Greetings to our village!
I hope this finds you well and happy, and if not, with the courage and resources to be able to change that.  I add a new entry simply to conclude our updates.  Sammy and our family is doing well, and I'd like to order a CaringBridge book that has all of our journal entries, so a "conclusion" seems in order.  Although, really what we've learned about life, and what my morning meditation on my HeadSpace app reminded me of today, is that there is ALWAYS change, and when we can sit with that and accept it, we live a fuller, healthier life.  
With regard to Sammy, she is 15 and will be 16 soonish on September 10.  Sammy is in GOOD HEALTH.  She's entering her sophomore year at Washougal High School and did well her first year.  She received high grades (and stressed herself out plenty working hard to do that!), and participated in Varsity Soccer, Varsity Basketball and JV Tennis.  She seems to love the diversity of experience in those different sports!  One highlight was being able to be a part of Washougal's Girls 2A Varsity Basketball FIRST EVER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP in school history!! She was given the opportunity to really contribute, especially in the championship game and she did us proud!  What excitement that was for Sammy, our family, her school and the Washougal community.  Washougal is Rising!  One of the photos I am posting shows a shot she made!  This summer she is getting some much needed time off with a mix of conditioning workouts, basketball and soccer training and soon some camping and boating.  Our weather this summer has so far been very cool, so we have yet to get out on the boat or to the river for some swimming.  Sammy is earning a little money with babysitting gigs and learning how much work it is to make sure young children and safe, fed, and entertained😂 This year's annual check up at Randall Children's Hospital yielded a continue positive report on the status of her health.  And the protocol no longer even calls for blood draws! She'll continue to have annual check-ups with more in-depth scans every few years.  It is also heartening to learn that the treatment protocol for her particular cancer she had is already changing, which is due to the continuing outcomes from ongoing research.  
As far as family updates, last summer we continued our effort to educate our girls with different cultural and travelling experiences via a trip to Guatemala and Belize.  Such amazing adventures we had hiking a volcano, caving, navigating the villages, visiting a coffee plantation, trying new foods, snorkeling with sharks & stingrays, and diving!  And what an appreciation for our own life and lifestyle we continue to gain as we witness the hardship of others less fortunate.  The people we connected with were wonderful and generous!  Dennis and I truly hope that our girls develop a love for the education that travelling offers.  This summer we take time off from leaving our own country.  But soon we will take a camping trip to do some boating, relaxing, cornhole and other games, quality time with friends, and enjoying the great outdoors that the Pacific Northwest has to offer!
Dennis is continuing with his career work doing home building and restoration projects.  He also put a new roof on our house and continues to do the ongoing restoration that needs to happen on our own home!  He is a genius with the continual improvements that he does for our home and property - very thankful for that.  Dennis' passion for mountain biking has only gotten stronger and he looks forward to weekends with his mtn biking friends who call themselves the Hop Buds because, you know, a good microbrew always has to follow a sweaty day of chasing those single tracks!  He loves it all and I absolutely love that he has his own passion, fun, and community separate from his family and his hard work as a general contractor.  He deserves it!
Sydney is home this summer from her first year at Western Washington University, which she loves and is a very good fit for her.  Bellingham, WA is so beautiful and has a great vibe!  She is majoring in Creative Writing with minors in Psychology and Environmental Science, at least for today 😉 We have faith that she'll get to wherever it is she needs to be for her learning and that she'll follow some passions and be open to challenges.  She's done some volunteering with the campus radio station and hopefully more of that to come.  She also participated in intramural soccer with a co-ed team!  She'll return in September to an off-campus living arrangement with some friends and get started on year two.  She'll also be looking for a job, so if anyone in our amazing community out there has connections, she sure could use some.  She has experience with customer service in restaurant work and outdoor rec., including handling money.
I am going into my 3rd year as a School Counselor at Washougal High School and am growing to love my role working with a couple of specific programs, as well as having roles that contribute to all of our students.  It's fun being able to see Sammy in the halls!  I am in the "lifelong learner" role and loving that!
We still have Chloe, our beloved Weimaraner, who will be 10 in September, same birthday month as Sammy.  😀 
As with all of you and all of us on this planet, change visits us regularly and continues to bring gifts as well as hardships.  I, personally, am trying to work hard in this phase of my own life to welcome that truth and consider what I am supposed to learn from it.  Certainly Sammy's cancer, while so difficult in so manys, has changed our perspectives in some very positive ways.  I try to appreciate the little things.  I try to be okay when things go wrong, because compared to your 6 year old getting cancer, pretty much most other things are small problems.  I try to be a part of the solution in contributing toward research so that cancer for a future 6 year old little girl who is full of life can have a better, safer treatment with better outcomes.  I have gratitude for Sammy's health, as well as my other family members and friends, because not everyone who has faced this has survived, including dear Ella who Leukemia took from this earth at age 11 or 12, young Catelyn with whom Sammy attended a CCA gala and was about 16 when she died, and my dear friend Kari, who didn't make it to her Fabulous Fifties, like I have been blessed to be experiencing now.  I appreciate this time I have on this earth and want to make the most of it while I am here.  Part of that is being grateful to you, friend or acquaintance, or stranger that reads this.  Our village, our community helped carry us along during our cancer journey and each and every day before and since then.  Thank you for being a part of our world.  Your thoughtful intentions (and actions!), positive energy, and prayers never be forgotten.  Blessings to all!
Most Sincerely,
Michele, on behalf of the Mederos clan:  Sammy, Sydney, Dennis, Michele and Chloe