Definition of a hero

I made it to Lehi safe and sound this evening at about 7:30. When I got here, I called to see if it would be a good time to come and visit Juan. I talked with him for a minute over the phone to let him know that we were coming. They are staying in Ronald McDonald housing and it was a neat set up. They have a small apartment for long term use. It was so great. He was so excited to see me and he looked great. His papa had shaved his head for his radiation treatments. He has lost a bit of weight and I could really tell it in his face which used to be really round, but he still looked good. He looked strong and not tired. He took the cards that I brought and devoured each one. He read them carefully and it was so cute. He had a pile and after reading each one, he would meticulously place it at the bottom of the pile and then pick up the pile and straighten it up, then he would read the next one. We read some of them together. I helped him with some of his homework that he was a little confused on. Mom, Kelly, and I talked with his mom and him and it was so nice. His mom said that the type of cancer is called medulloblastoma. She said that the MRI's he has had look good and the dr. said there is no evidence of any remaining cancer cells. He will be finished with his radiation treatments next week and they will be coming home. They hope to be able to do the rest of his chemo treatments in town, but return to Salt Lake off and on.
What a brave soldier! I know that he has faced some great fears. His mom shared some times when his fear was evident. I told him that I thought he was so brave and asked him if he was going to get better. He said he was and I told him that was the most important thing- for him to believe it. What a hero! He is fighting hard.
His mom is amazing. She shared with us that she had a hard time having children and had two other failed pregnancies. She said "God gave him to me and I feel like He is giving him back to me now."
She also talked about how he doesn't want to eat and has had a hard time holding down food. She said, "I make him tortillas and he won't eat them because he said they taste different. He can't taste them." I guess the radiation has affected his sense of taste. I kind of laughed inside and we talked about it afterward in the car . . . little Mexican boy who won't eat the tortillas. Kidding aside, I felt really bad for him. I really could tell that he had lost a lot of weight for a boy his age.
I noticed a guitar in a box under the coffee table and I said, "Juanito, did you get a guitar?" He kind of got red and said, "yeah." I said, "Can you play us a song?" And he said, "No, I don't play very good yet." I told him that I really wanted to learn to play the guitar.
As we were leaving I asked if I could get a picture with him and he said sure. Kelly took a picture and said, "Say queso!" We laughed and then I wanted a second one (I always need 2 "just in case"). So I said, "Okay, Juanito, let's say "Sponge Bob!" He thought that was pretty funny and I think I got a better smile that time.
As I left, I told him that I was up for a karate tournament and that I was scared. He laughed and I told him I would send him some pictures and let him know if I win any medals... He thought that was great.
What an awesome kid! My mom and sister loved him and his mamacita.
Keep up that fighting spirit Juan!







"Sponge Bob!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Juanito

My heart is hurting so bad for Juan. Our principal made a formal announcement of his illness at an after school meeting today with the teachers. I guess one of Juan's neighbors has made some tins to set out in locations to collect donations for his family. Although he is at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, which treats all children regardless of their ability to pay, his father is not able to work now because of the situation and Juan's vigorous treatment. I guess the form of brain cancer that he has is so aggressive that they are treating him with chemotherapy and radiation at the same time and they do not send him home at all because of the chance that the treatment alone could kill him, so they keep him there to constantly watch him. I have spent much of this afternoon in tears and full of pain. The whole situation is so overwhelming to me and I just break down every time I think of his beautiful face and huge smile and bright mind...
So the principal made a "challenge" for us teachers to encourage our students to donate to the tins for Juan. I would like to extend this challenge to my friends. I know you don't know Juan, but if you see a tin with his sweet grin here in St. George, please drop in your extra change. If you aren't here in St. George, I would challenge you to donate to the Pennies by the Inch campaign for PCMC to support their ongoing treatment for all children who need it. My brother was also a patient there as a young child and I believe that all of their staff are angels, as well as anyone who supports them. I don't do a lot of campaigning for causes but this one has always been close to my heart and definitely is today...

Some facts about PCMC and Pennies by the Inch . .

- Your donation, large or small, will help Primary Children's Medical Center continue to care for children in need.
- One hundred percent (this is the part that makes me feel the best about donating to this cause) of your contribution to Pennies by the Inch is used for charity care.
- No administrative or fundraising costs (again, this makes me feel good about helping) are taken from your donation.
- Devoted to caring for children regardless of their ability to pay.
- Cares for children from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, and Montana; the largest service area of any children's hospital in the United States.
- One of the top ranked children's hospital in the United States.
- Treats children with diabetes, birth defects, cancer, and many other complex injuries and illnesses.
- Grateful for donations that combine with hospital funds to provide over $8.6 million in charity care annually; covers nearly 11,000 hospital visits by needy children.
-Dedicated physicians donate their services for charity care patients.

Visit the PCMC website at this link. You can click on the "Pennies by the Inch" link or "Giving and Volunteering" (in the green section on the left) in order to make a donation.

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/
primary/

The Frog Prince?

Setting him free!

















Trying to catch the little bugger can be tricky!




















































So I have had a frog living near my classroom. He is really little and pretty cute. Last week sometime, the kids had put him in a bucket on the ramp that had accumulated a pool of water. I have not seen him since then until this morning when he hopped in the classroom as I opened the door. It freaked me out and I called in some tough boys to do the job for me. Enjoy the pics. Should I have kept him and tried to kiss him????

some of my artwork

Sorry that these photos are not so great, but I thought I would share some of my favorite drawings.

