Cousin Seth

Dearest Devyn,

Your cousin Seth is very sick.  A week ago last Friday, he went to the doctor and they found some things that they wanted to check out, so last Monday, they sent him to a hospital in Albuquerque to see a specialist.  By Thursday they had determined that he has T-cell leukemia, a very serious kind of cancer, and they started him on treatments that will probably last for at least three years.

This is very hard for me to wrap my mind around, because just three weeks ago we saw him at Christmas.  We played with him in your Grandma and Grandpa's living room.  I made gingerbread cookies with him in Grandma's kitchen.  And he was fine.

Of course, he wasn't.  This disease didn't happen over night.  He was already sick when we saw him, even though nobody knew it.  But it's hard not to think of it that way.  I can only imagine what your Aunt Heather and Uncle Eric are thinking and feeling right now.

The good news is that his doctors are very optimistic.  Many, many of the kids who get sick with this disease fight it, they fight it very hard, and they win.  Many kids get better and live the rest of their lives better.  And that is what we are all going to hope and pray for for Seth.

But it's going to be a long road.  For him, for his mom and dad and his sister, and for all of us who love him.  And I wanted to write to you about it today, because it's an important thing that's happening in our lives.  We're going to do everything we can to help Seth and his family, and I believe, with all my heart, that he's going to beat this.

Love always,
~Mommy