Isabellas Last Request
Boabdil took no action as the Christian forces took some of his land, perhaps assuming it would shortly be returned to him. In , the Christian forces began a painfully long siege of Baza , the most important stronghold remaining to al-Zagal. Baza was highly defensible as it required the Christians to split their armies, and artillery was of little use against it.
Supplying the army caused a huge budget shortfall for the Castilians. Occasional threats of deprivation of office were necessary to keep the army in the field, and Isabella came personally to the siege to help maintain the morale of both the nobles and the soldiers.
After six months, al-Zagal surrendered, despite his garrison still being largely unharmed; he had become convinced that the Christians were serious about maintaining the siege as long as it would take, and further resistance was useless without the hope of relief, of which there was no sign. With the fall of Baza and the capture of al-Zagal in , it seemed as if the war was over; Ferdinand and Isabella believed this was the case. He broke off his vassalage and rebelled against the Catholic Monarchs, despite holding only the city of Granada and the Alpujarras Mountains. As Castile and Aragon were fellow enemies of the Turks, the Sultan had no desire to break their alliance against the Turks.
Boabdil also requested aid from the Kingdom of Fez modern Morocco , but no reply is recorded by history. In any case, the Granadans no longer controlled any coastline from where to receive overseas aid. No help would be forthcoming for Granada. An eight-month siege of Granada began in April The situation for the defenders grew progressively dire, as their forces for interfering with the siege dwindled and advisers schemed against each other.
Bribery of important officials was rampant, and at least one of the chief advisers to Boabdil seems to have been working for Castile the entire time. After the terms, which proved rather generous to the Muslims, were negotiated, the city capitulated on January 2, The besieging Christians sneaked troops into the Alhambra that day in case resistance materialized, which it did not.
The most notable facet of the Granada War was the power of bombards and cannons to greatly shorten the many sieges of the war. Primitive arquebuses also saw use in the war, though only to a small degree. The open-field battles in which cavalry were the most important were rare; the Granadans, badly outnumbered, generally avoided such battles. Politically, many nobles insisted on controlling their own forces, but Ferdinand and Isabella were still able to exercise a large degree of control in directing the army as a whole.
The Granadans, meanwhile, were beset with civil war, preventing the establishment of a unified command. The nobility provided the majority of the expensive cavalry. Concerning the real strength of the armies involved, according to original sources the Castilian armies reached between 50, and 70, soldiers the years of the greatest military effort , 83, 86, 87, 89 and 91 , or 10, to 29, in the quieter ones , 85, 88 and 90 , strength which is accepted by modern scholars as Ladero Quesada.
For the campaigns in Italy — the Spanish armies were of 5,, 9, or 15, men maximum, so it is rather surprising the numbers recorded 5—10 years before for Granada. If we take into account the revenues of Castile during the period to some millions of maravedies per year it is hardly difficult that Castile could have organized more than 8, to 20, soldiers.
More plausible strengths mentioned are the 3, horses , 1, to 1, , and or even riders and Concerning the infantry, De Miguel Mora states that a Muslim soldier captured by the Castilians during the siege of Baza confessed that the real infantry strength of the garrison was 4, men and not 15, At the end of the war the ratio was 2 or 3-to-1 in favor of the Castilian armies. The Granada War would prove to be valuable training for the Italian Wars , where the Castilian armies and tactics such as the tercio would acquit themselves well.
The surrender of Granada was seen as a great blow to Islam and a triumph of Christianity. Other Christian states offered their sincere congratulations to Ferdinand and Isabella, while Islamic writers reacted with despair. In Castile and Aragon, celebrations and bullfights were held. People rejoiced in the streets. The treaty's terms for Granada's surrender were quite generous to the Muslims, considering how little they had left to bargain with.
For three years, Muslims could emigrate and return freely. They were allowed to keep weapons, though not firearms, a provision that however was to be annulled a month later. No one would be forced to change religion, not even former Christians who had converted to Islam. Boabdil was offered money and the rulership of a small principality in the mountainous Alpujarras , an area that would have been difficult to control in any case.
King Boabdil soon found his position intolerable. He left for Morocco in October , where he would die some forty years later. This initiative was led by Archbishop Cisneros , who ordered mass conversions, the burning of valuable Arabic manuscripts and other measures detrimental to the Muslims and Jews. This sparked a revolt that ended in many Muslims being forced to choose between baptism, exile, or execution.
