout was better than expected.

Adam's Angels raised just over $20,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!!! Thank you everyone who attended and all of you who have supported us in the past and present. We could not do it without you!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

November 14th will mark 2 years that Sherilyn has been in heaven, and away from us. We miss her so much! We will be going to her favorite vacation spot, Corolla, to remember and honor her again this year. We are so blessed that our anonymous angel donor continues to allow us to use his beach house. We are really looking forward to our time there, a place that Sherilyn loved so much and that we have so many happy memories of the good times we spent with her there.

Thank you for your continued love & prayers!

Laura

Monday, October 5, 2009 1:20 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

The "Auction for an Angel" fundraiser was a big success. We raised $3650 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and had a really good time doing it! Thank you everyone who attended and supported us!

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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk is quickly approaching (Saturday October 17th). If you would like to join our team (ADAMS ANGELS), please sign up so there will be enough food. The food will be provided by CiCi's pizza, Panera Bread & Remington Grill. There will be entertainment and activities before the 2 mile walk. Pink or gray T-shirts designed by Sherilyn & Veronica will be available for $20 the night of the walk. If you want one beforehand, please call me at 919-848-6079 or email me at Lauraha65@nc.rr.com.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/nce/Raleigh09/Angels08

Thursday, September 10, 2009 9:44 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk is quickly approaching (Saturday October 17th). If you would like to join our team (ADAMS ANGELS), please sign up so there will be enough food. The food will be provided by CiCi's pizza, Panera Bread & Remington Grill. There will be entertainment and activities before the 2 mile walk. Pink or gray T-shirts designed by Sherilyn & Veronica will be available for $20 the night of the walk. If you want one beforehand, please call me at 919-848-6079 or email me at Lauraha65@nc.rr.com.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/nce/Raleigh09/Angels08

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UPCOMING EVENT/FUNDRAISER:

I have planned a fundraiser for our Light the Night team that should be a lot of fun!

"Auction for an Angel"

Please join us on Wednesday, September 30th for a Dessert Social/Silent Auction to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk. There are many wonderful items to bid on including black & white prints of historic Raleigh scenes, colors prints of the Raleigh Capitol & the famous Pullen Park carousel, donated by a local artist, jewelry, note cards & Christmas cards designed by Sherilyn & Veronica, gift certificates from many local restaurants (Mellow Mushroom, ZPizza, Zest Cafe), gift certificates from Total Hair Salon, Generations Salon & Day Spa, Healing Through Organization, and Pet Mania store, gift baskets, team memorabilia, and cupcakes from the famous Cupcake Shoppe, and much more. There will also be DELICIOUS desserts available for sale/auction.

Come join us for food, fun & fellowship. Music will be provided by some very talented local musicians, Dave Debonzo, former lead singer & guitarist for the bluegrass band "Headin South" and The Debonzo Brothers (Jeff & Keef) formerly of Buzzround.

Event to be held:

Wednesday, September 30th 6-8pm

Grace Community Church
6561 Meridien Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27616

Coffee, tea, lemonade & desserts provided with a requested minimum donation of $5

All donations are tax-deductible and can be made out to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Laura

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Monday, August 10, 2009 2:50 PM CDT

Hello Friends,

Summer vacation is almost over! Both Veronica & Dustin begin there senior year at NCSU in a few weeks. Nicollette begins the following week. Dustin turned 21 on Friday and we celebrated with him a couple of times over the weekend when he was sober!

Veronica went to clinic recently and her labs looked great. She finished taking antibiotics (Cipro) for an infection that she had and is feeling much better.

The kids are going to the beach with their dad for a week next Saturday. I am going to the mountains with my sister and Sabrina Sherilyn for 2 nights. I haven't been back since Sherilyn and I went in July 2007. She loved the mountains and we plan to go to the places she loved most...Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Mountain, Mast General, Blowing Rock to walk around and get ice cream and sit in the park...well, not so sure about the sitting part with a 2 year old :) The last time we were there we bought gifts for Sabrina awaiting her birth. Sherilyn picked out a tea set in a pink, gingham basket suitcase and a fairy doll music box. I can't wait to see Sabrina enjoying the sights that Sherilyn loved so much! After that I am flying to San Antonio, TX to spend 4 nights with Steve (Sherilyn's bone marrow donor) and his wife.

Recently a friend told me that her son had been diagnosed with colon cancer. Obviously her family is very worried and upset. Please pray for D.J. Malmberg while he recovers from surgery and goes through chemotherapy. And please pray for his family that they have the strength to deal with everything that comes with this news.

We are walking in the Light the Night walk again this year. Please sign up with the ADAMS ANGELS team and join us for a fun-filled evening of food, entertainment and a short walk through downtown Raleigh. THE EVENT HAS BEEN MOVED TO OCTOBER 17TH THIS YEAR(Thank GOD we don't have to deal with hurricane season and the oppressive heat this year!). The venue has changed to Halifax Mall, a much larger grassy area to accommodate the increasing crowds. The link to sign up is below.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/nce/Raleigh09/Angels08

Thank you,

Laura Adams

Monday, July 20, 2009 8:32 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Veronica is safely back from Europe. She had a wonderful time! I am enjoying hearing all about her trip. She visited so many cities, but loved Venice the best. She swam in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea; visited Nice, France and the Beaujolais wine region of France, went to Oxford and London, England; spent 4 nights in Paris; 2 nights in Milan and 4 in Venice, Italy. Her pictures are marvelous and she is answering me in French. Today we bought ingredients to make some of the meals that she ate while she was abroad. Our first meal was a copy of a curry chicken sandwich and it was quite good! We bought french bread and I was told there was an etiquette to holding your french bread. You must never put it in a bag or purse, but hold it with the crust facing out(not the bottom). When they went to market one day she bought a loaf and went to put it in her bag and the man said, "No"! She later asked some of the French students and they told her the proper way. They really take their bread seriously! We are also going to make ratatouille, tabouli, and gnocchi. She said they splurged on food in Italy and vowed to eat whenever they weren't full.

Nicollette began Driver's Ed this week. I can't believe my 4th child, my baby, is going to be driving...watch out! Actually she's pretty good at least around the cemetery. Every time we visit, she asks to drive around several times. I figure it's a pretty good place to practice...Sherilyn is watching over her and laughing I'm sure!

Dustin will be 21 in a few weeks! Am I getting old or what?????

Have a great week!

Laura

Friday, July 10, 2009 11:08 PM CDT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET SHERILYN!!! Today (July 11th) you should be 18 and my heart aches for you. I miss you so much. You brought me more joy than you could ever imagine and I am so thankful for you and the blessings that your memories continue to bring me everyday. But I miss you so much. Today I will go to the cemetery and bring you pink flowers and a Hello Kitty birthday balloon. I will stop by the Hello Kitty store and see if I can find a trinket to put at your headstone and I will buy an outfit for one of your Build-A-Bears like you always ask for on your birthday. We will sing happy birthday to you and eat your favorite cake and miss you some more. Sweet little Sabrina Sherilyn turns 2 today and we will celebrate both of your birthdays with the family at Aunt Katie's. I know you will be watching from above. Maybe you could blow me a kiss.

Love, Mommy

Saturday, June 27, 2009 10:08 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Veronica is having a wonderful time in Lyon, France. She said she has to walk up 250 very steep steps to get from town to the college, which sits up on a mountain. Her 2 classes are going well. She was placed into intermediate French and really likes her class and has a Chemical Engineering class and lab. One day they were put into groups and given $10 Euros to go to the market down by the Soanne River and buy certain foods and then had a picnic. They took a trip to Beaujolais and toured several wineries. A group of them went to Nice for a 3 day weekend and sat on the rocky beach and swam in the Mediterranean. This weekend she went to London and to Oxford to visit her old stomping ground (where she studied abroad last year). Next weekend she is going to Paris for 3 nights and the last 6 days of her trip in mid July will be in Italy. She is having a blast and I am thrilled for her.

Nicollette is in Kentucky for 2 weeks visiting her dad's family. It is very quiet around my house! Dustin comes home about once a week to mow the grass and eat a meal with me. He is coming home tomorrow...I am bribing him with a steak dinner, mashed potatoes and garlic bread (his favorite). I took him out to lunch (Mellow Mushroom) on Thursday and stopped by Veronica's apt. to check on it. Dustin has 2 part time jobs as a referee and a designated driver.

I have been working in my garden, scrapbooking, cleaning & organizing...today I cleaned the garage (Yuck!). Otherwise, not much is going on. I continue to look for a job and send out my resume...not having a lot of luck!

I babysat my niece, Sabrina Sherilyn so her mom & dad could go on a date. We had so much fun! I took her to Sherilyn & Nicollette's favorite playground, took her for a walk, got out my kids Legos and blocks, washed them good, and enjoyed seeing her play with them. We read books and she fell right to sleep. In the morning when she woke up she got in my bed with a book to read and when I turned on the light she pointed and said, "Sherilyn". I have a picture of Sherilyn that my mom sketched by my bedside table. I was amazed! She was only 4 months old when Sherilyn became an angel. She is such a little angel tome and she brings me so much joy! I know God sent her to help me through these difficult days. She will be celebrating her 2nd birthday on what should be Sherilyn's 18th birthday, July 11th.

Have a safe and fun Fourth of July. Two years ago I was having a wonderful time with Sherilyn in Blowing Rock. It was our last trip to the mountains...a favorite place of hers.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Sunday, June 7, 2009 9:37 PM CDT

UPDATE: Monday June 8, 2009
Veronica arrived safely in Lyon, France (Thank you God)

Hello Friends~

I know it's been awhile since I've updated...sometimes it's too difficult to write how I'm feeling. To begin, it's been difficult these last several months. One, because I'm not working or taking classes...so my mind has a lot of time to think about Sherilyn and all that I'm missing without her. Second, instead of attending her High School graduation this week, I will be attending a Baccalaureate Service dedicated to her. Don't get me wrong...I am very honored that they are remembering her...but I know how hard it is going to be to see all of those kids when she is not one of them.

Graciously, Sherilyn's grandmother (Tony's mother) decided to honor Sherilyn and keep her memory alive with a a "Sherilyn Adams Memorial Scholarship." Tony and I presented the scholarship at Millbrook High School Class Night about a week ago. Tony's mother & father, wife & their 2 kids as well as a good friend of mine attended. It was very emotional for all of us. I completely lost it when the Class of 2009 (Sherilyn's class) marched in with their caps and gowns...I just wanted out of there!!! We cried when we hugged the lovely young lady that received Sherilyn's scholarship. She will be attending UNC-Chapel Hill and plans to major in Pyschology. Afterwards we met her family and had our picture taken.

Presently, Veronica is flying over the Atlantic Ocean enroute to Lyon, France. She should get there by 7am tomorrow. I have been keeping track of their progress via the computer. I miss her already! I have really enjoyed spending the last month with her since school ended. I am thrilled she has the opportunity and health to take this trip. If anyone deserves it, she does. She is so excited! She is taking a Chemical Engineering class/lab and French (full immersion as the teacher will be speaking only French)...and Veronica took Spanish. She said she was planning on reading her French phrase book on the long trip :)

Dustin is taking a summer school class and continues to look for a summer job. They had a hiring freeze on the job he had planned on and has applied and interviewed at numerous places, with no luck. He worked at Harris Teeter the past 3 summers but was hoping to find a new job...but it looks like he may have to go back there. Nicollette has her 2 last exams Monday & Tuesday and her Freshman year will be over.

Thank you for checking in on us and continuing to pray for us.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, May 15, 2009 2:08 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated.

The picture with Veronica and Sherilyn with Snickerdoodle was taken 2 years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday that we walked into the pet store and Sherilyn held Snickerdoodle. I could see how happy Sherilyn was holding the baby bunny and I said, "Does she need to come home with us?" Sherilyn got this huge smile on her face and said, "Really...can we?" A few weeks ago we got a baby kitten...the kids named him Roscoe. Roscoe & Snickerdoodle are becoming friends and hilarious to watch interact with each other.

Yesterday 5-14-09 marks a year and a half since Sherilyn passed away. My memories are my blessings both sweet and bittersweet. A few weeks from now Sherilyn should be graduating from high school so this has been a particularly difficult time for me. Everywhere I turn I see prom stuff, graduation stuff, and college stuff. I feel like I've been cheated. I have been so sad lately.

Veronica wasn't feeling well so we moved her clinic appointment up a few weeks. Yesterday she saw her doctor and her labs were GREAT!!! She starts worrying herself when it gets close to her appointment time and just needs to be reassured. Thank God! All of her friends are graduating from college and she should be but had to take one year off for treatment. She will graduate on time next year with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She made the Dean's List again this semester making straight A's. Dustin also made Dean's List. Nicollette made all A's and one B. I am so proud of all of them!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for my family.

f.r.o.G,
Laura Adams

Saturday, April 18, 2009 10:12 AM CDT

Hi Friends~

Nicollette and I had a very peaceful and relaxing trip to Corolla. It was the first time we had vacationed there for one whole week. We did a lot of the things that Sherilyn liked to do. Her presence was both felt and missed throughout our trip. Our friends joined us for 3 nights and we all had a lot of fun sightseeing, playing games, and walking on the beach.

When we came back home, we were amazed at the transformation...Spring had arrived in it's full glory. Our dogwoods and azaleas, tulips and lilacs were blooming and beautiful. On Easter morning Nicollette & I attended service at our church and then picked flowers from our yard and went to the cemetery. While in Corolla, my parents had placed some wind chimes in the tree beside Sherilyn's headstone and we were amazed at the sound it created...we felt like we were at a symphony. Afterwards we went to my sister's house for dinner. Veronica, Dustin and my nephew joined us there, along with more of my family. It was nice, but again it wasn't the same without Sherilyn. I continue to feel like the rest of world is moving all around me but I'm just stuck in this one place watching and wondering if I'll ever be able to move??? I imagine the only people who can understand me have sadly lost a child too. The only way to explain it is that my life is so much less without my sweet Sherilyn.

