We went to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at CHLA. It is always good to see the doctors and nurses that cared for us during our stay in Los Angeles.
After a couple of games the kids were able to make a Build-a-Bear compliments of our dear friends David and Tracey Buelow. They have a foundation that funds a portable Build-a-Bear machine that can go directly to patients rooms and allow them to make an animal while they are being cared for. This operation is a part of their foundation Max of a Million Dreams that was started shortly after they lost their son Max to cancer. We love Tracey and David and have very fond memories of the time that we spent as next door neighbors as their oldest daughter was undergoing a cord blood transplant to cure her leukemia.
We were grateful to Dr Ken Weinberg for making the trip from Palo Alto, CA to go to the reunion. He is a very dear person to us. We are grateful to the other doctors as well, but Ken was the first doc attending when we arrived and he has educated me personally for years. Brett made the comment that we should adopt him as a grandfather to the kids. I agree. He's wonderful. Now we just have to convince him :).
The disappointment of not getting anything 'big' at Disneyland was quickly diminished as there were carnival games galore at the reunion -- complete with free cotton candy, face painting, snow cones and BAGS of prizes.
Thanks to the committee who planned this wonderful event, and to all of the sponsors who make this possible. There were adults there that were transplanted as children. It was very rewarding to see. We were also able to talk to a couple of families who are right in the thick of things and share the hope of our son. Those moments are priceless.
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