I really enjoyed our server! She was attentive to our needs, checking on us frequently. I was suggest trying to this gem Took my husband for his birthday dinner. Great service, great wine and a delicious mousse dessert! The service is great and the food is fantastic! I highly recommend the pasta dish in the picture but unfortunately I don't remember the name but it was fabulous. The restaurant is really nicely decorated too!
We were a bit worried when we walked in and the restaurant was empty. But it was wonderful!!!!!! Nothing was less than outstanding. And the service was excellent. We don't live in the Isabella is a very cozy white tablecloth Italian food establishment. I've been there a multitude of times and have never had a bad meal. As a matter of fact, Isabella is the first place I tried Nero d'avala which is a grape varietal and I've We were told to try out Isabellas as we wanting to eat Italian food. We had reservations and we got there pretty much as the first guests.
Our waiter did not seem to understand us all to well, despite us speaking English quite fluently. We are in Tinley Park for 3 days so consulted Tripadvisor for a restaurant idea. The pumpkin ravioli cited in other reviews sounded interesting, the place looked cute in the photo, and the chef sounded enthusiastic.
Even though just moderately hungry, off we went, arriving JMJ Service was good except for language problems with the waiter. Made for an interesting night of unexpected translations of our requests. The food looked very appetizing but it should have for the price. All diners are in one room a converted living room in I don't usually write reviews, even if the restaurant is bad, but I had to make an exception for Isabella's Cafe in Tinley Park, Il, which I was at on Friday, Feb 16, I made reservation for 10 people for a family dinner to All of your saved places can be found here in My Trips.
Just someone in our daily life that continues to surprise us by her support. Sometimes it feels like pulling teeth to get people to be there when you need it and sometimes people just do it without being asked. But I wanted to take a minute to thank people like Marianne who continue to support us year after year without being asked. So thank you to all of you who do this for us. Nothing brings you back to life like test results. I was hoping to not receive them while we were away so that we could relax. But a doctor visit yesterday had them waiting for me.
Her last urine test came back in the normal range. Normal is under 8 for one number and under 10 for another. These tests came back and 10 and Just slightly elevated but nothing scary. What it probably mean is that the small amount of disease she had in her last scan is probably a little bigger now, but not by much. Our last round of oral chemo was a very tiny dose we were expecting it to not do much. This round that we are on now is almost 10 times the last dose. So we are thinking that the stronger dose will help this time. Also, urine results can be elevated due to things in her diet so the numbers are hard to judge.
Of course we would prefer to them to be in the normal range but a small increase like this just means that she is probably still living with cancer. But the cancer is not taking over her body.. Scans are scheduled for May 8th and 9th and those will give us a better idea of what is going on. Until then, we continue our low dose regiment from home. Ib feels good though.. Such a grown up mind in that little body. Overall she is enjoying herself and the amount of time not being spent in the hospital. I guess that was our goal, right?
Our world has been turned upside down lately as scan results from Wednesday showed progressive disease for Isabella. The call from Dr. Kaplan seemed like a blur when he started reading off all the bone spots that lit up with cancer. Legs, pelvis, hips, shoulders.. I started to zone out. Stuart and I were prepared for things to grow a little, but maybe not at this rate. We discussed so many different options with Dr. Kaplan but many of the options could not be determined until more results came in. Stuart and I have agreed that intensive chemotherapy is not an option at this point and Kaplan agreed that her body had seen the majority of what was offered so it may be pointless at this stage.
Calls and internet research have filled our last couple of days as we quickly try to find something to put her on. Doctors in NYC agreed that this is our best option at this point to keep her comfortable and out of the hospital. The problem with this drug trial is that the first 21 days she will take DFMO alone twice a day. Around day 17 we will do a set of scans to see what we are looking at. If things are stable, we will start another round of DFMO plus a small oral chemo etopiside on top of it for the remaining 21 day cycles. This is a phase 1 trial so there is no guarantee that this will do anything for Isabella.
And the scary part is that we will know the answer very soon. There are just so few options for Neuroblastoma. On top of all of this, Isabella has been deathly sick since Wednesday. She is vomiting and not eating or drinking. My Mom decided to stay the week until we can see if Isabella can pull out of this and provide me with some added support. To say that Stuart and I are scared is an understatement.
Valamar Collection Isabella Island Resort 4*/5*
We have been given bad news so many times that you would think we can handle it by now. But still each time it rips apart our insides and rattles us to the core. We have retreated into our little house and have put up some shields around us until we can get ahold of things. So apologies for unreturned phone calls, texts, etc.. Right now we just want to get her a little healthier, start the trial and then sit back and wait. If it is not working, we should know pretty quickly. We will updated when we know more.