Veronica and Dustin have a little over 2 weeks left until their Junior years are over. They have been exremely busy with papers, presentations and tests and are now preparing for final exams. Veronica will be leaving June 6th for Lyon, France for 5+ weeks. She will be taking French and a Chemical Engineering class. Nicollette received a wonderful report card last week. She made 3 A's and 1 B (Spanish). I am very proud of her!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, April 3, 2009 8:42 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Veronica is taking part in Relay for Life with a few of her good friends. One member of their team has to be walking at all times until 2pm tomorrow. They'll take turns sleeping. I'm very proud of her for doing this event.

Yesterday afternoon we had to put our cat, Smokey, to sleep. She became very sick in the last month and after several visits to the Vet's office and hospital, it became apparent she wasn't getting any better. The doctors think that she had cancer, possibly a lymphoma (her white blood cell count was 120,700 (normal range 4000-12,000). Our Vet had never seen a WBC count over 40,000 in 35 years of practice. Dustin, Veronica, Nicollette and I were all with her until the end. We had Smokey for almost 12 years. Sherilyn helped choose her out of a box someone had dropped off at Southern States in Morehead, Kentucky where we were living at the time. She was our first pet and we loved her so much. We are all comforted in visualizing her jumping into Sherilyn's arms. I can imagine the two of them running and chasing butterflies in the meadow.

I completed the CNA I course with a 102%. Clinicals were an eye-opening experience, to say the least! I will take the State Exam sometime in May.

Tomorrow Nicollete & I are going to Corolla (N.C. Outer Banks) for an entire week for Spring Break. Unfortunately, Veronica & Dustin already had their break and will not be able to join us. A very good friend of mine, Kris and her 3 children will be joining us mid-week for 3 nights. We are very excited about vacationing in one of Sherilyn's all time favorite places with her best friend, Kara. An anonymous, generous gentleman, has allowed us to stay in his cottage since 2005. Did I mention his cottage is named Jon's Place, which I found out wasn't his name but stands for Jesus of Nazareth. Blessings, Blessings, Blessings!

Thank you for your continued prayers for my family.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, March 19, 2009 2:03 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Veronica's labs were GREAT! We are all relieved with todays results because Veronica has not been feeling well lately. As usual, we celebrated with lunch at Mellow Mushroom :)

Today we brought treats up to the staff. Veronica's idea was for a healthier treat so we mixed up a huge batch of trail mix with Duke blue & white M&Ms, bagged them in individual bags with a blue ribbon. Everyone was delighted with Veronica's idea. We also brought up bags of books, puzzles, socks, stickers, slinkys and other misc. Easter items for the kids in the Rainbow Day clinic.

Veronica is getting excited about traveling abroad again this summer. She will be studying in Lyon, France and will be taking a Chemical Engineering class and French for 5 weeks. After that she will be traveling for an additional few weeks (to Italy & Germany and back to Oxford).

Thank you for your continued prayers.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:03 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

I'm about to head out to my last day of class, as tomorrow we begin our 3 week clinical rotation. After that I will take the state exams and finally be done. I'm not sure yet if I will begin taking Anatomy & Physiology I & II (& labs) and the 3 other courses required for the Nursing Program this summer. If I do, I will be taking them here in Raleigh, because the school I'm presently at doesn't offer them in Summer school. I sure won't miss the 1 hr. drive twice a day.

Veronica goes to clinic this Thursday for her regular 2 month checkup. She has been working hard in school and continues to feel good.

Please pray for Brett Hudson, who is currently in the ICU fighting for his life after transplant. My heart aches for his family because I remember clearly when Sherilyn was in the same situation years ago. Also, please pray for our good friend, Parker Fritsch who was just diagnosed as having pre-cancerous skin cancer and is going through a very painful chemo cream that burns away the diseased tissue. He was on transplant with Sherilyn and we continue to be in contact with his family.

f.r.o.G,
Laura,

Saturday, February 28, 2009 3:33 PM CST

Hi Friends~

My sister is in town from Arizona and my brother and his wife are in town too. All of my siblings (7) with the exception of my sister who lives in New Mexico will be here tomorrow. It's perfect timing because Veronica & Dustin's Spring Break just began. I haven't seen my sister since Sherilyn's Celebration of Life (Nov. 2007) so it has been nice spending time with her.

The Radiothon at Duke was a huge success raising over one million dollars! Thank you for making it such a success. For me it was an emotional few days hearing Sherilyn on the radio several times. When I was through with my shift answering phones, a gentleman working the Radiothon tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I had a minute. He then proceeded to put earphones on me and I joyfully listened to Sherilyn's previous interviews. Needless to say, I hope to get a copy! These events led me to have a very difficult and emotional week or so. Grief is like a roller coaster. One minute you feel like you're holding on and going to be ok and then, all of a sudden, you hit a loop and you think you're going to die. Unfortunately, with grief it takes a little longer to feel your feet on the ground.

After I complete the CNA course, I will be taking a break from school. Since being admitted to Nursing School this Fall is not an option, I will be looking for a job. I can't believe how difficult it is to get into Nursing School nowadays, yet there is a shortage of nurses. There were hundreds who applied and approximately 85 seats available. I have been very discouraged with LIFE lately...not sure where I am going or what I should be doing.

If I am to believe Jeremiah 29:11, then I must believe that there is a reason I won't be going to nursing school this fall. I just wish I knew what I am supposed to be doing with my life???? When one door closes, another one should open right? I hope it opens soon.

As I have said before, Nicollette has had a difficult time these past several years. Tony and I have been working together to ensure that she has a healthy future. She has been seeing a Therapist who specializes in Teens, Cancer & Grief and has begun opening up to her. It's not going to be easy, but it is a start and that is often the hardest part. She has also begun taking a Study Skills/Reading Comprehension course. We are hoping this will give her some confidence and get her on the road to reaching her potential. Tony & I went to Open House at her school last week and talked with her teachers. She appears to be working harder in her classes this semester.

Please continue to pray for us all.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 3:20 PM CST

Hi Friends~

We're all keeping very busy in school. Veronica and Dustin are second semester Juniors at NCSU. Veronica made straight A's last semester and Dustin did very well too. Nicollette Started her second semester classes just last week. She is really enjoying High School! I can't say I am enjoying my classes, but am scratching them off until I finish in early April. I have enjoyed learning how to take blood pressure. I have made 100+ on my first 4 tests (LOL).

Thursday Veronica and I will go to Duke for the monthly Teen Support Group and Caregiver Support Group meetings. We meet from 6-8 and have dinner. Nicollette had her first meeting with a Therapist who specializes in Cancer, Grief & Teenagers on Tuesday and it went very well. Nicollette told me she loved her....this was after listening to her scream at me, slam doors, say that she would never talk to anyone about her feelings etc. All I can say is thank you GOD!

I will be answering phones on Thursday, Feb.12th for the annual MIX 101.5 DUKE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL RADIOTHON. I have done this for years, but it takes on a new meaning now that Sherilyn isn't with me. She was interviewed on the radio several times. I remember last year driving down the road and her voice came on the radio and freaked me out...I didn't want it to end...I wanted to hear her beautiful voice forever! Please call and make your pledge to help the kids at DUKE Feb.10-12th at 1-866-684-1015.

I am on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Planning Committee this year. I am very excited about being a part of this. It is a wonderful way to honor my girls and be a part of something that I feel passionately about.

Tears of a Rose
~Helen Steiner Rice

Even that which is beautiful can sometimes bring pain,
so tolove from the heart is to invite the rain.
But to reach for the rose, you must not fear the thorn,
so to love from the soul is to embrace the storm.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, January 16, 2009 3:26 PM CST

Hi Friends~

Veronica's clinic appointment was yesterday. All of her labs were GREAT! We celebrated at Mellow Mushroom. Veronica also seemed to enjoy the January Teen Support Group at Duke. At the Caregivers Meeting, Sherilyn's Social Worker sat in on the meeting and I was able to talk to her in depth. Afterwards, I mentioned that I was having a difficult time with Nicollette and she recommended a Therapist that recently left Duke to open a Private Practice a few miles from my house. This Therapist specializes in Cancer, Grief & Teens. I called her the next day and set up an appt. for next week. I am really looking forward to getting Nicollette the help she needs to help her deal with her pain & grief. I have also decided to take Nicollette to Sylvan, a learning center, in order to help her learn more effective study skills. She will be having an assessment next week and then begin a study skills class.

"All things are possible when God is working through you!"

FOOTPRINTS has been one of my favorite poems since I was a young girl...before I could fully appreciate the meaning. As I have matured I have come to realize the many low points in my life where God has picked me up and carried me. As you can imagine, I have needed some carrying and God has never let me down. I am truly blessed, even though I often forget.

Recently I was talking with a friend and during our conversation I began to cry. She casually said, "You should go to nursing school". I started laughing because for the past 4 months I have been researching local nursing schools, have talked to nursing administrators and had several admission packets sent to me. But I became overwhelmed with the admissions process. Because there are so many applicants, the school closest to me has the hardest criteria to be admitted. Also, the 2009 students have already been chosen and to top it off they would not accept my college credits because they were not taken within 5 years of applying. The other 2 schools were in Durham (Duke & Watts School of Nursing) and were quite expensive and 30 miles away. This left me feeling discouraged. I told her this and she told me to go home and look on the website of a local Community College (which is about 36 miles away). Surprisingly, I did just what she said. The next day I drove to the school to talk with someone and get more information. I then applied on-line, had all of my transcripts sent, took a reading test, and signed up for the required CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) course (they had one slot left in this class!). This is a prerequisite for most nursing schools to help with the high drop out rate that occurs in nursing schools. I also took a CPR course for Healthcare Providers all day Saturday. I finished my first week of classes and my first tests are on Monday. The class is 4.5 hours a day Mon., Tues, & Wed. and it takes me almost an hour to get there in rush hour. I leave at 7:30 and get home around 2pm (Nicky gets out of school at 2:20). I really feel like this class is a waste of time due to my experience, but I will persevere to get to the other side. We have clinicals at the end of March which are all day at the local hospital. Then I have to pass the licensing exam :)

As one of my co-workers told me before I left, "When one door closes, another one opens". Whether the door will ultimately lead to nursing...only God truly knows. I just know that I need to do something with my life that gives me passion (and keeps me busy). And maybe then I can make some sense out of all of this and honor Sherilyn in the process.

So as you can see, God picked me up once again and showed me He was in control...if I just listen.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you for continuing to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

p.s. Dustin could use your prayers tonight as he and his friends sleep outside on the coldest day/night in order to get NCSU tickets....did I say CRAZY!!!! He came home today to get his haircut and then realized that might not have been the best thing to do (LOL) and to pick up some hand/toe warmers I had and to get a few more layers of clothing....Oh to be young again!!!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 9:41 PM CST

Hi Friends~

I've been putting off updating-my mind a twirling chaos of thoughts all jumbled up. For years this journal was to keep friends and family updated on Sherilyn and later Veronica. Now that Sherilyn is in Heaven, there is not much to report.

I enjoyed being home with Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette during their Christmas break. Christmas was different this year...I don't know how else to explain it...the lights were not as bright...the excitement wasn't there...how could it be without our Sherilyn? Now that school has resumed and the house is empty, I find myself falling back into sadness and self pity. It's quite easy to do with out any distractions. My job of the past 6 months is over and that has left me very depressed...for it gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I feel like I'm just now coming out of the SHOCK of Sherilyn's death and it scares me. I'm blessed to have so many happy memories...but those same memories can cause stabbing pain through my heart as well as joyful comfort. Honestly you don't know how it's going to hit you or when.

So I just chug along praying for distractions, wondering if I'll ever figure out how to live my life without an integral part of me. I'm not sure what the next phase of my life will be. I know I need to do something that makes a difference...if God would just show me the way...and soon before I lose my mind.

Please pray for my family, especially Nicollette right now. She is having a very difficult time at home. She has had such a rough time...she was only 8 when Sherilyn was diagnosed and for the next 5 years I was at Duke for long periods of time...she is still very angry with me and doesn't want to spend any time with me. It's a constant source of pain for me. On Monday I found a sad and heartfelt letter that she wrote to Sherilyn and left on her bed. You could not imagine the pain she has inside of her. If only I knew how to help her.

Tomorrow night Veronica & I will be going to the Teen Support Group and Caregivers Support Group at Duke. The following Thursday is Veronica's 2 month checkup.

Thank you for continuing to care about us and checking in.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 10:54 PM CST

Hi Friends~

It's 5 minutes until midnight...Christmas morning. We went to church and then had family over for dinner. It was a small group as 3 of my sisters & their husbands and kids and my brother and his wife were at in-laws this year.

I've kept myself really busy the last several weeks. If I don't I think too much about Sherilyn not being here during her favorite time of year. I've kept our family traditions going because I know I need to for Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette. Also, I know Sherilyn would probablly bop me in the head if I didn't adhere to every single tradition. She was so funny every year when I began baking. It was fine if I wanted to make something new just as long as I baked all of the old goodies too :) I did ALOT of baking this year and always wore my pink Hello Kitty apron she got for me last year. I've been taking platefuls here and there and everywhere :)

But honestly I just want Christmas to be over. It's just not the same without my Sherbear. She brought so much love and joy to our family. Now that she is in Heaven, the Christmas season has lost it's brightness. I know she is in a better place, but I am selfish and I want her here with me.

Tonight when I was filling the stockings with candy, I pulled out 4 ziploc bags to stuff...and then it hit me hard...that I only needed 3. It's little things like this that occur on a daily basis that make my heart sink.

I'm thinking about all of the sick children who will be spending their Christmas at Duke. I am excited about them waking up to fun-filled stockings...hoping to bring a smile to their face in spite of where they are. We received an enormous amount of stocking stuffers! I had so much fun stuffing the stockings. Thank you for all of you who donated items. Please pray for all of the sick children and their families as well as those of us who have lost a child.

Praying for an angel moment tomorrow!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:08 AM CST

Hi Friends,

Just a quick update before work. We are all doing very well. Veronica finished her final exams on Tuesday. Dustin will finish up on Friday afternoon. Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette are going to Kentucky for the weekend with Tony & Mari for the annual Christmas Tree Hunt. They look forward to doing this each year and always hope for snow while they are there. I have a busy weekend planned while they are gone. In addition, I hope to finish my Christmas shopping and get some baking done.

