cancer at three

Alana with Cancer and a Poem

As many of you know my 3 year old niece was diagnosed with cancer - Ewing's Sarcoma a rare bone cancer. It was caught it fairly early due to her mom's persistence, some luck and a few great doctors. Alana has one tumor on her tibia that luckily misses both growth plates. Her treatment is going to be rough. She will have 48 weeks of chemotherapy. Every third friday she will be admitted to the hospital for stays of 2 or 5 days. After 12 weeks of treatment she will undergo surgery to remove the tumor on her tibia. 36 weeks of chemo and possibly radiation will follow. Alana is in for a rough year.

But through all this everyone is being strong and supportive and saying lots of prayers. Her mom put this poem up on Alana's carepages website and I thought it was simple, but powerful...so enjoy and keep praying! (And I don't know who the author is, so I apologize to him or her!)

IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
that Id see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
Id hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would videotape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time
I could spare an extra minute,
to stop and say I love you,
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well Im sure youll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely theres always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say I love you,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
Id like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
and today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if youre waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
youll surely regret the day.

That you didnt take that extra time
for a smile, a hug or a kiss,
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
tell them how much you love them,
and that youll always hold them dear.

Take time to say Im sorry,
Please forgive me, thank you, or Its O.K.,
and if tomorrow never comes,
youll have no regrets about today.