Birds on a Wire: My oldest little brother

Re-post from my Mom's blog...

"Josh spent the afternoon having his annual echocardiogrm. I am praying for good results. He has to go each year and have his heart monitored, as many of the chemo drugs and the high doses of radiation can cause damage to his heart muscles. At this last appt, the oncologist handed me a flash drive with all of the medications Josh has had with all of the potential side effects to watch for in the future :(

Going to the hospital always brings back memories for me. Many bad memories, but many good memories too. Cancer is really really hard on a child and a family. There is a lot of bad, but there is also a lot of good. So many people made such a difference for Josh and our family....some people that we didn't even know. I will always hold a special place in my heart for each one of them.

My family is forever indebted to this man. He is our true hero. I will always wish there was a way for me to pay him back for saving Josh. He never hesitated for a minute to be his bone marrow donor. I pray for him and his family each day. I can never thank him enough. He did what I couldn't. I plan on writing a story for this blog about Josh's battle with cancer and his bone marrow transplant and including better pictures. For now, I say....'Thank you Christopher. You will never know what your gift means to me and my family.'"

Fun fact (well, not so fun when Josh needed a donor... devastating fact at the time): My brother Josh and my sister Katie don't match any of the family members who got tested to be a bone marrow donor. But my brother Ryan and I match each other... and our personalities are very similar, more than anyone else in our family- coincidence? ... or is it in the blood? (Not to start a whole nature/nurture debate.)

On a serious note: I am in the National Bone Marrow Registry... and can only hope that one day I'll be able to donate to someone in need, just like Christopher did for my brother. I would do it without a doubt, in a heartbeat if given the chance. You can join, too! -