I have received many donations for the Duke Christmas stockings and have had a lot of fun sorting the items in Sherilyn's room. I will be taking the items to Duke after church on Sunday and helping to stuff the stockings. I have had so much fun doing this. Thank you to all of you who have donated items. Without you, I would never have been able to fill 175 stockings! Just imagine the SMILES on the children's faces come Christmas morning :)

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, November 21, 2008 4:47 PM CST

Hi Friends,

Thank you for all of the thoughtful cards, phone calls, and the anonymous flowers that were left on my front porch. Each one was special and meant a lot to me. Did you know that pink lilies are Sherilyn's favorite flower? Not many people knew that...I wonder who you are??? It was a very nice surprise when we came home from Corolla. My neighbor brought them inside and left them on the kitchen table :)

We had a wonderful time in Corolla. Family time is priceless now that Veronica & Dustin are away from home. We enjoyed playing games, watching movies, eating favorite foods that each of the kids requested I make beforehand, and the beautiful beach. We walked to the shipwreck, barely visible this year as it was covered in sand...where a part of Sherilyn will always be. We played some frisbee and took walks on the beach...hoping to see the wild horses...but no such luck. Once again the ocean was covered with mermaid purses :)

I had a few angel moments...Back in 2003 during Sherilyn's initial treatment we would go to the beach in between her stays at Duke. She loved to look for shells...one particular day we were shell hunting and she said, "I really want to find a pretty shell"...a few minutes later she found a beautiful gray conch shell in perfect condition. There was a family of 4 just in front of us looking for shells...so we laughed that God had placed it there just for her. The shell has remained on my windowsill ever since to remind of of God's love. Sunday morning I got up before the kids and took a walk...as I was walking I was feeling kinda down and I said to myself...if only I could find a shell worthy in Sherilyn's eyes...just before getting to the fence where the wild mustangs graze, I found a very large, gray conch shell, totally intact. I then walked through the gate in hopes of spotting the wild horses. I walked for awhile and stood by the dunes. After awhile I thought I best turn around because I still had to walk back. As I went through the fence and back to almost the same spot that I found my big conch shell, I found a smaller gray conch shell, in perfect condition! The smaller one fit inside of the larger one...I just smiled and thanked God. The whole way back I thought of the meaning of those 2 shells. The big one was me....a bit weathered...not perfect and the small one, perfect, just like my beautiful Sherilyn. If you just open up your eyes, you will see that God is always walking right there beside you. Once again I was comforted by His presence in my life.

The anonymous gentleman that allows us to use his cottage, framed Sherilyn's mermaid (see photo above). He did a beautiful job and even matted it in pink (he didn't know this was Sherilyn's favorite color).

I could have stayed there forever, but as we left the realtor told us once again that the door is always open for our family to return. We are blessed by kind and generous angels!

I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be serving Thanksgiving lunch, with my church, to the patients, families and staff at Duke on the 5th floor where Sherilyn & Veronica spent so much time. I haven't been back to the 5th floor since Sherilyn earned her angel wings. Later, we will be going to one of my sisters for dinner. I am also collecting stocking stuffers for the children who will be in the hospital over Christmas. If anyone is interested in donating a small item or gift card, please let me know. I have a Wish List from Duke and will be bringing the donations to Duke on December 12th.

f.r.o.G,
Laura, Veronica, Dustin, Angel Sherilyn & Nicollette
****************************************
I received an email asking me to post the Wish List. There will be approx. 175 stockings needed. Duke has added a Cardiac ICU as well as a partial wing on the 7th floor for Pediatrics. As you can see we have a lot of stockings to fill!

Duke Children�s Stocking Suggestions

Infants
Rattles
Beannie Babies
Brush & comb set
Pacifier
Teethers
Board books
Receiving blankets
Infant socks
Lullaby CD�s

Toddler/Preschool
Bubbles
Books
Markers/crayons
Colloring books
Little People
Balls
Playdoh (sm. containers)
Party blowers
Blocks
Disney Baby toys
Push & Go cars

School Age
Uno cards/Playing cards
Playdoh (sm. containers)
Bubbles
Matchbox cars
Crayons/markers
Coloring books
Books
Drawing pads
Lego sets (mini)
Balls
Travel games
Disposable cameras
Photo albums (mini)
Polly Pockets

Teens
Journals/note pads
Jewelry/craft kits
Travel games
Travel size hair care products
Pens/pencils
Uno cards/playing cards
Earrings
Nail polish/remover pads
Lip Balm (ie.Burt�s Bees/Chapstick, etc)
Disposable cameras

Gift cards: Walmart, Target, A.C. Moore, Michaels, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Toys R Us, Starbucks, McDonalds or Chick-Fil-A & I-Tunes cards.

Friday, November 14, 2008 7:22 AM CST

Dear Friends~

I have been dreading this day...one year ago today Sherilyn received her wish and went to Heaven. In a way it's hard to believe it's been one year..I remember the day as if it was yesterday. But in other ways it feels like it's been forever since I have seen her beautiful face, her cheerful smile and listened to her voice. I miss her sweet hugs and kisses and that dimple. I miss her more than anyone can imagine.

We went to Duke yesterday for Veronica's clinic appointment and all of her labs looked great! Thank God for her continued good health.

We're leaving for Corolla in a few hours. I can't imagine anyplace I'd rather be...as I will feel very close to her there. We are staying at Jon's (Jesus of Nazareth) Place. He is the wonderful gentleman who has allowed us to use his beach cottage free of charge over the past 4 years. I have been told that he has framed Sherilyn's artwork and has it in his cottage. I can't wait to see it!!! I'm amazed at how God reveals Himself in our daily lives. Sherilyn's memory will always be in that house for us, but now others can share in her memory as well :) What an honor!

I am thankful for all of the cards and notes that I have received. Knowing that you care and that you remember Sherilyn is a blessing to me.

"God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." ~Rev. 21:3-4

"The Greatest aspect of Heaven will be spending eternity with Jesus". ~ Our Daily Bread

Thursday, October 30, 2008 9:24 PM CDT

Dear Friends,

It's hard to believe that Halloween is tomorrow and it will soon be November. Nicollette has decorated the house fully for Halloween. Veronica, Nicollette & I went to a pumpkin patch on Sunday and picked out a pumpkin which Nicky plans to carve tomorrow. Veronica & I picked out a small one earlier in the day to take to the cemetary. Sherilyn loved Halloween...in fact she loved every holiday and thrived on traditions. I still have her unworn costume from last year...a Geisha girl. You might think what were you thinking??? I thought a Geisha girl was a little Chinese girl...and cracked up when someone told me the real meaning. Anyway, Sherilyn was excited about the pink satin dress and we bought black leggings to wear with it. She tried it on once but I never got a picture and I really, really regret that. It makes me so incredibly sad to know that I'll never have any "new" pictures of her. The holidays are so unexciting to me now...it's just difficult to get excited without her being here.

On Monday I had my Cancer Mom's Group at my house. We are all enjoying getting to know one other. We all appreciate being able to talk openly about our children and thankful that there are others who understand what we are feeling. This is a real blessing.

Tonight I had dinner, at Mellow Mushroom of course, with Tiffany from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was finally able to meet her new baby! I held him through the entire dinner and he was as sweet as an angel :) Tiffany has become very special to me and my family these past 5 years. Afterwards I stopped by and visited Dustin and brought him my leftovers :) He appears to be getting along very well in his new apartment.

I continue to enjoy my bible study on Wednesday mornings. We are studying Exodus. I also started yoga again...which my body/mind really missed. It felt soooo good to be back in class last night. I continue to work Monday, Tuesday & Thursdays. I really enjoy my Fridays. I have begun knitting and am having fun! I'm getting ready to begin another scrapbook...a Christmas one...I thought it would be neat to have one with just Christmas photos of my family from my children's birth to present. I've also got some sewing projects planned for Christmas. Keeping busy is the best thing for me to do so that I don't think too much.

We are all going to Corolla on November 14th, Sherilyn's one year anniversary. I can't imagine anyplace I'd rather be...as I will feel very close to her there. We are staying at Jon's (Jesus of Nazareth) Place. He is the wonderful gentleman who has allowed us to use his beach cottage free of charge over the past 4 years. I have been told that he has framed Sherilyn's artwork and has it in his cottage. I can't wait to see it!!! I'm amazed at how God reveals Himself in our daily lives. Sherilyn's memory will always be in that house for us, but now others can share in her memory as well :) What an honor!

"God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." ~Rev. 21:3-4

"The Greatest aspect of Heaven will be spending eternity with Jesus". ~ Our Daily Bread

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Saturday, October 18, 2008 8:44 PM CDT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERONICA!!!!

Hi Friends,

Today is Veronica's 22nd birthday. She & Dustin came home for a birthday lunch, cake & presents. She celebrated her birthday last night and tonight with friends.

It's been a busy week. Nicollette had her first choral concert on Tuesday and her 14th birthday was Thursday. She had a slumber party on Friday and went to the fair today.

Veronica has been having a rough time lately. Last weekend she had Fall Break and had plans to go to Hilton Head with 3 of her friends that she went to Oxford with. She called me on Thursday and said she didn't feel good...she was really dizzy, had a headache and just couldn't do much of anything. She didn't want to go to the drs...she said she was just stressed with her classes and would feel better as soon as she finished some of her homework. The next morning she decided she couldn't go on the trip b/c she didn't want to be that far away and become dizzy & disoriented. So she spent the 4 nights at home, not feeling well. She went to class on Tues. and texted me that she needed to go to the doctors. I called her Hematologist and brought her to Duke. Her doctor did labs and asked her lots of questions. He told her he did not think she was relapsing in her central nervous system...that she looked good. We waited for her bloodwork to come back and it looked GREAT...he believes she has developed atypical migraines and wants her to see a Neurologist. He gave her an antihistamine to take as the symptoms begin...but it makes her very tired. Today she wasn't feeling very good. I feel so bad for Veronica. She is working so hard at school and doing so well...she is even working part time...she doesn't have to but she wants to. I'm so proud of her...I just wish that she would feel better and stop worrying about everything. She continues to have panic attacks and lots of anxiety. I HATE leukemia and everything it has taken from my family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Friday I picked up Veronica at her apartment and we went to Mellow Mushroom to meet one of her & Sherilyn's favorite nurses, Molly. We had a great time catching up with her. She just finished her Nurse Practicioner Degree and is getting married in 2 weeks and moving to Michigan. We will really miss her! She was an awesome nurse to both my girls.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, but this year all I can do is think of Sherilyn at this time last year and I have so much sadness in my heart. She loved this time of year too. She loved going to the mountains. Last year we had planned to go but she was not up to it and I had to cancel our trip. At this time last year, she asked me & her dad to take her to the mall so she could buy her 2 sisters birthday presents. She couldn't even walk, we had to borrow a wheelchair. She spent all of her money that she had on presents for Veronica, Dustin & Sherilyn. She knew this was going to be the last birthday she was going to share with them. She was so generous as this was just one of the wonderful gifts she had. I'll never forget watching them open up their gifts. Even now I can't hold back my tears. I miss her so much my heart breaks. I just want her back. I just wish I could go back...the pain to go forward without her is too hard.

But life just goes on...some days are ok...and others are not. I read this in another CB page and thought I would share it with you.

"If you know someone who has lost a loved one, remember to talk about them. We may tear up, but it makes us, the bereaved, feel good inside to hear those spontaneous words, a story, just a simple "I think of them". Talking about our loved one doesn't make us hurt anymore than we already do, it helps. Let it be your random act of kindness for the day."

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Saturday, October 4, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

Hi Friends~

I can't believe October is here. Where does TIME go?
Veronica and Dustin are settled well into their classes at NCSU. Veronica continues to come home on the weekends when she works and stays the night which is nice :) Dustin comes home to mow the grass when needed and occasionally stays around for some home cooking. Nicollette has fit right into high school and is enjoying football games and hanging out with friends. She even went to homecoming a few weekends ago. She is looking forward to her upcoming chorus program.

I am working 3 days a week for now and have bible study on Wednesdays and yoga. I have been cleaning and purging my house. I guess that is a part of my grieving process. I have the need to get rid of "stuff". I think this if because for so long now, I've had no control and I have the need for order. My neighborhood had yard sales for 2 weekends in a row and I got rid of a lot of stuff! It feels good now to be uncluttered and organized.

My "Cancer Mother's Group" met for the first time in September. We all enjoyed our first get together and look forward to our next one later this month. We have 9 mothers who are involved.

I have volunteered at my church to help Duke Children's Hospital out at Christmas. We will be asking for donations for stockings and assembling them for the children who are inpatient. I am also signing up for the Thanksgiving dinner which we bring up to the families who are stuck at the hospital over Thanksgiving as I was the recipient of over the years we were at Duke.

The Light the Night walk was a big success. We were one of the top teams again this year. The final totals are not in yet, but so far our team (Adams Angels) has raised $17,315. I am so thankful for everyone who supported us this year and has supported us in the past. Thanks to all of you WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of those affected by blood cancers!!!

Anyone who would still like to make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for our team, I will be accepting donations until the end of October. Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or LLS (tax-deductible) and mail to Laura Adams, 916 Salem Woods Dr., Raleigh, NC 27615

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, September 18, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Hello Friends~

We went to Duke today for labs...it took awhile, but it was worth the wait because Veronica's labs were GREAT! She received another one of her immunizations and comes back in 2 months. We (Tony, Veronica and myself) went to Mellow Mushroom afterwards, of course :) It was yummy, as usual. Veronica is going to Asheville early tomorrow afternoon with one of her friends that studied abroad in Oxford with her. They are going to visit 2 more of their friends from Oxford who go to ASU. Last week her group got together for the first time since Oxford at a local restaurant. Other than that, Veronica is staying VERY busy studying...her 2 engineering classes are keeping her very busy, as well as her other 2 classes to a lesser extent. She is enjoying living alone and has her apartment fixed up really cute.

Thank you again for all of your support for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk. It was so good to see so many of you come out and show your support again this year. I will post our grand total from the walk as soon as they notify me.