I feel like I go through these times lately a lot.. I think everything I read out there is bad news, and all I have to report is bad news. Nothing worse than your life sucking a big one and having to write it all down. Our Sunday fluids turned into an overnight stay and my Mom extending her trip to help us out. I just felt better knowing she was getting fluids while she slept so Ib and I curled up together and snuggled in. I knew my Mom had things under control at home. The clinic wanted us in at 7: I get stubborn during these times of how I can handle things alone.. I just held her for 3 hours in the chair while she slept on my lap.
I tried to stay busy on facebook, words with friends, people. I feel like we should of been smarter than this.. How is this all that is left? Now we move to how to get an powder, mixed with juice that ib hates down her and stay down her when she is throwing up every couple of minutes. The fact that we got it down her was a miracle. Keep her focused on not throwing up for 30 minutes so the drug can hit her bloodstream. How we were able to do it is beyond me.. The next couple of hours were some of the worst in my life. We watched Isabella become so sick and scream in pain from headaches.
We have seen this before and it was due to a tumor in her brain. She looked so scared and just grabbed onto my hand and looked at me. I called the staff in and told them to put her in the CT scanner and look for a tumor. Something was dramatically off. In that time, I had my Mom call Stuart who was traveling and told him to come home immediately.
Granada War
She tried to talk to him on the phone and I could hear his fear over the phone.. The oncologist thinks that since her bone marrow is positive, the cancer is just passing through her bones and expanding them, causing pain when it passes through her skull. We loaded up on high pain meds, meds for vomiting and IV fluids each night to continue to try to bring her back.
She just lays around now.. I think she is just weak. Stuart and I just sit around her, giving her love and making her comfortable. We are on day 3 of our trial and we just pray that her body is strong enough to give it a fighting chance. We have seen this before in her and she eventually comes around… We just hope that it will happen again and she will surprise us all. But we know the battle may eventually be lost… So we all just sit around and wait. Every day I think about updating but to say our life is day to day right now is an understatement. The end of last week was absolutely horrible.
Ib would not eat, she complained of constant stomach pain and head aches and would not get out of bed. It was the saddest thing to witness. After laying in bed all day I would bring carry her downstairs to try to get her going. She would sit on my lap and just cry. She just wanted to be back in bed. I just want to be alone. For our Isabella, this is an odd request.
I would take her back up to bed and come downstairs and cry my eyes out. This relapse is different this time. Every other time we have relapsed, the doctors would tell us how bad it was but agree that we must continue treatment because she would be running around and playing. This time she is not that way. She is not as strong and not fighting. Maybe her body is just so tired of fighting and is starting to give up? Stuart and I have always taken clues from her on what to do with her treatment. But this time it is hard because we look at her and know that she could not longer handle a high-dose treatment to wipe her clean.
It feels like they too have washed their hands of us a bit given her current state. But we keep trying anything we can do to bring her back. We see small glimmers of her when we do things she loves. We visited Lucy our new little puppy who only has a week left in training, her BFF Soleil spent the night on Saturday and we took her out on the lake on Sunday for a bit. She will do good for a time period but then fall back into her quiet place.
We are heading to the beach on Thursday for the holiday weekend, hoping the sand and the seashells will get her going.
A cancer mom’s personal journey of the last 10 months of her daughter’s life
Our world could crumble in just one week. I pray that she is stable so we can start our second round of the trial. The second round will include another drug on top of the DFMO. It is a small oral chemo that will be given that will hopefully attack the cancer that is on her bones and bone marrow.
Navigation menu
But little aches and pains in the spots where I know the cancer is present makes me want to throw up every time she points them out to me. Everyone is asking what to do.. But until then it is just a waiting game while my stomach is in knots. Will update from the beach to keep you informed of her progress.. Hoping for more glimpses of Isabella. Also I wanted to say thank you to Madison Brent and her family. Such an amazing thing for a young woman to do. Thank you so much Madison and Happy Birthday! We are on our last day of our annual beach trip and as always it is filled with ups and downs.
We are still working on this clinical trial.. Once Ib takes her medicine in the morning, she goes swiftly downhill. We have small glimpses of her when she wants to play UNO or put on a princess dress. But otherwise, her days are filled with tears, coughing, pains and vomiting.
- In the Words of Nelson Mandela!
