Monday, May 11, 2009

Emily just deals with it

I forgot to include this story when I posted last night.

Yesterday afternoon I took Emily and Haley to the park to play. They were playing together in the sand pit, and after a few minutes two other girls came up and started playing next to Emily. About 5 minutes later I heard one of them say to Emily with a very mean face, "Your hair looks like a boy's haircut." Emily responded very directly to her by saying, "That's because I have cancer." The girl responded back, "What's that?" and Emily replied "It's a disease I have that could kill me, and the medicine I have to take made my hair fall out, but it's growing back now." The girl didn't really know what to say, and Emily looked over at me, trying to make a smile and shrugged her shoulders and continued to play. A few minutes later Emily was playing with the girls who had been making fun of her.

I am so proud of her for sticking up for herself, and ultimately not backing down and running away, but instead befriended them. I asked her on the way home how she felt about it and she said that the girls had apologized while they were playing and she thought they were nice. I don't think I'd have the guts to do anything close to that when I was a kid, I remember crying because someone made fun of a shirt I wore once, and to think of Emily dealing with being bald and now with short hair is just a testament to how strong of a person she is. I constantly learn from her.

10 comments:

Andrew said...

What a great story. Emily's confidence astounds me. I wish I had half the guts of her.
Thanks for continuing to write this blog. I learn a lot from you and Em.

Anonymous said...

I found it interesting that you say that if you were a kid, you don't think you would have the guts to do what Emily did. I think she is showing greater maturity than many adults. There are a lot of wigs sold to grown women who aren't as able as Emily is to deal with stares or questions or thoughtless remarks. Her confidence and being so grounded in reality make a strong statement about the parenting she has received and the strong support provided by her medical team, teachers, friends, and family. You go girl, Emily!
Celia

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a beautiful story. Emily is beyond her years in maturity, stength, courage, and ability to forgive others. You both are amazing parents who have given her the tools to deal with these situations. I am so very proud of her.
Love,
Lori

Emma said...

What a great girl you have there! Happy Belated Mother's Day to Tracy.

Lauren said...

Hey there you guys! Aloha! It's Lauren. I just read the latest blog entry. All I have to say re: how Emily handled what happened is, "You go, girl!" I was smiling when I read how she handled it.

I was pretty much the same way when I was her age. I got teased a lot for being visually impaired and the abuse my mother put me through. Sometimes it would hurt me, but mostly, I did what Emily displayed here and tried to teach people rather than let their remarks hurt me.

I still try to inspire everyone God brings into my life on a daily basis. I have no doubt Emily does the exact same thing every day as well.
Tell her hi from me and I hope she has a good week!
Aloha for now
Lauren

Anonymous said...

Emily inspires me to be a better person with every new turn. Thanks again for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Emily is a unique and amazing young lady. Children can so unknowingly be cruel at times and it is a testament to the strength Emily has gained from this experience that allows her to triumph in situations like this. Wow! Chris & Tracey....just think what an amazing woman she will become....I am so proud to know you all....

Cathy Breit

Anonymous said...

Dear Chris & Tracy -
It never ceases to amaze me how upfront and forthright Emily has been in answering questions about the disease. Ever since the beginning, she has been able to describe everything about it and what is happening to her. Having her tremendous vocabulary and intelligence has really helped her to say what is needed when people ask questions about cancer, hair loss, and now short hair. We continue to be so proud of her and of you both.
Love, Grannie

Linda Curry said...

Amazing girl - great story! We can all learn from Emily.

Anonymous said...

Awesome story...Emily - you inspired me again.

-Angie