Anyone who would still like to make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for our team, I will be accepting donations until the end of October. Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or LLS (tax-deductible) and mail to Laura Adams, 916 Salem Woods Dr., Raleigh, NC 27615

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Sunday, September 14, 2008 1:37 PM CDT

Thursday, September 18, 2007

Veronica has her 2 month clinic appointment today. Please pray that her labs will be great. I'll update later tonight.

Hi Everyone~

I made it through the Light the Night walk last night thanks to so many of you who came out and showed your support. We had a huge team, thanks to several of Sherilyn's friends who organized groups to walk in her honor. I'm sorry that I didn't get to speak to each and every one of you last night. It was crazy crowded and I was worried about getting our team picture, making sure everyone got a shirt, food, etc. I apologize to anyone who didn't get dinner or a t-shirt because we were waiting so long to get our picture taken. Next year the venue is changing to a much larger location in downtown Raleigh and hopefully these problems will be eliminated.

I really dreaded this year's walk and procrastinated with organizing our team and fundraising. I didn't want to face carrying a gold balloon in memory of Sherilyn...in fact I dreaded the GOLD balloon. In previous years, Sherilyn has joined our team and walked if she had the energy or at least she would be waiting for me when I got home. The LTN walk offered me HOPE....HOPE for a new drug for AML...HOPE for a CURE! What could it give me this year...Sherilyn wasn't with us and wouldn't be waiting for me when I get home. But then I have to look at Veronica. She is now the light...carrying on...fighting the battle that her sister lost. Veronica came out and joined us last night after working 7 hours on her feet, both Friday and Saturday after going to school all week studying Chemical Engineering. It is because of Veronica and Sherilyn's memory that got me out there last night...because the fight isn't over until a CURE is found. They are my HEROES! And so are all of you who joined our team, our fight, our MISSION. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Thank you for those of you who couldn't attend the walk and donated. Your support means so much to me.

Anyone who would still like to make a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for our team, I will be accepting donations until the end of October. Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or LLS (tax-deductible) and mail to Laura Adams, 916 Salem Woods Dr., Raleigh, NC 27615

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, September 12, 2008 11:30 PM CDT

LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK...LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK...LIGHT THE NIGHT

Hi Everyone,

Just a reminder that the LTN walk is tomorrow night at Bicentennial Plaza in downtown Raleigh. Registration begins at 5:30 and dinner (pizza, hotdogs, & wings) followed by dessert after the 2 mile walk. We will have a tent set up�look for the Adams Angels banner. We will meet here for our TEAM PICTURE! Please check in and stick around the tent until this has been done. Bring a folding chair if you�d like. There will be dance performance, children�s activities, & mission activities. The walk will begin at 7pm.

I have about 30 t-shirts left that I will be selling for $20 each. Sherilyn & Veronica designed the picture. The money from the sales of the t-shirts will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you don�t want a t-shirt, please wear pink or purple in honor of Sherilyn and Veronica. I only have a few gray t-shirts available for sale.

Directions to the walk:

BICENTENNIAL MALL � MUSEUM OF HISTORY, DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

From 440 Beltline:
Exit onto Hillsborough St. Turn left and follow several miles to State Capitol bldg. Turn right onto Salisbury St. Make an immediate left onto Morgan St. Turn left onto Wilmington St. The Bicentennial Mall and parking are to the left and right at the intersection with Edenton St.

If you would like more information, just click (or copy & paste) the links below.

www.LightTheNight.org/nce

http://teams.LightTheNight.org/AdamsAngels_Raleigh.

If you can't walk and would like to make a donation, please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

If you prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (tax-deductible) and mail to Laura Adams, 916 Salem Woods Dr., Raleigh, NC 27615.

Thank you for all of your support. I hope to see you tomorrow night.

Laura

Friday, September 5, 2008 8:18 AM CDT

Dear Friends~

This picture was taken when Sherilyn met her bone marrow donor for the first time (May, 2007). Steve and Carolyn should be arriving early this afternoon to spend 3 nights with us. We are really looking forward to our visit! Because Steve so selflessly donated his bone marrow, we had 2 years and 8 months with Sherilyn. Steve will always be a part of our family and we are blessed that he wants us to be a part of his too:)

I have decided to organize a "Cancer Mother's Group". I have received a positive response to the mother's I have asked to be a part of it. We all felt there was a need for this type of group. I am looking forward to our first gathering later this month.

Nicollette had a great first week of school after missing the very first day because she had the stomach virus. She likes her classes and her teachers. She is in chorus and has the same wonderful teacher that Sherilyn had. For those of you who attended the Celebration of Life service, you heard the beautiful MHS chorus sing under her direction. She is very special to me and I am very happy that she is also teaching Nicollette. I attended the first boosters meeting this week and will be helping with fundraising for the year. So if you want to buy some delicious "butter braids" just let me know. Sherilyn sold them and they are absolutely scrumptious! It is frozen bread that you take out the night before and it rises, then in the am you bake it....cinnamon, apple, blueberry, creme cheese, etc.

I am missing Veronica & Dustin now that they are living away from home. The house is quiet with just me & Nicky.
*********************************************************************************
COME OUT AND JOIN US FOR THE LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK SAT. SEPT. 13TH. DINNER IS PROVIDED AND A SHORT WALK THROUGH DOWNTOWN RALEIGH FOLLOWS, FINISHING WITH DESSERT AND FELLOWSHIP.

If you want to walk, please follow the link below and sign up so there is enough food for everyone. I have ordered an additional 30 t-shirts to sell this year with Sherilyn & Veronica's design ($20 each...towards our fundraising). If you don't want a t-shirt, please wear pink, in Sherilyn's memory or purple in honor of Veronica. (Guys, you don't have to wear pink, I have a few gray t-shirts available also).

My personal fundraising goal is $1000 and I have raised $850 on-line. Thank you everyone for your generous donations. We'd love to have a big team again this year as it's going to be a difficult walk without Sherilyn.

www.LightTheNight.org/nce

OR to join our team and walk visit:

http://teams.LightTheNight.org/AdamsAngels_Raleigh.

If you can't walk and would like to make a donation, please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

If you would prefer to donate by check, please make your tax deductible check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and mail to me at 916 Salem Woods Dr., Raleigh NC 27615.

I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

Hope to see you there!

Laura

Thursday, August 28, 2008 9:24 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

I decided it was time to go to a local meeting of The Compassionate Friends Tuesday night. This is an organization for grieving parents. I went with my friend Nancy, whose daughter died of AML in February. We both had a difficult time and cried when we told our stories. It was an emotional evening. Surprisingly, we were the only two parents whose children died of cancer. Most of the children had died in tragic accidents. I didn't feel like I had much in common with the other parents. I'm not sure that I got anything out of the meeting. Murry, my minister was the guest speaker...which was comforting, but I had already heard everything that he had said before. I'm not sure if I'll go back although they told us you should attend 3 meetings before you decide if you like it.

I feel like I'm just treading along in this surreal state. It's like I'm one person on the exterior...I appear ok. People have stopped talking about Sherilyn and asking me how I am....so I must be ok. But on the interior I'm just a really sad, depressed mother who is missing her daughter miserably. I miss her more as each day passes...most days I really wish I wasn't here...the pain is too hard. But then I feel guilty because I have other children. I've become much more anti-social. There are only few people I really want to be around...who understand what I am feeling and they are mothers who have lost their children too. I just don't feel like putting on that smiley face most days. Life as I knew it has changed forever. My emotions are a roller coaster...I don't know what to expect from one day to another.

But thankfully I am looking forward to Steve (Sherilyn's donor) and his wife, Carolyn's visit next weekend. They are driving from Texas to see his father in Georgia and then to our house for 3 nights. We can't wait to see them!!! This will be their fourth visit, but the first one for pleasure. The first 2 Sherilyn was in the hospital or sick and the third was for Sherilyn's Celebration of Life service.

Please pray for the Rowe Family as their daughter, Julia, earned her angel wings this week. Julia had leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant, but relapsed and died from complications of a fungal infection. She and Sherilyn both loved mermaids and exchanged pictures and shared a love for Disney.
*******************************************************************
The Light the Night walk is just over 3 weeks away. Unfortunately, we haven't raised any money yet and few people have signed up for our team. Last year we were the number 1 fundraising team and we had a HUGE team of walkers. We'd love to have a big team again this year as it's going to be a difficult walk without Sherilyn.

PLEASE COME AND JOIN ADAMS ANGELS ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH FOR DINNER AND A SHORT WALK WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS.

www.LightTheNight.org/nce OR to join our team and walk visit http://teams.LightTheNight.org/AdamsAngels_Raleigh.

If you can't walk and would like to make a donation, please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

Hope to see you there!

Laura

"I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief." ~Psalm 6:6-7

Thursday, August 21, 2008 7:25 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Wow...Veronica & Dustin moving out has hit me harder than I had expected! It's so quiet around here and empty feeling. In less than one year 3 of my kids are out of my house. That is a huge adjustment for anyone...and I'm not really caring for it right now. Although I am looking forward to having one on one time with Nicollette and helping her make the best of her high school years. She has had a really rough 5 years. It has been impossible for me to be there for her physically or emotionally and it is reflected in her anger and resentment towards me. Hopefully this next year we can begin to repair that and improve her grades, which have suffered greatly.

Today we attended Open House at Nicollette's high school. Again, it was bittersweet. I saw several of Sherilyn's friends who are beginning their senior year...Sherilyn should be too! Several of Sherilyn's teachers and school administrators came up and hugged me. They talked to Nicollette and made her feel special, offering help and tweaking her schedule. They made us feel like they really cared and wanted to make sure Nicky was going to have all the resources she needed to have a great year. I left feeling really proud of her school.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of Veronica's diagnosis. It seems like yesterday I was sitting with her in the emergency room at Duke, in shock, after being told my SECOND child had leukemia! By this time Sherilyn had already relapsed for the first time (2 months shy of her 2 year anniversary). I pray to God I never hear those words again.

The Light the Night walk is just over 3 weeks away. Unfortunately, we haven't raised any money yet and few people have signed up for our team. Last year we were the number 1 fundraising team and we had a HUGE team of walkers. We'd love to have a big team again this year as it's going to be a difficult walk without Sherilyn.

PLEASE COME AND JOIN ADAMS ANGELS ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH FOR DINNER AND A SHORT WALK WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS.

www.LightTheNight.org/nce OR to join our team and walk visit http://teams.LightTheNight.org/AdamsAngels_Raleigh.

If you can't walk and would like to make a donation, please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

Hope to see you there!

Laura

Thursday, August 14, 2008 1:09 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Today marks 9 months since Sherilyn went to Heaven...it's hard to believe 3/4 of a year have passed. Because a majority of every day she is on my mind it doesn't seem like it's been that long, but on the other hand, it feels like an eternity since I've hugged her or kissed her sweet, bald head. I miss her more than ever...some days are unbearable others are just bareable. Losing a child is just unfair and I just want her back in my life. She brought me so much joy in her short life and I don't feel a lot of joy these days. The picture above was taken in Corolla in May, 2007. Just 7 months later her ashes were placed in that exact location. She and Nicollette loved playing in the water by the old shipwreck at low tide.

I'm sad summer is almost over. I'm sad Veronica & Dustin are moving out. Last year at this time I had 5 people in my house and soon it will just be me & Nicky. Beginning tomorrow I will be moving Veronica & Dustin into their own apartments...no longer the security of college dorms. They are growing up and with mixed emotions, I have to let them spread their wings and fly. I think that is a difficult thing for a mother to do, especially with the journey we have been on together. Thankfully they will be close by...otherwise I would not be handling this so well.

Nicollette went to a half day camp for freshmen at her high school last week. She is my 4th child to attend this high school and is somewhat familiar with the school. I can't believe my youngest child is going to high school!

I went back to my old job 3 weeks ago and will continue to work as long as they need me. I'm familiar with the job, the people and it works for me now. I am very thankful that they wanted me back after missing so much time.

I had lunch with one of Sherilyn's favorite nurses, Stacey, recently at Mellow Mushroom. She is so special to us. She told me she had gone to the cemetery the day after Sherilyn's birthday. She & I had gone together a month or so ago. I'm so thankful that she has continued to stay in touch with us. That is a blessing to me!

The annual Light the Night walk is coming up Saturday, September 13th. Please join our team, Adams Angels, by signing up at www.LightTheNight.org/nce. If you cannot walk with us and would like to donate you may do so safely online by visiting: www.active.com/donate/ltnRaleig/2331_Angels08

We are walking at the downtown Raleigh location. More information to follow.

Thank you for caring,

Laura

Monday, July 28, 2008 4:12 PM CDT

Friday, July 31, 2008

Veronica's clinic appointment went great. Her platelets and hemoglobin are at an all time high since she has finished treatment. We don't have to go again until Sept. 18th (YAH!!!) We enjoyed our lunch at Mellow Mushroom:)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hi Friends~

Veronica is HOME!!! She had a fantastic time in Europe and REALLY wishes she was still in Oxford. I enjoyed listening to her for hours yesterday telling me all about her travels and new friends. I'm so glad that she enjoyed her trip abroad and was able to be the carefree young adult that she should be. She's already talking about where she wants to go next year. She has been through so much these past many years, I'm thrilled that she had the opportunity to get away and just have FUN!

The summer is going by too fast. Dustin & Veronica will both be moving into apartments mid August. Although I'm excited for them that they are spreading their wings and learning to be more independent, I have really enjoyed my time with them this summer. At least they won't be far away and I know they will come home. Dustin loves to keep the grass mowed and Veronica plans to work part-time at the bakery near our house. Dustin has been working at Harris Teeter and plans to work some next school year too. Nicollette begins high school...my baby....WOW am I getting old or what?!

Veronica goes to clinic Thursday for her next checkup. This should be a short visit. Basically she gets labs drawn, gets some more of her childhood vaccinations, and sees her Hematologist/Oncologist. Afterwards we will be going to eat at Mellow Mushroom...of course:).