- Related artworks;
- Madrid, 1836 - Madrid, 1873;
- Isabella Book Series: www.newyorkethnicfood.com www.newyorkethnicfood.com.
Stuart and I have said that it is like watching an old woman. She moves around slowly, grabbing her hip as she walks, not able to bend down to pick something up because it hurts to do so. We try to take to take her to the beach but after a couple of minutes she crawls up on our laps and asks us to take her home. She fell asleep on Stuart for a bit yesterday so it was nice to at least she is getting fresh air. We watch the other kids run and play in the waves and thankfully my big sunglasses hide the tears that run down my face.
I feel like we are slowly watching her die and it just kills me.. We go through time periods where we get mad and tell her that she has to get out of bed. But we realize that maybe the way she wants it is to just lay on the couch and watch Annie with no one bothering her. She wants some space and some quiet time which is hard to come by in this house. A persistent cough that is with her makes Stuart and I connect eyes every couple of minutes as we share in our heartache for a brief minute.
Or at least you hope that is what it is.. I want to be with her, but being with her is hard. I want to rip your head off. Seemingly unaware that you are struggling with the fact that you might lose your daughter in the next 30 days. And now that is me. I hate to even write it because it makes people have no idea how to even be around me… but there it is.
And I hate it. Grant and Sophia both caught a bug on this trip so we are 3 for 3 on vomiting which is about right for the state of my life. But I am enjoying watching Grant and Sophia run and play. They are VERY unaware of what is happening which is good. I am thankful I have them to keep me grounded and positive. And my wonderful Mom steps in at just the right time to give me space or a moment to gather myself when needed without even asking. Stuart and I share hugs and glances that make me know we are preparing to go through something big together and we are going to try our best to be strong for each other.
At the end of the day, my hope is that I look back on this entry in a year as we are at the beach with her next year and she is running with her brother and sister. Silly journal entry I think to myself. That is my hope. But I have a feeling when I rattle off the list of aches and pains.. Well, here it is. The journal entry I have been dreading for almost 5 years. All of this on top of the disease that she already was fighting in her bone marrow and bones. We asked all the right questions, uncovered every stone. We were hoping that the new tumor would be able to provide us with a tumor sample that we could send of to CHOP to see if she was eligible for a promising new treatment.
But the amount of disease she has and the locations make us ineligible. But when Stuart came to bed around midnight, he woke me as I was wrapped around Isabella to tell me that the oncologist had sent him an email. They suggested possible radiation to relieve her immediate pain and then hospice for the remainder of her journey. Stuart and I had the hardest discussion of our life at our kitchen table and finally woke my Mom around 1: She has been fighting hard for so long that it goes against every we are to stop.. Her body is tired and weak and we are up against a battle we cannot win.
We have decided to do intense radiation to her entire spine over the next three days to relieve her discomfort. We are planning a family trip to Disney World that will take place this Monday given no emergencies in the next 4 days. Our immediate family started arriving today to see her and close friends and family will continue to drop in over the weekend to see her as well.
We are hoping that she is well enough to go to Orlando because it is the happiest place on earth for her. Tomorrow I will be on the phone, trying to line up the same trip in the hopes that we can give her one last gift before she passes away. Grant and Sophia will be joining us so my Mom and Bob will come too so we can devote time to making things special for her. When we return, we will line up our Hospice and settle in for an awful ride. I know it sounds terrible but I wish that God would let her just pass away in her sleep the night we return from Disney.
All I want is for her death to be peaceful and without struggle or fear. The oncologist today went over a couple of ways that she could pass away and every single one breaks my heart. We have not yet told her what is going on, it will wait until after the trip. Until then we all take our moments snuggling up to her and then excusing ourselves for our breakdowns.
This last 24 hours have been so difficult and we need to do what is best for Isabella now. We are losing more and more of our Isabella every day and I just want to spend my time seeing every last minute of her that I can. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey and helping to find her a cure.. I just wish it could of come sooner. The days seem to be flying by, but is some ways they are the longest days of my life.
Each day we watch as Isabella sleeps and withdraws herself a little bit more. She still has small minutes of herself each day when she will perk up and ask for milk, corn casserole or ravioli. We mainly just lay quietly with her. Our immediate family came in this weekend and while I know the noise was bothersome to Ib, people needed to be able to say their goodbyes.
It was a good distraction for Grant and Sophia as they just play like normal. I feel waves of panic attacks coming over me that are only made worse by my diet and sleep patterns. Everyone has been wonderful.. My besties have set up camp across the street and funnel everything through so that we have our private time.
