Dear Eli, Happy birthday! We've decided to throw a birthday party in your honor on your birthday this Friday, May 13th. We know you wanted to throw a party for all the people who have supported you and our family throughout your cancer fight these last few years, in appreciation for everything they have done …
As Easter was drawing near this year, I realized that it would be on the 17th of the month, exactly 5 months after Eli departed this world for the next. I was checking my Facebook messages this morning and had the thought that I needed to check the messages that Facebook doesn't notify me of …
My obligatory selfie--I take one every time I visit Eli's grave. I walked with my friend to the cemetery today. We brought a hook to hang one of the Valentines that someone had left on Eli's grave. Adam and I had discovered it several days ago when we had driven by. On Valentine's Day, my …
By Valerie Started: 11/25/21, Finished: 1/13/22 Eli & Valerie Aftershocks Often, the aftershocks are worse than the earthquake itself; they leave devastation in their wake for days, even weeks after the main earthquake. I wrote about my perspective from the sidelines watching my little brother Eli’s three-year battle with cancer. Unfortunately, the effects of cancer …
Valerie started writing this sometime in August 2021, and finished it the night Eli graduated. Death Sentence I wish the memories weren’t so vivid. But here we are, with clear names, dates, and events all trapped in my head. It was Halloween (2018), not when it started, but when the first death sentence came. My …
Two weeks ago we passed the two month mark since Eli's passing. It feels like yesterday and forever ago all at once. These torches are solar powered and flicker in the dark. Christmas Christmas was magical. Thanks to very generous organizations and anonymous elves, we were able to customize their gifts to build their talents …
When Eli was little, his first sentence was spoken to me as I changed his diaper. As I leaned over the changing table to secure the tabs on his diaper, my hair fell forward and tickled his face. He removed his fingers from his mouth, which he had been sucking, to reach out to touch …
Elaine here. I'm sorry for the abrupt ending to the last post. I wanted to post it before it ended up languishing in the drafts folder forever and hoped that putting it out there would help us make time to finish it. But, alas, we've been very busy. I wasn't sure what would become of …
Adam again. The night Eli graduated, we began sending notifications and making phone calls. We started with the medical people, so they could come and complete the formalities and paperwork. Then to our close friends who had already been helping us plan for this event, or had been directly helping us cope in various ways. …
We wanted to post more about our journey since Eli's graduation, but we first were busy with preparations, then with family and friends, then with napping. We have received so much support in our mourning and we have really delighted in visiting and reconnecting (and sometimes connecting for the first time) with so many people …
Eli The Boss 