Thank you for caring enough to check in on us :)

f.r.o.G,
Laura

God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons we could not learn in any other way. ~C.S. Lewis

Saturday, July 19, 2008 3:28 PM CDT

Dear Friends,

I've been receiving regular emails from Veronica at Oxford and she is having a good time for the most part. She emailed me yesterday that she felt horrible...sounds like a summer cold with sore throat, headache, & all together blah she said. Several of them were planning an overnight trip to Edinburgh and she was hoping she would feel better after a good nights sleep. On Thursday they were all walking along the Thames with their NCSU chaperone and Veronica stopped to take a picture because it was so pretty. There were cows and horses just meandering along the Thames. Suddenly one of her friends yelled for her to watch out and before she could move a cow came up behind her and butted her. She said it was hilarious and the teacher apparently got a pic of it...which should be good. She was a bit sore the next day. When I told my friend Kris, she said I bet it was Sherilyn she loved cows...so we all got a laugh out of that. On Monday her Art of London class is going to the National Gallery in London and then she and some friends are staying and going to see Wicked (if they can get tickets). They saw Romeo & Juliet in Oxford the other day. Veronica said she wishes she was staying for an entire semester.

It's been really hard for me lately. I guess Sherilyn's birthday just made me more depressed. For 16 years I stayed home and cared for Sherilyn and the last 5 years we were pretty much inseparable and all of a sudden she's not here. I miss her so much...the empty feeling in my heart is unbearable. In addition, I've enjoyed spending the summer with Veronica & Dustin back home, but in the Fall it's just going to be me & Nicky living at home. I'm going from a family of 5 at home to 2. I know 3 other moms locally who have lost a child to cancer and it helps to talk with them, especially since my church no longer has a grief support group. Unfortunately, I only attended 3 meetings.

Steve's (Sherilyn's donor) wife Carolyn sent me a lovely pewter plaque with a bookmark that reads the following:

The Best is Yet To Be

My earthly days are over
Angels wings have set me free,
My days are spent in Heaven
The best is yet to be.

Surrounded by his glory
Earthly roots could not hold me,
Each day is spent with Jesus
The best is yet to be.

No more sickness, no more pain
My illness had to flee,
My body is made new again
The best is yet to be.

And if I had just one more day
To spend on earth anew,
I'd be sure to let you know, my dear
The best is yet for you.

When your earthly days are over
And angel wings have set you free,
Just reach your arms toward heaven
The best is yet to be.

~Debbie Oyler

I just thought this was beautiful and wanted to share it with all of you.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Tuesday, July 15, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Dear Friends,

We missed Sherilyn SO much on her 17th birthday. We tried to celebrate like we would have with her but, of course, it wasn't the same. We ate lunch at Mellow Mushroom and went to the cemetery. We put flowers and a Hello Kitty balloon and some other items on her monument. Her friend Kara placed a stained glass heart with the word JESUS on her monument. We brought a blanket and ate cupcakes in Sherilyn's memory...she'd have loved that part :) Later we went to my sister's house to celebrate Sabrina Sherilyn's 1st birthday. We stopped and picked up Sherilyn's favorite ice cream cake and Nicky wrote "Sherilyn we love you" on it. Sabrina lightened everyone's mood, especially when she ate her birthday cake...OMG she is absolutely adorable! My mother is an artist (Sherilyn took after her) and surprised me with a framed black & white sketch of Sherilyn. It is lovely! Coleen made a plate with an angel...and wrote Sherilyn...Happy 17th Birthday and put some pictures together in a cube and one side was an angel that said "Sherilyn Annette Adams-An Angel in Heaven." Last year a bunch of us got together the day before Sherilyn's birthday and made pottery so that's why Coleen went back this year and made me the plate. I have a beautful piece of artwork Sherilyn made for me that day and I cherish it! My sister Maureen gave me a beautiful book titled, "May You Always Have an Angel By your Side" and Julie sent me a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers. Everyone was thinking about Sherilyn on her special day and I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family.

Veronica is having a great time in Oxford. Yesterday they went to Stratford-Upon-Avon and saw Taming of the Shrew and visited the church where Shakespeare is buried. Today they walked along the Thames to a famous pub and then back to Oxford to the Somerville library to begin her paper for her Art History class.

Please pray for Camille Walton and Julia Rowe, both of whom are having complications from AML.

Thank you for checking in & continuing to care & pray for us.

f.r.o.G,

Laura

"I may not always understand the mysteries of life, but HOPE allows me to believe that tomorrow will be a better day."
~C. Hinton (from another child's CaringBridge page)

Friday, July 11, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING!!!

Today is Sherilyn's birthday...17 years ago at 9:45pm she was born in Lexington, Kentucky. She weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. As I took my walk this morning, I reflected on this day last year. Sherilyn's 16th birthday was unique in so many ways. It was special because it was her sweet 16, but it was also likely to be her last birthday because the leukemia cells were multiplying in her bone marrow. Although we never gave up HOPE for our miracle, we had seen so many children follow a similar path only to receive their angel wings. So I set out to make Sherilyn's birthday really special. It was a day of celebration from start to finish. We began with breakfast at Mimi's followed by opening presents at our house. I had put together 2 scrapbooks with pages made my family, friends, & nurses. She was so surprised and absolutely loved & enjoyed going through each page and reading what people wrote to her. She was in awe of the amount of pages. Later a few of Sherilyn's friends (Avery & Mallory) stopped by to wish her a happy birthday. She rested a short while and then began getting dressed up for her birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. This is part of her journal entry on July 11th. "I put my wonderful brown polka-dotted dress on and my brown peep toe pumps! Yes I felt like a princess.....I went bald, I didn't wear a hat...so yes I was bald & beautiful...well at least the bald part :)!" Family & her best friend Kara and her mom, Kris attended. Afterwards we came back to our house for cake and to the much anticipated call from Katie, announcing Sabrina Sherilyn's birth at 9:37pm. Sherilyn ended her diary with this entry. "Well this was the best birthday ever! I'm 16 as of 9:45 and I can't wait to see SABRINA! Love (heart) Sherilyn

I can't tell you how happy I am to have these wonderful, priceless memories of my Sherilyn. Everyday my thoughts are surrounded by her and it is these thoughts that get me through. Today I plan to read her scrapbooks and watch the video of her life. I haven't watched it since November 14th at her Celebration of Life Service.

Today we are going to Mellow Mushroom with Kris and Kara and then to the cemetery. We bought a beautiful balloon and some pink flowers as well as some Hello Kitty items to leave there. Nicollette & I built Sherilyn a suntanned Hello Kitty Build-A-Bear and it is sitting in her seat at the kitchen table. We put up the birthday flag and birthday banner that we do for birthdays. Tonight we are going to Katie's for Sabrina's 1st birthday party/cookout.

I miss Sherilyn more than ever. I wish she was here to celebrate. But I know she is even happier where she is and I can't wait to see her again!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Monday, July 7, 2008 8:23 PM CDT

Hi Friends,

I must not have saved my last update so here goes again. We had an amazing whirlwind of a trip. Our flight to London was non-stop (about 8 hrs.). We arrived at 6:35am and took a bus to Bath, England. We toured the ancient Roman baths and beautiful Bath Abbey & crypts and walked around the city. The next day we took a bus to Stonehenge...if you can believe it was the summer solstice! An insane time to go because this is the only day of the year that people are allowed to go into the inner circle of stones. Luckily they wouldn't allow the people, including those who claim to be Druids, in until the evening. We were out around 3pm and there was a trail of vehicles waiting to get in. Apparently thousands were expected. In past years, fights broke out between police and people trying to get into the inner circle, so finally the owners decided to let people in for the night but made them leave at sunrise.

Then we spent 3 nights in London. We took the double decker bus tour of the city and got on and off where we wanted to sight see. We enjoyed going inside Westminster Abbey and St. Martins-in-the-Fields, Covent Gardens, the Imperial War Museum, took a Beefeater tour of Tower of London, took a cruise on the Thames and so much more. Veronica went to a concert one night and Dustin and I ate at Hard Rock Cafe.

We took the Eurostar (fast train) through the English Channel to Brussels, Belgium and then to Brugges, Belgium. We absolutely loved this medieval, gothic city. We took a canal cruise here and ate lots of Belgian chocolates, waffles and frites (french fries dipped in a number of sauces). Veronica & I loved the curry. We stayed in a charming bed & breakfast several blocks from the city center so we got plenty of exercise to work off all of the delicious treats that we ate. We took a trip to Damme by bus and then back by boat. This was some beautiful, lush countryside with lots of little cottages on the canal and old windmills.

Then we took a train to Amsterdam for 2 nights. We all loved it here and wished we had more time to sightsee. We took a canal ride here too. We toured the Anne Frank Huis on the Prinsengracht. We ventured into the "scenic" red district...and I was out again soon after to tour some of the more attractive areas of Amsterdam. We walked & walked around the city, up & down the canal...a beautiful city! Veronica & I went to the Van Gogh Museum and around the gardens of the Rijks Museum while Dustin watched football (soccer).

Then we took the train back to Brussels and then to London. From here we took another train to Oxford. We toured Oxford on another double decker bus and got on and off again to see specific sights. There are over 30 cottages that make up Oxford University. Veronica is in Somerville. This is the college that Margaret Thatcher attended. We ate at a little pub called Eagle and Child famous for being a local place where C.W. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien would meet to talk. We dropped Veronica off at her college in the am and then Dustin & I took a train to Canterbury. We loved it here. Canterbury Cathedral is stunning....I was even lucky enough to attend Eve song the first night. The music was absolutely beautiful and I didn't want it to end. From here we took a train to Dover and toured Dover castle, and the Saxon church and lighthouse which dates back to the first century. We took a 1 hr. tour of the Secret tunnels beneath the White Cliffs of Dover. These tunnels date back to Napoleonic times and were most recently used during the Dunkirk invasion in the Battle of Britian. Dustin & I really enjoyed walking through the miles of tunnels and seeing the hospital, kitchen, bunks, secret ops rooms, telephone rooms, etc.

We really enjoyed our 2 weeks. Veronica is having a good time so far. Last week the class went to Stratford Upon Avon and this week to Canterbury & Dover. On Sunday Veronica and another girl took the train to Liverpool to see the Beatles Museum and this weekend a bunch of them are going to Amsterdam because they don't have class on Friday.

The night I came home I was in my room sitting at my computer and I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I looked to my left and my angel bear that Sherilyn gave me for Mother's day last year had fallen off my armoire. I laughed...maybe Sherilyn was welcoming me home :) It made me smile. Nicky finally came home Saturday from Kentucky, Ohio & Tennessee. She had a good time with her dad's family. We were all glad to be back home. Vacations are great, but HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS!

Friday is Sherilyn's birthday (17th) and we are celebrating her day at Mellow Mushroom for lunch and going to the cemetery afterwards with her friend Kara and her mom, Kris. Nicollette and I went to her favorite store today (San Rio aka Hello Kitty) and bought a few things to put on her monument. Friday evening we are celebrating my neice, Sabrina Sherilyn's 1st birthday with a cookout at her house. I know this day is going to be hard for all of us so with my friend Kris's help we decided to make it a celebration...just the way Sherilyn would have liked it :)

Thanks for checking in & caring about us!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"All things are possible when God is working through you."

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 4:33 PM CDT

Dear Friends,

This was Sherilyn's last trip to the mountains...we had the most wonderful time! We stayed in Blowing Rock where we could walk to town...where we ate at Mellow Mushroom (of course) and ate ice cream cones every night downtown in the park. Afterwards we would swing! Oh, the memories...I am so blessed to have so many wonderful ones with just the two of us. On this trip we went to Grandfather Mountain and walked across the swinging bridge and then fed the bears (we were allowed to :) We also went to Tweetsie Railroad as we did on every trip there. It was just the right size for Sherilyn to get around. We would ride the train, the tilt-a-whirl (Sherilyn's fav) and the ferris wheel and then the chair lifts up to mine for gems and the petting zoo. By then Sherilyn was usually ready to leave. Even though she was 16, she would laugh and really enjoy herself. That is one of the many things I loved about Sherilyn...she really knew how to LIVE LIFE and LOVE every minute of it, despite her illness. She never lost her innocence or passion for life. I miss her so much.

I went to the cemetery a few days ago and got caught up in a processional to another burial which happened to be very close to Sherilyn's monument. I didn't stay for long because it was too emotional to hear and see the service going on. Nicollette & I picked out some bright & colorful silk Gerber daisies to put in her vase. Sherilyn loved them as we thought they look like smiley faces :)

Nicollette is safely at her grandparents farm in Kentucky. I've talked to her several times. Veronica & I are busy finalizing our packing. Dustin hasn't begun yet. Tomorrow our flight departs at 6:05pm and flies directly to London's Heathrow and we arrive at 6:35am. Then we are taking a bus to Bath, England and staying 2 nights. The weather is going to be in the low 60's.

We are excited!!!

Please pray for a safe trip for all of us. Thank you for caring.

BON VOYAGE!!!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, June 13, 2008 11:16 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Summer break is finally here for Nicollette too! Her 8th grade dance was Friday and her promotion ceremony was held on Monday morning. Nicollette was very surprised to have been the recipient of the Martha Ann Schuler award. This was awarded to her because of the way she persevered through such difficult times. A beautiful tribute was read about her, along with the story of our last 5 years. It was a very emotional morning for our family. I sobbed through it. Sherilyn had been given this same award in 2004-05 and I had to receive it on her behalf because she was recovering from her transplant and couldn't be out in public. I cried then too as I stood on stage and thanked everyone. Needless to say, Nicollette was happy to have the recognition (and the $50 wasn't so bad either :) We are all very proud of her. Later that day when I was not at home, a little angel brought over a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. Since I wasn't home, they left them at my neighbors and said they did not want wish to be known. Thank you whoever you are. The flowers lifted me up when I was feeling down.

I also received a very nice surprise when Tessa Malmberg, a graduating senior from Sherilyn's high school, came over and brought me a yearbook that read In Memory of Sherilyn Adams on the front and an entire page was dedicated to Sherilyn! It was done so beautifully! The writing was done in pink, Sherilyn's favorite color and had Hello Kitty angels on it. The pictures were divided into 5 groups: Fun, Family, Friends, Faith & Fame. It also included an excerpt from an essay she wrote while in 10th grade.

"Although I�ve had a pretty difficult few years, my life is filled with many more happy memories than bad ones. I am very fortunate to have family, friends and a donor that gave me my life back."