They have organized an unbelievable trip for us to take Isabella to Disney World that they are walking us through any minute. I think they are shielding me from feeling the need to say thank you to people. They are keeping a list for me and when the time comes, I will be able to walk through it. There are friends and your life, and then there is what I have.
How I am so lucky, I will never know. We are doing horrible things like talking to hospice about funeral homes, what to do if she dies in Disney, how to talk to our kids.. I got her out and dried her hair and we cuddled on the couch. Hospice suggested a book called Dragonflies and Waterbugs to help talk about death to children.
They made a pact that the next person that goes will promise to come back and tell what is up there. But when the next bug goes up the stem, she turns into a beautiful dragonfly. She loves to fly around and can see the waterbugs below. Instead she will have to wait until someone else in her waterbug family decides to join her as a dragonfly so they can fly around together. So today we leave for our last family trip as 5. I can hear Charlotte in the kitchen walking Stuart through the details. I have been blown away with the people who surround us now.
The cream of the crop has floated to the top and wrapped us in their love. Now I just hope that this trip will provide Isabella with the most magical gift we can provide while she is still with us. The next gift we can give her will be all to soon.. No light, no doorbell ringing, no dog barking, no noises below. The only sounds we hear are the occasional train whistle from the magic kingdom or the toot of the boats outside. Very calming for her I would think. We had an episode on the plane that made me think she was going to die right in my arms in the air.
I have never been so frightened and the faces on the family members around me made me know it was heartbreaking to watch as well. We finally did arrive and to say the red carpet was rolled out is an understatement. Our rooms overlook the castle and Isabella and I watched the fireworks together that night.
Yesterday morning we had a private breakfast with every character imaginable. Her breathing was fast and she was weak but she made sure to get her autograph book out for them to sign. We were given a private tour guide to take us to the magic kingdom. Isabella loved the small world boat ride so we went to get on the boat. As we went around the ride, she told me that she was not able to see. She kept covering one eye so that she could focus but it became just too hard for her.
I had the guide take us back to the room and we snuggled into our dark hole together. She wakes briefly to ask where others are, but then curls back into her Miss Chrissy blankets and pillows. This morning I got her into a warm tub and shutter at the body I see before me. It is a shell of my daughter. A sunken belly, shoulder bones, spine and hip bones protrude out so far it punches me in the gut.
I wash her gently as she leans against me for strength. I carried her around the grounds a couple of moments ago, just to feel the sun and wind on her face. She thinks it is beautiful and covers one eye to look out at the castle. But her vision makes her sick so in she goes, nestled back into her dark, soft bed. My friend Angelo told me that death can be a beautiful thing if you can really see it for what it is.
Isabella's Last Request Series by Laura Lawrence
The outpouring of support and love is like nothing I have ever seen in my life. I am at a constant struggle with being her mother. I have to be her mother and keep her alive. But as I see her approaching death, I am who she wants beside her. I am quiet and calming to her. When she feels me beside her, she crawls into me and feels safe. To know in the end that I was her mother in all sense of the word. It was her and I in the beginning and it is her and I in the end. Now if I can compose myself for a moment, I will tell you all the wonderful things about these past couple of days.
Stuart is a rock. We tag team this phase with ease and lean on each other constantly. He is amazing with Isabella and I know he is breaking inside. But yesterday I watched him with Sophia at the pool and knew that he too would be okay. He is taking grant now to Hollywood Studios for a dream day of Star Wars. He is an amazing father and we are all so lucky to have him.
Grant tells Ib he lives her before he goes out, he hugs me all the time, he takes care of Sophia. He and I watched the fireworks in the magic kingdom last night and it was magical as he leaned on my shoulder and gave me nose kisses. Seriously, she is a gift from God. She is by far having e best time of anyone. She loves it all. Hugging every character and blowing kisses. She struts in this morning in a two-piece bathing suit, sunglasses and hat and gives me a model pose. I could eat her up. My mom and Bob.. Keeping my kids in their room and tending to their every needs.
We are all a well oiled machine, knowing that when we leave tomorrow, the real work begins. Thank you to everyone who has sent flowers, paid for rooms, flew us here, drove us and even sent gift cards. My besties have organized a trip of a lifetime and it will live in our hearts forever with the help of you all who follow our journey. The week seems to fly by so quickly. For the first couple of days this week, Isabella seemed to be getting better every day.