I drew this portrait from a photo of myself at 6 years old for the district Reflections competition last year. I won 1st place in the teachers' entries.





This is my most recent drawing. I just finished it. It is my karate instructor's son. I love the contrast of light and dark. I also think I did a pretty good job on his hand which are always a nightmare for me.

A funny memory: A boy and his lizard

Okay, so Kelly mentioned something tonight that I totally forgot about and I need to write it down so that I don't forget it again.
Last year, I had a little boy named Erasmo in my class, but we called him Lamito. He was so funny and way smart, and even had a slightly naughty streak (but always loaded with humor!) So one Friday as I came in the morning, there was a group of kids hanging out on the ramp (Lamito was one of them) in front of the classroom and I wondered what was going on, but didn't think to ask. Then when Lamito came in, he came in and asked if we could have Show and Tell. I said, I don't think so because I don't like Show and Tell. Well, he didn't say anything else, but for some reason 2 or 3 other kids asked me if we could have Show and Tell that day. Well, this started to get me wondering slightly what was going on, but again, I didn't question it too much.
So finally, after lunch I believe, when we were switching to new seats and cleaning tables, Lamito told me he really had something that he wanted to show me and a couple of other kids were with him. Their faces were so excited that I could tell it was something big. Well, Lamito reached into the front pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a lizard.
Okay, so I asked how long he had been hiding the lizard in his pocket like a prisoner and he said since the morning. I told him he had to take it outside and let it go. He asked why and I said because he was just a little lizard and probably didn't want to be kept in a sweater pocket and plus, what if he got out??? "I have been very careful. I have been holding him in my hand in my pocket all day so he doesn't get out." Well he begged if he could keep him and I told him he could show his friends the lizard, but then please let him go free, then I went back to what I was doing. A minute or two later, everyone was hovered around Lamito and he was down on his knees. They were all saying, "Lamito's crying, he's sad."
"Lamito, come here." I said. "Why are you crying?"
"I don't want to let my lizard free. He's the best lizard I've ever had. I've never had a lizard like him before." Through sobs...
"Let me see your lizard." I actually don't think I had looked at his lizard yet. So we sat down at the table and he pulled the poor lizard out of his pocket and held it in his hand.
"Put him on the table so I can see him," I said.
"He likes dark places, he will hide under the books." Sure enough, the little lizard ran under the stack of books. So we talked and I asked if he knew what the lizard would eat."
"Crickets."
"Do you have some crickets for him?"
"Yes."
"And where will he live, in a jar?"
"No, I have a tank for him."
"Okay," I said, since the day was almost over. So he started to feel better and we talked about some other things, then I told him he could go finish moving to his new desk and cleaning up. He asked...
"Can I take my lizard back too?"
Can you believe it? I had forgotten the stupid lizard was under the books. "Yes," I replied.
No the story doesn't quite end here.
We took a bathroom break a few minutes later. I have a coconut half shell that I use as a hall pass and he wanted to carry the lizard in that shell so that the kids could see it. So I allowed it.
As we were walking to the restrooms they were all certain that the lizard was licking it's eyeballs like a gecko. I looked at it and said, "I don't see him licking his eyeballs. It looks to me like he is squinting from the sunlight..."
I know, I am so mean, but I was a bit wasted of energy. It was a Friday and the whole situation had been very dramatic and draining.
It makes me laugh hysterically though now. Especially thinking about him saying, "He's the best lizard I've had. I've never had a lizard like him before."

Shocking and sad

So I have wondered what happened to one of the boys that I had as a first grader a couple of years ago. His name is Juan and he is an amazing, smart boy. The other day it occurred to me that I had not seen him this year and I assumed that they had moved. Today I found out that he is in another 3rd grade class, but has not been to school. He is at Primary Children's Medical Center and has a brain tumor. He had surgery at the beginning of the year and is going through radiation or chemo. I do not know what the outlook is. They do not expect him to come back to school this year at this point. I was hoping that he would be in my class. I was thrown for a loop when I found this out! I can't believe it.

Oh, Juanito! I am praying for you and I hope you get better. I miss you. Don't give up.

Please, please pray for little Juan. We need him to get better.

Daily Journals

Yesterday morning I gave the children no writing prompt for their journals. It was a free write or go back (go back to an old entry and add) day. There were some really good entries and I gave anyone who wanted to share theirs time to stand up and read in front of the class. Joel (pronounced Ho-el because he is Hispanic) wanted to share his. He can't hardly read or write. I had no clue what it said, but he sure did. He stood up bold and strong and read his few sentences. "I have 8 people in my family. There are 5 boys and 2 girls. I love my family. We have fun. But my mom and dad like to say that they got me and my brother in the dumpster because we are not the same color." We all laughed and I said, "That's a joke, huh Joel. They didn't really get you in the dumpster." He laughed back and said, "Yes, just because we look different." It was quite funny. They weren't adopted or anything, it's just some of the kids are darker than the others. Joel and his brother are dark and some of their siblings are very light. It is kinda weird. I wonder if that is like having the milk man as your father.