The gift is priceless and I am so very thankful for everyone who helped make it so special. I can't tell you how much it meant to me. I will cherish this yearbook forever!

In 5 days Dustin, Veronica & I will be in Europe and we are getting excited. Nicollette is packing to leave on Sunday to spend a day at her dad's and then on to her grandparents, Aunts & Uncles in Kentucky for almost 3 weeks. She has never been away from home for this long and is a bit anxious about being gone so long and not being able to talk to me whenever she wants to call. Unfortunately, we will not have our cell phones in Europe. I'm hoping to purchase some international calling cards, but not exactly sure where to do this here or there?

Thank you for continuing to check in on us and to pray for our family.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, June 5, 2008 3:19 PM CDT

Hello Friends~

Nicollette is anxiously awaiting the end of the school year. Her graduation ceremony is next Monday. Tomorrow is her 8th grade dance and she is excited about that. The theme is "A night at the movies". We have been busy decorating today for tomorrow night and will finish tomorrow afternoon. Six Forks Cinemas, the local movie theater that allowed Sherilyn to attend private viewings after her bone marrow transplant, has graciously given us posters, movie banners, and a cardboard cutout as well as the rope dividers to use at the entrance so that the kids can walk down the red carpet. It should be alot of fun! I know we're having fun decorating for them! Nicollette's dad, Tony came and helped us decorate today which was really nice.

I am really happy that I am able to do this for Nicollette as I haven't been able to be involved in her schools for 5 years. But it also makes me sad because I think of what Sherilyn never got to experience. She had so many losses in her short life. Yet even though she had sadness about things like missing school & being normal, she lived life to the fullest in her own way. We would go to movies at Six Forks Cinemas, play games, do crafts, read lots of books, she loved cooking with me, especially baked goods, she loved eating outside at Mellow Mushroom...she always managed to be happy in spite of her losses. She amazed me with her positive attitude and HOPE for her future, despite the odds. She really is my hero! I miss her more than ever. A permanent peice of me is missing and I don't know how to deal with it. My church stopped Grief Support...said there wasn't enough interest...I guess that's good overall....but not for me NOW. I feel lost. I have 2 other Moms who have lost their daughters to AML and we get together occasionally. It helps to talk to other moms who can REALLY understand what I'm going through.

Veronica continues to work a couple of days a week at a local bakery. She and Dustin are getting excited about our trip abroad to get Veronica settled at Oxford University for the summer. Nicky is excited about spending some time in Kentucky with her relatives.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of thise is love." 1 Cor. 13:13

Thursday, May 29, 2008 3:54 PM CDT

UPDATE:

Veronica's labs looked great! She is taking a nap now. We have to realize she is only 15 months off a horrendous treatment and it's going to take her body a good while to recover. Exhaustion from final exams and going back to work part-time haven't helped. At this point Sherilyn was only going to school 1/2 days so Veronica completing her sophmore year (full time) and making the Dean's List is quite an accomplishment.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:48 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

I hope you had the chance to enjoy the lovely Memorial Day weekend!!! We had a family cookout on Sunday. We all missed Sherilyn so much...she loved it when we had cookouts and she would have loved the cooler weather that we had. We got to show off the yard that Dustin, Nicollette & I had worked so hard on. We planted some pink flowers and made a memorial garden for Sherilyn. We have a stepping stone with an guardian angel watching over 2 small children (the same one that is on her marker at the cemetery) and a tall angel. Every year I will plant another plant for her. My good friend Kris brought me a lilac bush for my birthday and we planted that too.

Our trip abroad is approaching fast. It's the only thing that is taking my mind off of my sadness. We arrive in London June 19th and will take a bus to Bath, England for 2 nights, then tour Stonehenge on the way back to London. We will spend 3 nights in London (From there we will take the Eurostar fast train to Bruges, Belgium (2 nights) to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2 nights) where we plan to see the Anne Frank House and to Vught to see a concentration camp. Then to Oxford for a night, get Veronica settled in her dorm and then Dustin & I will take a train to Canterbury & Dover (& maybe Rye, Salisbury, etc), back to Oxford to have dinner with Veronica before taking the train back to London and home. Veronica will remain for 4 additional weeks at Oxford to take 2 classes.

Veronica goes to clinic tomorrow for labs and some re-vaccinations. She was scheduled to go just before we leave but she has been feeling a little "off" lately and wanted to get checked. I imagine she is going to worry until she is many years out of treatment with what she has seen with Sherilyn.

Please pray for Veronica tomorrow and also Camille Walton, who is struggling with Graft vs. Host Disease after her bone marrow transplant for AML. She had to be readmitted this past week and could really use your prayers.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:48 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

I hope you had the chance to enjoy the lovely Memorial Day weekend!!! We had a family cookout on Sunday. We all missed Sherilyn so much...she loved it when we had cookouts and she would have loved the cooler weather that we had. We got to show off the yard that Dustin, Nicollette & I had worked so hard on. We planted some pink flowers and made a memorial garden for Sherilyn. We have a stepping stone with an guardian angel watching over 2 small children (the same one that is on her marker at the cemetery) and a tall angel. Every year I will plant another plant for her. My good friend Kris brought me a lilac bush for my birthday and we planted that too.

Our trip abroad is approaching fast. It's the only thing that is taking my mind off of my sadness. We arrive in London June 19th and will take a bus to Bath, England for 2 nights, then tour Stonehenge on the way back to London. We will spend 3 nights in London (From there we will take the Eurostar fast train to Bruges, Belgium (2 nights) to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2 nights) where we plan to see the Anne Frank House and to Vught to see a concentration camp. Then to Oxford for a night, get Veronica settled in her dorm and then Dustin & I will take a train to Canterbury & Dover (& maybe Rye, Salisbury, etc), back to Oxford to have dinner with Veronica before taking the train back to London and home. Veronica will remain for 4 additional weeks at Oxford to take 2 classes.

Veronica goes to clinic tomorrow for labs and some re-vaccinations. She was scheduled to go just before we leave but she has been feeling a little "off" lately and wanted to get checked. I imagine she is going to worry until she is many years out of treatment with what she has seen with Sherilyn.

Please pray for Veronica tomorrow and also Camille Walton, who is struggling with Graft vs. Host Disease after her bone marrow transplant for AML. She had to be readmitted this past week and could really use your prayers.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, May 23, 2008 8:59 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Veronica & I had a wonderful time at the beach with my sisters. Sabrina Sherilyn absolutely loved the sand and water. She is such a happy baby and so content! This was her 2nd trip to the ocean...the first being in early September...Sherilyn's last time at the ocean...actually her last vacation. I'll never forget that trip. Coleen & Katie & My brother and his wife were there and she adores my brother and doesn't get to see him often. We played games, laughed, ate good food until she woke up sick one morning and we had to go home...she had developed another infection. Oh, the memories...the good ones and the sad ones...thank God I have them. It's what gets me through each day.

I'm enjoying having Veronica & Dustin home. Both made the Dean's List at NCSU and I am so proud of them, especially considering the last year. We are all getting excited about our upcoming trip to England, The Netherlands & Belgium. We are leaving June 18th and Dustin & I are coming back July 2nd. Veronica will come back July 27th. She is taking 2 classes (6 hours) at Oxford University and will be living in a dorm on campus. Nicollette is going to spend some time with her dad and her grandparents in Kentucky and is looking forward to her vacation too.

Dustin & I have been working in the yard alot and it is really beginning to look good. I have neglected it over the past several years...imagine that.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families. There's nothing better than that!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, May 16, 2008 7:08 AM CDT

Happy Friday Friends,

Veronica & I are heading to the beach this morning as 2 of my sisters have rented a cottage. Nicollette is going to her dad's for the weekend. Dustin already had plans. I am excited about spending some time with Veronica and she can't wait to get there! In fact she just came in and told me she was going to leave without me if I don't hurry up!!! She is driving because her car gets much better gas mileage. I better go!

Have a wonderful weekend!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, May 8, 2008 10:17 PM CDT

Hello Friends~

There's not much to say these days...I feel like I'm just going through the motions of living my life...but not really.

I'm dreading Mother's Day. Sherilyn made such a big deal on this day and the thought of a Mother's Day without my sweet, sweet Sherilyn is very painful. It's pretty much like every day is right now. I have this huge, empty hole in my heart that isn't getting any better and I can't imagine it ever will. I don't really know how parents go on really living life without that part of them that is no longer present. In my Grief Group, they said that often the first 5 months you are still in shock and you don't actually begin to deal with your grief until after this period. I believe this to be true. How do you deal with your grief? Scrapbook, go to the cemetery, hang out in her room? How do you even know you're dealing with it? It's all so surreal to me.

At least Veronica & Dustin are home now and that makes me very happy! Veronica made the Dean's List and Dustin thinks he may have too, but is waiting on one of his grades. This is remarkable considering what they have been through. I am so proud of both of them.

Nicollette & I went to the beach last weekend as she didn't have school on Friday. The weather was absolutely perfect. We had fun, but thought about Sherilyn constantly and missed her so much. We splashed in the water, looked for seashells, read on the beach and played the games that we always played with Sherilyn (Parcheesi, Rummy, War & Boggle). It just wasn't the same without Sherilyn.

My sister Maureen and her husband Alan planted a beautiful tree (Saucer magnolia) in my backyard in memory of Sherilyn for Mother's Day. A beautiful angel statue mysteriously appeared in my backyard months ago and since noone left a note, I assumed Sherilyn left it there :) I ran into my old neighbor & friend Kay & her husband Jim and she told me they had put it there. In spite of all my sadness, God has placed angels in my life, and for this I am so thankful. The blessings of family and friends have sustained me these last 5 years and continue to do so now. Thank you to all of you angels. I know I have not been able to thank many of you for the wonderful things you have done for me and my family. Please know that everything done for us was appreciated and that we love you all for caring so much for us.

Tomorrow I am going out to dinner with one of Sherilyn's favorite nurses, Stacey (the one in the previous picture). She means the world to me. She loved Sherilyn and was so good with her.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH MANY YEARS OF LOVING YOUR CHILDREN.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 10:08 PM CDT

Hi Friends,

On Monday Veronica was one year post treatment!!! Her clinic appointment went GREAT as did her echocardiogram. Tony, Veronica, Dustin & I celebrated over lunch at Mellow Mushroom, of course:)

Classes at NCSU end this week and then exams begin. I know Veronica & Dustin will be glad to finish their sophomore year. I am looking forward to summer with them. Veronica is getting very excited about traveling to Oxford, England where she will be taking 2 classes this summer. She wants me to take her over and get her settled, so both Dustin & I will be flying with her to London June 18th and traveling some before she moves into her Oxford dorm June 29th. It's hard to get excited about anything right now, but I'm sure we'll have fun once we get there.

Nicollette is settling in to a more normal routine. She had a slumber party this weekend and then went to the Carrie Underwood/Keith Urban concert Saturday night. This was her first concert and she had fun but she said it was way too long and they were so tired and hungry (LOL) She said he kept singing and singing. I guess they got their moneys worth.

I'm continuing to go to Grief Support at my church, yoga, and babysitting Sabrina. She is 9 months old and absolutely adorable!

I'm taking one day at a time.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Monday, April 14, 2008 7:13 AM CDT

Dear Friends,

Today it's been 5 months since Sherilyn earned her angel wings. It's so hard to update these days, but I have this need to stay connected to the many people who cared so much about Sherilyn. The longer time goes by, the harder it seems to be getting...it's so real with each new day. I miss Sherilyn terribly. My heart literally aches constantly. I can tell you that time does not heal all wounds! Keeping busy has been an easy distraction for me, but lately I've been in this hole that is just dark and sad. I went to church last Sunday and Murry asked me how I was and I told him I'd been having a hard time lately. He told me that a Grief Support group was meeting Monday so I decided it was time to go. There were 6 of us there but I was the only one who had lost a child. It was difficult & emotional sharing at first, but then the fellowship of others who were also hurting and sharing their stories made me feel like I was not alone. I will continue to go. My bible study will end this week. I have really enjoyed the women in my small group and our thought provoking discussions. I hope to begin again in the fall possibly at night if I'm working. I signed up for another 12 week yoga session which has been really good for me :)

Veronica and Dustin are busy finishing their last papers & projects before the end of the semester. Veronica went to the mountains for a short weekend with a friend and Dustin came home Saturday and mowed the grass and stayed one night. Nicollette had a low key weekend with me...we watched movies and she played outside. She wants to run track next year so she is beginning to run/walk some each day.

Thanks for checking in. Please continue to pray for our family as we learn to deal with Sherilyn's physical absence.

f.r.o.G,

Laura

"God blessed those who are gentle...for the whole earth will belong to them." Matthew 5:5

Sunday, April 6, 2008 6:47 PM CDT

Hi Friends~

Nicollette and I arrived home from Texas safely. We had a wonderful time with Steve & Carolyn. It's a totally different country there in Mertzon, Texas (population of 839). We stayed in a cottage on their good friends ranch and awoke each morning to the sound of goats, cattle & horses. Thank you Mike & Darlene! It was quite a change of scenery, but lovely! We went to Steve's church and met alot of the people who have been praying for us over the years and that was really nice. I was re-baptized on my birthday (March 30th) by Steve. This was a blessing coming from Steve who also gave Sherilyn new life. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious pot-luck lunch & some good fellowship.

While in Texas we saw lots of oil wells (including the very 1st one in Texas-1923), tumbleweeds, cactus & mesquite trees galore, havelinas (wild boars), a ringtail, armodilla, rattlesnake (all dead), deer & wild turkey, prarie dogs, Indian paintbrush (flower). We drove to Midland, Texas and San Angelo, Texas. We did crazy things like rattlesnake hunting, 4 wheeling, climbing trees, & horseback riding. We spent a few hours at Matthew McConaughey's ranch where he breeds black angus cattle (just a few miles from Steve's house). Steve's knows the gentleman who manages the ranch. We experienced a beautiful West Texas sunset, and cooked out by the river sitting by the bonfire until it was dark. But best of all, we got to spend quality time with Steve & Carolyn, and that is priceless.