So good in fact that Stuart and I nervously called the oncologist as we started to second guess ourselves. We knew when we placed the call that we were like every other parent going through this situation. We were grasping onto our last straw and praying that we were seeing a miracle. I think that would be the last thing I would have called it. It feels like the absolute meanest phase we have seen to date. She wakes up in the morning, walks downstairs, eats breakfast, talks with you like nothing is going on.
You have to keep reminding yourself when you look at her that you are in fact in the dying process.. Which feels so hurtful. I think we had prepared ourselves for this swift death when we returned from Disney, but instead we have this somewhat normal child to look at every day.
The stress of the week has been wearing down on us and once again I feel us on edge with each other and everyone around us. I know it is just the situation that is making us this way, but it becomes hard to be around each other. Stuart and I try to be calm but our frustrations are being thrown like knives at each other. We are trying hard to live better in the moment and give each other a break, but it is so hard. The doctors told us to really try and enjoy these days because the cancer will eventually break through, and they will be gone like that.
Thursday was a great day for Isabella… Friday, things turned a little. Vomiting in the morning and just really not happy through the day. For about a week now we have not had to give her any medication for breakthrough pain or vomiting.. Yesterday was even worse.
Vomiting in the morning that just continued onto anxiety for her. We had to medicate her with stronger meds to calm her down and decrease the vomiting.. She mustered up the strength to put on a pretty dress and comb down her bed head. We wrapped up his gifts which were a new water bottle with her artwork on it from school and a recordable story book. The book, I must say, was my last awesome thing to do wife when it comes to Isabella.
I bought this adorable book that is about how I am always thinking of you or want to be with you when are away. Very cute book but means even more when it is applied to Isabella. I worked with Ib for about an hour on Friday night, recording her reading each page. It is so priceless.
She and Daddy went out to eat and she tried her very best to not be sick at dinner. But she struggled so much as she waited for him to open his gifts. They walked in the door with a full vomit bucket just an hour later. I cleaned her up and put her to bed, giving her meds to knock her out. I feel so awful for Stuart and I know how hard that dinner was for him. So unfair and undeserving. All we can do is hold on to every last minute we can. I have sat down about four times to write in this journal but each time something pulls me away. The days seem so long and often I ask myself, what day is it?
The majority of my days are spent in the bed with Isabella. I try to lay with her in the morning until around 4 each day. Occasional meds, back rubs, small conversation. But with each bath, I look at this girl and can barely see my Isabella in there. Her stomach is sunken, ribs showing every bone. Her shoulder stick out like they want to punch through the skin and her spine shows each vertebrae. I can no longer carry her with my hand on her back because it just upsets me too much.
Her pain comes and goes and when it comes, it seems harder to get on top of. We have increased her pain patch and the nurses are coming out tomorrow to show me how to push meds through her line. I feel like I want zero help from the medical profession going forward. I know I am driving them crazy but they deal with me the best they can. I know they mean well.. We have days where the pain is so intense that she starts vomiting over and over. We wonder if things will start to turn for the worse, then the next day is quiet and she sleeps all day.
One night this week she started to become disoriented and had trouble speaking.. But just as quickly as she appears, she disappears yet again. But that is not happening. We think she will only make it a couple of days and then a week goes by. But, we are just taking each day for what it is.. While we are all trying to come to peace with things, Grant is beginning to struggle. He is having moments of tears that come from just seeing a picture of them together. Nightmares, night sweats and the constant need to be right next to me, let me know that he is grieving.
Even today he came in and sat next to the tub while Isabella and I took a bath. Just talking about whatever came in his head.. They talk as if nothing is going on.. He just wants to be there. I know the key will be keeping him active when this process comes to an end. I sit on the couch with Grant and Sophia and they both take my arms and wrap them around their bodies.
Everyone is being so amazing and patient with us. Friends check in daily and do anything they can to help. I know it is frustrating because no one knows what to do. But sometimes just taking Stuart out for a drink, having a class or wine with me in my living room or taking Grant for a couple of hours makes a big difference. We get such great cards and letters in the mail from people that are touched by Isabella.
We are blown away daily at how quickly the word is spreading and we are so excited to think of all the checks we can make out to fund research, grant wishes, etc. I love hearing all the people coming forward to be a part of it all. Otherwise, we are still hanging in as best as we can. I wish there was some handbook on how to handle this or some brochure on how this is all going to happen. We just wake up each day and do what we can to get through it. Thanks to everyone for everything you do..