Fire Trucks & Flowers

The weekend was spent celebrating those who have battled or are battling cancer. We did this by way of a parade (where we collected 2 large bags of candy) and a visit to a flower field where we met our favorite princesses. It was a win/win weekend.

On Saturday we were able to see "Comfort 54," a Mentor fire truck wrapped in lavender. Lavender is the color that honors all types of cancers. We were able to watch it roll by in a parade and then stopped by later to sign it with Clare's name. This truck is so special because it was wrapped in lavender by Visual Graphics. Matt, the owner of Visual Graphics, added a special feature to the truck. Clare's name is proudly displayed at the top of the truck above the hoses.

It was wonderful to see all those who had already signed and "won" their battle, but there are so many families who signed the fire truck in honor of a loved one who had passed from cancer. 

Today we visited Maria's Field of Hope. Maria's Field of Hope is an incredible sunflower field in Northeast Ohio. The field is an initiative of the Prayers from Maria Foundation. Maria was a 7 year old little girl who was diagnosed with DIPG and ultimately passed away in 2007. Her parents and the foundation work tirelessly to bring awareness and funding to pediatric brain cancer. They have awarded many grants to advance research and help families like ours who are searching for treatment options.

As beautiful as the sunflower field was, I think I cried the entire time we were there. We put five prayer cards with Clare's name on them and placed them throughout the field. 

While it is amazing that the fire truck and the sunflower field have found ways to celebrate and honor those who have battled cancer, I wish that Clare's name was never written on that truck. And I wish that there weren't any prayer cards dedicated to Clare tied on to beautiful sunflowers. I wish for so many things, but I mostly wish that Clare and cancer didn't exist in the same sentence.