Dear Ethan and Lucas,
Last month, you participated in something big. Your mama, dad, and many other awesome people came together to support one of your friends who is battling a horrible disease. I want you to always remember this because you learned a lot through the process.
All month long, you were involved in the preparation. There were many meetings, numerous discussions, and a whole lot of facebook and tweeting. You were right in the middle of it all. You wanted to know how many "likes" we had - how many "retweets" there were and you loved hearing all the dinging notifications as much as we did. As we watched it grow from a small group into over 500, you were amazed at all these people that didn't even know your friend that were willing to stand up.
This month, you impressed me with your compassion. You never once got jealous of the cool stuff that rolled in for your friend or for the raffle. You never once complained about the many hours we spent on the project. You were just as involved as we were and you were so excited to help. You care about your friend, and your friendship with him grew throughout the process.
The night before, you stayed with Uma and Upa. They kept you busy while your mom and dad finished up getting everything ready at school. You were lucky you weren't there - though they really enjoyed it.
. The morning of the run, you showed up early and offered to do anything you could to help. You ran around and made everyone feel welcome. When the head shaving crew was up and running, you were first up to show your support for your friend. You'd been planning this for weeks and were excited that Ethan G. wouldn't be the only one with a shaved head anymore. When you came to find me, I didn't even recognize you at first and was blown away at the difference. But your smiles were so big and you were so proud of this "BIG" event you were part of.
You didn't see much of your mom and dad that day, as they ran around with walkie talkies trying to make sure everything was perfect (or as close as it could be) for your friend and his family. You had a great time with all your friends and loved getting Uma and Upa to spend all their money on you.
When the run started, you lined up in the front with everyone else. You looked so little with all 500ish people around you. Your mama was blown away at the generosity of the crowd and fought back tears as she gave the last announcements and prepared for the send off.
The number of people was overwhelming. You watched as your mama, joined by some dancers, yelled, "On your mark, get set, GO!"
And then you ran. You smiled at me as you passed - but you were determined to GO! Your mama was in total tears now - amazed...
And one by one, everyone made it past the finish line. When your friend made it, there was much cheering and shouting and we all celebrated its very symbolic meaning.
There were so many amazing people involved. The most entertaining group was a band called "Dagron". They made you laugh with their outfits and their stellar dance moves. You were so amazed that they came all the way from Seattle to help support one of your friends.
They also started a stellar cupcake war in which we discovered that your mouth (Ethan) was too small to fit a cupcake into. You both laughed and laughed and it was such a great way to end the morning.
And when all was said and done, you waited patiently to find out how much we'd raised. You'd heard talk about how much it costs to treat cancer and you just wanted to be able to help.
You did. This big event that you helped with - it raised almost $7,000. That is big. And you were part of it. You worked hard and stepped up and you made a difference. You didn't do it alone. Your family and your friends stood with you, and you made a whole lot of new friends in the process.
I don't ever want you to forget. You have the power to help people. You can make a difference. And this mama knows you will.