It was very nice to come home & see Veronica & Dustin and sleep in my own bed :)

f.r.o.G,
Laura

: The Godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise." Proverbs 11:30

Thursday, March 27, 2008 10:34 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

Nicollette & I are off to Mertzon, Texas (near San Angelo) this afternoon for a week. It's Nicollette's Spring Break. We are going to visit with Steve (Sherilyn's bone marrow donor) and his wife, Carolyn. We are looking forward to spending some quality time with them as well as a much needed change of scenery.

On Wednesday I found a beautiful, heartfelt letter that Nicollette had written to Sherilyn and placed on her bed. It made me both laugh & cry. She misses her "sis" sooooo much! It was a very personal & emotional letter. It comforts me to know that she is dealing with losing her best friend in such a healthy way by expressing herself in words. I know Sherilyn is proud of her little sister and as Nicollette said, "she knows she is a guardian angel to us..."

Thank you for your continued prayers for all of us. We love you.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"All things are possible when God is working through you!"

Friday, March 21, 2008 9:21 PM CDT

Veronica's labs were GREAT! Her platelets are finally in the normal range at 151 (normal range 150-450). YAH!!! All of her other labs are great!!! She goes back in one month for labs and an echocardiogram as she will be off treatment for one year at the end of April. I know Sherilyn is up in Heaven and she has told God that we can't take any more bad news down here....thank you God and thank you Sherilyn for being Veronica's Guardian Angel.

Veronica, Nicky & I went to the cemetary today. I made a beautiful Easter wreath with daffodils, Easter lillies, and pink flowers, a bunny, lambs, a pink butterfly on a heart shaped grapevine wreath. It turned out beautiful and we all decided this is our favorite wreath made to date:) Veronicas already talking about the next one we'll make: A summer one with orange/yellow flowers, starfishes & flip flops. There were more people than we have ever seen at the cemetary today. Some were just sitting in lawn chairs by their loved ones...another getting their picture taken and others bringing Easter flowers. Before I might have thought this odd, but now it's the most natural thing for me to do...it brings peace & comfort and sometimes a much needed cry.

HAPPY EASTER

**********************************************************

Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:49 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

Please keep Veronica in your prayers today as she goes to Duke for a routine checkup.

I'm looking forward to the long Easter weekend with Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette at home. Sadly, another holiday approaches without my precious Sherilyn. She loved every holiday so much. She especially loved decorating Easter eggs, getting dressed up in a new Easter outfit and the much anticipated Easter egg hunt at her Grandparents farm in Kentucky or at her Dad's house, now in Virginia. These events will never be the same without Sherilyn physically being there....but, we know she is ALWAYS there in SPIRIT. Despite Sherilyn's unique life these past 5 years, she lived life more than most people do in a lifetime. I am so proud of my girl! But I miss her so much and the ache never goes away...as another mother who recently lost her child to AML put it, "There is no pain that can compare to that of a parent losing a child. There is no need to try and relate to our emotions--you cannot--and we hope you never will. She is not a forbidden subject--we love to talk about her, even if it brings tears".

Recently one of Nicollette's teachers sent me this email. He asked his class to list 3 people that they admire, respect and look up to and this was Nicollette's response:

*I admire my sister Veronica, because she fought through her cancer and now she is back in college, when she only had her cancer last year.

*I admire my mom because she does everything for me and she loves me and my family so much.

*I admire my other sister Sherilyn, eventhough she passed away and I still love her SO MUCH.

He wrote, "When reading through the other responses and seeing who they (other classmates) admire, I realized you have a very amazing and strong daughter."

Nicollette is a REMARKABLE child. She has been through so much adversity in her short life. She had just turned 3 when I got divorced and 8 when Sherilyn was diagnosed. She went from being the center of attention (the baby) to losing her best friend (while Sherilyn went through treatment), to her mom being at the hospital for huge chunks of time. When I was at home it was so harried because I had so much to do at home, in addition to what I had to do to go back to the hospital (clean sheets & blankets for Sherilyn, new things to entertain her, home made food requests, etc.) the short periods Sherilyn would be home were pretty much centered around Sherilyn because she needed me. Nicollette became so independent and flexible...she had no choice...and she did a great job. We were able to do a little healing after transplant but then Veronica was diagnosed and it was compounded by 2! Then when Sherilyn relapsed again, our lives changed forever, but especially Nicollette's. We continued to fight and HOPE, but we knew there was a big possibility that she wouldn't be able to fight the aggressive leukemia. Nicollette took it personally that Sherilyn didn't want to spend a lot of time with her (unlike before leukemia). As a result Nicollette is angry with me a lot of the time, her schooling has suffered, and she can't deal with any negativity at all. It has only been 4 months and we are dealing with these issues slowly. Nicollette is able to have friends over for sleepovers after not being able to for years, she has a math tutor once a week and she & I are finding time to do things together. I have to remember we can't undo years of pain in just months. Our entire family has a lot of healing to do and with God's grace, we will.

The Women's retreat at our church was great! I continue to enjoy bible study, yoga, and babysitting Sabrina Sherilyn every week.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my family.

HAPPY EASTER
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who...has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ".-1 Peter 1:3

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"The light that shines farthest, shines brightest at home."-Our Daily Bread

Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:49 AM CDT

Hello Friends~

Please keep Veronica in your prayers today as she goes to Duke for a routine checkup.

I'm looking forward to the long Easter weekend with Veronica, Dustin & Nicollette at home. Sadly, another holiday approaches without my precious Sherilyn. She loved every holiday so much. She especially loved decorating Easter eggs, getting dressed up in a new Easter outfit and the much anticipated Easter egg hunt at her Grandparents farm in Kentucky or at her Dad's house, now in Virginia. These events will never be the same without Sherilyn physically being there....but, we know she is ALWAYS there in SPIRIT. Despite Sherilyn's unique life these past 5 years, she lived life more than most people do in a lifetime. I am so proud of my girl! But I miss her so much and the ache never goes away...as another mother who recently lost her child to AML put it, "There is no pain that can compare to that of a parent losing a child. There is no need to try and relate to our emotions--you cannot--and we hope you never will. She is not a forbidden subject--we love to talk about her, even if it brings tears".

Recently one of Nicollette's teachers sent me this email. He asked his class to list 3 people that they admire, respect and look up to and this was Nicollette's response:

*I admire my sister Veronica, because she fought through her cancer and now she is back in college, when she only had her cancer last year.

*I admire my mom because she does everything for me and she loves me and my family so much.

*I admire my other sister Sherilyn, eventhough she passed away and I still love her SO MUCH.

He wrote, "When reading through the other responses and seeing who they (other classmates) admire, I realized you have a very amazing and strong daughter."

Nicollette is a REMARKABLE child. She has been through so much adversity in her short life. She had just turned 3 when I got divorced and 8 when Sherilyn was diagnosed. She went from being the center of attention (the baby) to losing her best friend (while Sherilyn went through treatment), to her mom being at the hospital for huge chunks of time. When I was at home it was so harried because I had so much to do at home, in addition to what I had to do to go back to the hospital (clean sheets & blankets for Sherilyn, new things to entertain her, home made food requests, etc.) the short periods Sherilyn would be home were pretty much centered around Sherilyn because she needed me. Nicollette became so independent and flexible...she had no choice...and she did a great job. We were able to do a little healing after transplant but then Veronica was diagnosed and it was compounded by 2! Then when Sherilyn relapsed again, our lives changed forever, but especially Nicollette's. We continued to fight and HOPE, but we knew there was a big possibility that she wouldn't be able to fight the aggressive leukemia. Nicollette took it personally that Sherilyn didn't want to spend a lot of time with her (unlike before leukemia). As a result Nicollette is angry with me a lot of the time, her schooling has suffered, and she can't deal with any negativity at all. It has only been 4 months and we are dealing with these issues slowly. Nicollette is able to have friends over for sleepovers after not being able to for years, she has a math tutor once a week and she & I are finding time to do things together. I have to remember we can't undo years of pain in just months. Our entire family has a lot of healing to do and with God's grace, we will.

The Women's retreat at our church was great! I continue to enjoy bible study, yoga, and babysitting Sabrina Sherilyn every week.

Thank you for your continued prayers for my family.

HAPPY EASTER
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who...has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ".-1 Peter 1:3

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"The light that shines farthest, shines brightest at home."-Our Daily Bread

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:01 PM CDT

Hello Friends,

My computer has been very sick and had to be reformatted. Thankfully my brother-in-law had the time and knowledge to do this for me. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of data/pictures and am trying to find where some of the files are that he was able to save & restore. I am completely computer illiterate. But at least I didn't have to buy another one!

It was so nice to have Veronica & Dustin home for their Spring Break. Veronica's plans fell through so she stayed home & worked some. This was the first time she went back to work since she was diagnosed in August 2006. Dustin went to the beach mid week with some friends as one had a cottage on the sound. They had a good time. I was sad to see them both leave Sunday night to go back to school.

Veronica was accepted for the NCSU summer program in Oxford, Englad and is very excited about going in June/July. She will be taking a couple of classes while there.

I am continuing to stay busy taking yoga, bible study and babysitting Sabrina a day every week. All my sadness seems to go away when I'm holding Sabrina. She really is a big blessing in my life. I am going on a women's retreat this weekend with my church and looking forward to it. Nicollete & I are flying to Mertzon, Texas over spring break (March 27-April 5th) to see Steve (Sherilyn's bone marrow donor)& his wife, Carolyn.

Sherilyn's monument came in last week and it is up at the cemetary. It turned out beautiful! I filled her vase with beautiful daffodils from my garden and it's wonderful to see her smiling face look at me when I'm there visiting! March 8th was Sherilyn's 3rd anniversary of her bone marrow transplant. Thanks to Steve she was with us 2 years, 8 months & 6 days after her transplant. These were wonderful, fun-filled & mostly healthy days for Sherilyn. Her transplant and quality of her life post-transplant were so good, until last Feb. 6th when the leukemia came back. I've been having a really hard time lately. It seems the longer she isn't here with me, the more sadness I have. It's just been SO long since I kissed her sweet little head, hugged her or held her hand. Just to have her here for one more minute, to see her & smell her & tell her how much I love her once again. Sometimes I think I should die of a broken heart. Yet life goes on all around me as if nothing has happened. It just doesn't seem right. Thankfully, few people can understand the pain of losing their beloved child, but that's what makes it so hard...you see people living life in a way that seems so uninportant to me now...but life goes on...

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6:55 PM CST

Hello Friends~

Nicollette said it was time to change the picture so I found another cute one of Sherilyn to post. Thankfully I have so many to choose from :) I'm continuing to scrapbook and organize photos. I continue to enjoy my yoga class and bible study.

Nicollette's school sold candy for Valentine's Day and raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for this event in honor of Sherilyn and another girl with leukemia. Both Nicollette's school and Veronica, Dustin, & Sherilyn's high school are fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during March. They are having a contest to see which classroom brings in the most money. The classroom raising the most money gets a free lunch donated by Olive Garden. The high school is doing this in memory of Sherilyn. I'm not sure about Nicky's school yet. The high school is also making a "memory page" in the yearbook about Sherilyn. I am very honored that both schools are honoring Sherilyn and bringing awareness & fundraising to a cause so close to my heart.

Please continue to pray for us as we learn to live without Sherbear. I miss her so much...more as each day goes by. Nicollette & I are flying to Texas to stay with Steve (Sherilyn's bone marrow donor) and his wife, Carolyn over spring break. We are so excited about seeing them again!

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Thursday, February 21, 2008 9:48 PM CST

Veronica's labs were great! Thank you God! We ate afterwards at Mellow Mushroom (of course :) and then I took her back to NCSU. When I came home I was happily surprised Dustin was home. He doesn't have class on Friday and he had laundry to do. Tomorrow I am babysitting Sabrina Sherilyn. I am looking forward to spending the day with her. She is already 7 months old! She is so much fun to play with. She is sitting up by herself and loves making noises and playing and reading books.

Please pray for Mickey Lineman's family. This morning he received his angel wings, peacefully at home.

**********************************************************

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 9:28 PM CST

Dear Friends~

The Duke Children's Radiothon (Mix 101.FM) was a HUGE success. $1,175,759.71 was raised for the kids at Duke. I am so happy that I was able to help again this year after missing last year when both Veronica & Sherilyn were in treatment.

Today I received a note from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that $12,651 was raised through Sherilyn's obituary. A large sum was donated by Ann Adams. We appreciate everyone who donated in Sherilyn's memory. All of this money goes directly to AML research. We are praying that progress will be made in treating AML because it is desperately needed.

We also raised almost $2,000 for the Childlife Program at Duke. As I said in an earlier journal entry, I was able to purchase much needed items for the kids at Duke. I brought them the day of the Radiothon: 13 DVD players, 3 portable DVD players, 40 DVDs, 7 Wii games, 2 Wii game controllers & jackets, Nintendo DS game/games/accessories, and some board games.

Tomorrow I will pick Veronica up at NCSU and take her to Duke for her monthly checkup. Please keep her in your prayers. I'll update as soon as we get her labs back.

Nicollette and I were able to get away last weekend to the beach. We just needed to get away and she had a 4 day weekend so we drove down Saturday and enjoyed one day in the sun before it started raining. It was nice spending some alone time with Nicky as she has given up so much these lasst 5 years.

Please pray for Mickey Linehan as his family is praying that God will take him so he doesn't suffer anymore. He is a teenage boy who relapsed from his bone marrow transplant for leukemia.

REMEMBER TO DONATE BLOOD...THEY ARE IN DESPERATE NEED NOW!!!

I read this today: "Enjoy the Little Things in Life For One Day You'll Look Back and Realize They Were the BIG Things."

f.r.o.G,

Laura

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 9:28 PM CST

Dear Friends~

The Duke Children's Radiothon (Mix 101.FM) was a HUGE success. $1,175,759.71 was raised for the kids at Duke. I am so happy that I was able to help again this year after missing last year when both Veronica & Sherilyn were in treatment.

Today I received a note from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that $12,651 was raised through Sherilyn's obituary. A large sum was donated by Ann Adams. We appreciate everyone who donated in Sherilyn's memory. All of this money goes directly to AML research. We are praying that progress will be made in treating AML because it is desperately needed.

We also raised almost $2,000 for the Childlife Program at Duke. As I said in an earlier journal entry, I was able to purchase much needed items for the kids at Duke. I brought them the day of the Radiothon: 13 DVD players, 3 portable DVD players, 40 DVDs, 7 Wii games, 2 Wii game controllers & jackets, Nintendo DS game/games/accessories, and some board games.

Tomorrow I will pick Veronica up at NCSU and take her to Duke for her monthly checkup. Please keep her in your prayers. I'll update as soon as we get her labs back.

Nicollette and I were able to get away last weekend to the beach. We just needed to get away and she had a 4 day weekend so we drove down Saturday and enjoyed one day in the sun before it started raining. It was nice spending some alone time with Nicky as she has given up so much these lasst 5 years.

Please pray for Mickey Linehan as his family is praying that God will take him so he doesn't suffer anymore. He is a teenage boy who relapsed from his bone marrow transplant for leukemia.

REMEMBER TO DONATE BLOOD...THEY ARE IN DESPERATE NEED NOW!!!

I read this today: "Enjoy the Little Things in Life For One Day You'll Look Back and Realize They Were the BIG Things."

f.r.o.G,

Laura

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 6:48 PM CST

Hi Friends~

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Nicollette decorated the breakfast table just like she and Sherilyn do every year. It was amazing to come downstairs this am and see the decorations and Valentine's that Sherilyn had made. As you can see in the picture, that is what it looks like today. One of those hanging Valentine's was VERY special as Sherilyn wrote me this little poem:

I love you today
I love you tomorrow
I love you always
and forever
Because your my mom
and the best one ever!

Thank you Sherilyn for your constant love! I love you always & forever and I miss you more than ever. I am so thankful for Nicollette and her sweet loving ways :)

Tonight I am picking up Veronica & Dustin and one of his friends and we are all going to Mellow Mushroom (of course) for a Valentine's dinner.

Yesterday was an emotional, but awesome day at Duke. I LOVE answering phones for the Mix 101.5 Radiothon. It's a really exciting atmosphere. Thanks to the support of my friend Kris, I was able to talk live on the radio and tell my story. I had never talked without Sherilyn. They played our old stories and gave me pictures of Sherilyn & me talking in previous years. Everyone was so kind & sensitive to me. Thank you for all of you who called in and pledged. Today is the last day...so you still have time to call in if you haven't before.

Also, if you can give blood, please do so. They are in CRITICAL NEED! Nicollette's school had a blood drive yesterday and thankfully I was able to give, but they didn't have a good turnout and they are in desperate need.

Remember to love your kids today & every day!

Love, Laura
*******************************************

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 6:48 PM CST

Hi Friends~

Valentine's Day will be 3 months that Sherilyn has been in Heaven. Nicollette & I went to the cemetary today and brought a pink Valentine's Day wreath. Valentine's Day will not be the same without Sherilyn. She (& Nicollette) always decorated the kitchen table and hung hearts w/ribbons from the chandelier, with special messages on them. I have saved them & Nicollette plans to put them up the night before. Last night I found an old Valentine that Sherilyn had made me while she was in the hospital. It warmed my heart :)

Tomorrow my friend Kris and I are going to Duke to answer phones for the Mix 101.5 Radiothon. I have done it for 3 years, but missed last year because Veronica was in treatment and Sherilyn had just relapsed one week earlier. Today I was surprised to hear me & Sherilyn on the radio from 2 years ago when we spoke at the radiothon. I wanted to hear her voice more. PLEASE CALL TOMORROW AND MAKE YOUR PLEDGE! The kids at Duke need your support more than anything!!! Every dollar counts!

You can call in and make your pledge at 919-684-1015 or 1-866-684-1015 or go online at www.dukechildrens.org

I will be answering phones from 11-2pm and will probablly talk on the radio before that. I am also bringing up tons of stuff for the Childlife Program at Duke. Thanks to your wonderful donations we received almost $2000 and I was able to purchase some much needed items for the Childlife Program. They requested and I bought 13 CD players, 3 portable DVD players, 7 Wii games, 2 Wii controllers & jackets, 35 DVDs, a Nintendo DS game system, & games & accessories for it as well as a few board games. I am hoping that these will provide the kids who are inpatient at Duke some fun while they are going through treatment. I know firsthand they need it and unfortunately, little funding goes to the Childlife Program. This program offered my kids so much during there long stays at Duke. I am so happy to be able to give back to them.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Remember to tell your kids how much you love them today & everyday! (See what the capital letters spell in this scripture).

For God so loVed the world,
That He gAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."

John 3:16

Love, Laura

Monday, February 4, 2008 4:37 PM CST

Hi Friends~

Sorry that I haven't written in so long. My computer died and thankfully my brother-in-law was able to fix it, but it took awhile because it was really sick! It's amazing that one CAN live without a computer...it's even liberating...I read a lot these past several weeks.

Please pray for the family of Amber Richardson who received her angel wings Saturday am from complications from AML (post transplant). We had become very fond of sweet Amber and her family while at Duke. I know Amber & Sherilyn are running around playing with the puppies and smiling down on us from Heaven:)

I've been keeping busy...reading, scrapbooking, going through 20 years of pictures, organizing them by date and eventually putting them into albums. Sherilyn was such a happy child! I am thoroughly enjoying looking through my myriad of pictures...mostly smiling...but shedding a few tears too (for what could have been) I started bible study at my church which I am enjoying and yoga which my body & soul love! Nicollette & I have been able to spend some much needed time together. She is able to have friends over again after a long hiatus. This is the first winter in many years that I haven't had to worry constantly about germs, etc. Nicollette & I have both been sick and I haven't been insanely wiping down every surface with Lysol. Nicollette & I have been able to go to church on Sundays regularly, usually going out to lunch afterwards and then to the cemetary. Sherilyn's tombstone will be delivered mid-February. I am anxious to see it.

I usually see Veronica & Dustin once a week. They either come home to do laundry or I take them to Mellow Mushroom occasionally. They are both doing well. Tony & I took Veronica to clinic on January 24th and her counts were great! Her platelets came up from 105 to 140 (normal range 150-450) and everything else looked great! Of course, every good checkup is a huge sigh of relief. I wasn't worried as Veronica looks great. She is even taking swimming again this semester and loves it.

I'm glad January is over as I knew it would be a long & difficult month. Sherilyn's physical absence has been much stronger since the kids are back in school, as I expected, but I feel her presence all around me every day. It's very comforting to me. Before Sherilyn left me, I would tell her that I loved her soooo much & that I couldn't believe someone could love her MORE than ME, but God does and I know that she is FOREVER free & happy and that I will see her again in Heaven. Whenever I would tell her I wished I could go with her, she would say, "Not yet, Mom, it's not your time". She told me not to shed a tear because Nicky needs me. She is my HERO! I love her and miss her so much it aches, but I will honor her wishes and live every day to the fullest as she did, despite her illness.

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. ~Psalm 34:17-19

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 7:13 PM CST

Hello Friends~

It's hard to believe yesterday was 2 months since Sherilyn became an angel. It's difficult to describe the way I feel...it's still surreal to me...but becoming more real now that everyone's back to school. I miss Sherilyn so much...it's lonely not having her around to talk to, play games & watch t.v., go shopping and out to Mellow Mushroom with on good days. I miss taking care of her and spending every minute of the day with her...getting her ice water constantly and slicing up apple after apple for her, and reading her favorite children's books. It's very strange to be in my quiet house or to be able to just leave and go somewhere, spur of the moment. I find myself going into her bedroom often and just walking around and looking at all of her little things. She was so neat & organized and everything is laid out perfectly on her dresser (jewelry, perfume & lotions), armoire (Madame Alexander dolls, & collectibles), and her chest (Hello Kitty & My Little Pony's). She has a pink chair with an embroidered "S" and all of her stuffed animals are sitting just the way she left them. I can't imagine changing anything...I am comforted by walking in and sitting on her bed with all of her Build-A-Bears.

I have been going through a myriad of pictures and scrapbooking. It is therapeutic in some ways, depressing in others. But I am looking forward to the finished albums.

I began yoga with my good friend Kris last week and that is really good. I have been walking most days of the week and lifting hand weights a couple times a week (in front of the t.v. :) I feel guilty that I have time for myself, but happy that I have more time for myself & Nicollette.

I received a beautiful letter recently and wanted to share part of it with you.

"It is so difficult to understand the death of a child, a life not yet lived to its fullest, with promise of things yet to come. But in Sherilyn's short life, she touched the hearts of so many people and showed us how to live life in the face of death. She has moved beyond us now, but she is all around us. No longer in a physical existence, which would be so much more a comfort to us, but in a spiritual sense, and we must close our eyes and let her come into us in a different way. Her essence is in the majesty of this world-her breath in the wind, her smile in the sun, her spirit in the glow of stars, her beauty in every landscape...Sherilyn's courage and spirit are humbling and inspirational, and they give us the strength to live. Find peace in the celebration of the beauty of Sherilyn's life - lived to its fullest in so short a time - and mingled with unspeakable grief, allow it to fill you with the strength to meet each new day. Sherilyn will never be forgotten. She is forever in our hearts. She is all around us, and she will forever inspire us to live life to its fullest."

CELEBRATING SHERILYN

Celebrating the goodness of a child
Mourning the loss of her gift
Celebrating the laughter of an angel
Mourning the loss of that sound
Celebrating the beauty of her soul
Mourning the loss of her touch
Celebrating the glow of an angel
Mourning the loss of her smile
Celebrating the love of a wonderful girl
Mourning the loss of her earthly life
Through the emptiness in our hearts
Celebrating the very essence of Sherilyn
Knowing that we will share it once again
With all who loved and believed
In our next life

(Adapted from the original, Author unknown)

Thank you Yvonne for sharing this letter with me from your sister. Leanne, I can't tell you how much your words mean to me. You have put the feelings of my heart into words so eloquently. I reread your letter often, happy that Sheriilyn has touched so many hearts in such a short time.

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

Friday, January 4, 2008 4:53 PM CST

Dear Friends~

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you all Happiness, Health, & Love this year.

The trip to Corolla was both fun and emotional for all of us. We arrived in pouring rain...knowing Sherilyn was laughing with us...as every time we arrive in Corolla it's raining cats & dogs. But then the weather turned very nice and the day we left it was 70 degrees & sunny. We unpacked and the girls went to the grocery store. When we got back and unloaded the groceries and sat down to eat it was 7:11 (Sherilyn's birthday & a number that has been coming up regularly since she's died). Another time when we went to Mellow Mushroom (the first time since she passed). I had a gift certificate and the difference between what I owed was $7.11. I laughed...Sherilyn was with us. I also told you in an earlier entry that Steve began his ministry in Kansas on 7/11. The church where one of his members needed a bone marrow transplant and his church had a bone marrow drive...this is how he got on the registry and became a donor for Sherilyn :)

The second day at the beach we did some sightseeing (i.e. driving, looking at lighthouses, etc.) We also stopped at Jockey's Ridge Park and walked the dunes, ran up & down, rolled down, did cartwheels, wrote messages to Sherilyn & other silly things. It was warm & sunny and we wished we all had shorts & short sleeves. We then came back to the cottage and walked down to the beach. We walked to a special place on the beach where there is a shipwreck visible on the shore. This was a place that Nicky & Sherilyn loved to play...they would climb on the exposed planks and let the shore rush in on them. We decided this would be a great place to spread her ashes. I read the scripture on her prayer card (which will also be on her tombstone) "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 We all wrote her messages in the sand and then spread her ashes over the ocean. It was emotional to let go of her...eventhough I know she'll always be with us. There was something final in doing this...yet I felt somewhat relieved when we got back to the cottage and I knew I had fulfilled her final wishes. We all found a shell and put it in the jar she had made me. She was with us...we know because the beach was lined with "mermaid purses" which we rarely see at the ocean. One of Sherilyn's favorite children's books is titled "The Mermaid Purse" and it is the book she pulled out when she was deciding what to paint on the bathroom wall. I just SMILED and knew she was telling US that SHE was with US! Then the last day I was walking alone on the beach...sad that we were leaving the place that I felt so close to Sherilyn and where part of her now rested. I was walking down the beach, looking down and hoping to find a shell worthy of Sherilyn's standards...and I looked up and a lady with 6 puppies was walking towards me....I just SMILED again and knew Sherilyn was with ME. About a week before she passed, she said to me, "Mommy, it's weird but I keep seeing puppies everywhere...everywhere in the meadow." I told her she was seeing a glimpse of Heaven. So you see, Sherilyn is always going to be right there beside me...and I'm going to just keep SMILING knowing it. It's not that I'm not sad...my heart hurts so much that I can't hug her and kiss her and get her pillows & ice water and other comfy things to make her happy, but I know I will see her again and until then she's going to keep letting me know she's with ME :)

Ruth Sheehan wrote a paragraph about Sherilyn making the Build A Bears in a recent article (A Look Back at '07). I didn't know she was going to do this. She called me one day and we talked for a really long time...but I thought she was just checking in as she had done occasionally.

I am really enjoying the kids being home with me. Veronica & Dustin go back to school next Wed. Nicky went back this past Wed. I've been cleaning and plan to do some scrapbooking. I'm beginning yoga again next week with a good friend. Veronica was diagnosed last year in the middle of the class. Both Sherilyn & Veronica would come to this class with me occasionally over the years. I love the 1 1/2 hr. class and am really excited about it!

I want to take this time to thank everyone who has been there for me the past many years. I can't possibly thank you for what you have done for me and how you have made me and my family feel during this time. The outpouring of generosity & love has lifted me during the most difficult times. Since Sherilyn had passed, I have received more sympathy cards & notes that I could ever have imagined. We have raised about $1500 for the ChildLife Program and Duke and don't have the final amount for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Thanks to all of your generous support, I will be buying CD players for the children at Duke to use while in the hospital (this is their request). The prayers, meals, money, gift cards, and gifts for both me and my children, paying for my new HVAC system, carpooling, feeding my children & taking Nicollette under your wings, and constant caring have meant so much to all of us. I couldn't have done it without all of you. I love you all.

f.r.o.G,
Laura

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven." Psalms 107:28-30

This is what God is doing for us!

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