Jordache Jeans and Milli Vanilli

TWO 20 YEAR OLDS...YOU GOT IT WRONG AGAIN.

Writing is a great distraction. I wrote a headline earlier after writing a big article, that I lost, and took it as a sign not to post the article. I rewrote one regarding Rachelle's baby boy Tyler. I wrote WHAT A HEADLINE TO HAVE ABOUT YOUR CHILD, it was meant to include what a BEAUTIFUL headline to have about your child. So true, a true statement for a headline, but today I write quickly and with purpose. So I see if there's a sign in what I write. In this case it was the word beautiful that draws me closer.

The actual headline has 2 meanings. First the way it sounds. Simple meaning simple translation. The second is how someone who lost a child Sunday might, might, read it. WHAT A HEADLINE TO HAVE ABOUT YOUR CHILD? WTF? I say that because 3 days later or even a year later it's so surreal you sometimes say out load - WTF? When it happened to us I had to call a priest, Preacher David Vasquez, and my old friend Sister Kathleen. I even reached out for Mr. Vance Stasevich, who was once Father Stasevich. Why? Because I've grown up believing in God and all his workings but - WTF? We just about lost my daughter, Landen's sister, to leukemia for three+ years and it was ugly, if we didn't have enough - WTF?

I'm sorry, if this sounds horrible but this is my little peddly site and I can say WTF, WHY take Tyler? There's so many others you could take. His mama feeds the homeless, his grandma Ruby put up with all of us, and his uncles are good men - who could have went a different direction early on - but didn't. They're good good good people. You could have left them alone.

Take a bad kid. Or take a bad kid with a bad mother or father. Hell, reach in the the third curtain and take the bad kid, bad mom, bad dad, and bad grandma, with bad uncles - not Tyler? WTF? Take the whole bad clan if need be, leave Tyler out. You got it wrong, again.

I can't understand it and neither will Rachelle, or you, if it happens to you - God forbid. The only thing I can say is, Thank you God for not making Tyler suffer for years or a prolonged unfair battle. Thank you. Sure you'd want quanity but not if the quality of life goes down. I'll have someone or another send me a thing because I say loudly - you got it wrong again God. God I'm sure you have your plans and your ways but - WTF?

I along with my child's mother had to make a choice on how long to keep Landen on life support. There wasn't much discussion, my kid loved life and the journeys it put him on. So there weren't many other alternative solutions, he was brain dead. I was alone with him begging for Jesus, God, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Mary, John the Baptist, or Joseph who got no big bible time and played second fiddle to Mary and John his brother - please snap my baby out of this. No. I gave my child his last rights, not knowing if I was doing it right, but did it all the same. His mother and family are Jehovah Witnesses but I did what I was taught what I thought was right.

I mean really, my kid was just 1 of 42 skateboarding deaths in USA in 2012. WTF? You had to take my boy when there were 350 million other selections? He was a good kid, it was like 350 million people lined up on a wall and you just happen to pick 42, one of them being my kid, come on. That's just WTF bad? I think more people get killed by Vampire's wearing Jordache Jeans while driving motorcycles drunk listening to Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know It's True. What are the odds on that? My luck or should I say - unluck.

Mr. Stasevich said it simply and said it best to me. "Michael I'm at peace that Mathew doesn't have to make any hard or small decisions ever again. - "Do I speed to get home? Am I going to cheat on my wife? Will I lie on my taxes this year?" Such a little compartment to put such a life changing subject in but he was so right. He did what was right for his head, advice I'll never forget. Thank you Coach Stasevich, you taught me when I was young and again as an adult.

Please, if you feel the need to send any God's gonna get you stuff - save it! (We'll explain Jordache Jeans and Milli Vanilli later kids).

Company Along the Way...

Our dinner with Bailee was great. They had a full house and the dinner was fabulous. We had an Italian spread and we had great conversation. The guest speaker was an inspiration.

I am so proud of Bailee and her strength. She always has a smile and is always up for a conversation. I look at her and admire her candid talks. When the doctor told her and the family of her diagnosis, her dad said she looked at the doctor and said "what are my odds?" Incredibly brave and wise. I like her. No, I love her.

That sounds strange to write but I can't tell you how important she is to our family. Kaylee and her were diagnosed about the same time. Kaylee has her to talk to. We visit each others room's when we are in the hospital. The girls talk medicine and procedures. They are the one's doing this thing and what better to have someone walk with you who's going through the same thing.

We have a lot in common with her parents. Ed woods attended the same high school as me and Tammie. Shawnee Mission North. Jill, Bailee's mom, is incredible. She is taking care of business with Bailee and she's always by her side. This disease is an inconvenience for us all.

I had a chance to sit and eat dinner with Bailee's Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt. We talked and it was nice. We are so connected that it sucks. We have little one's that we love fighting an ugly thing called cancer. Well, we will get through this and we will have life long friends. It is a path we didn't choose but we'll walk it. We just happened to find company along the way.

What Would You Do?

Click on the arrow to play, and listen to my message, it means the world to me. I have Voice Over Actors who would normally get our message across, but I had to do this one. Please forward a link to anyone you know who might donate blood. I guaranteed atleast 70 donors, I don't think that is too hard, but I need help. Go to http://www.esavealifenow.org/ and use sponsor code:gailsharley I appreciate any and all help. Thank you - MQ

Our Blood Drive, Your Participation...

Please click on the picture for a large view. I am asking anyone and everyone reading this to please help me fill the reservation times for our blood drive. You can log in at http://www.esavealifenow.org/ sponsor code is: gailsharley

This event and cause is very important to my family and the Woods family. Our daughters depend on blood to stay healthy. It is an important part of their recovery. It's an important ingredient of their life.

So I ask for your help today, and hope you will donate blood on October 27, 2007. I can't stress to you how important blood is to us. Its important to all of us, but especially important to these young girls battling blood cancer. Our transfusions, our platelets, and our counts are daily talks.

I took my health for granted, my families health for granted. I dodged a couple of blood drives in my day because of needles and fear. I ask you to put those fears away and help my child. We need blood weekly and so do countless others. So if you have some to spare, please give us consideration on October 27, 2007.

Put It On Your Calendar...

We are going to have a get together on Friday, October 12, 2007 at Raoul's Velvet Room . The night will consist of drinks, conversation, and the best band in Kansas City - theZeros - led by former Shawnee Mission North Alumni Brad Gaddy. The get together will also be for a good cause, my daughter. The owner of Raoul's Velvet Room - Shawn McClenny - wants to donate the door cover charge to the Kaylee Quijas Fund. So please mark the date and attend if you can. I am aware that it is Reunion Weekend, and events are planned, so if you head to football game that night, Raoul's is about three miles from the S.M. South Stadium.

I thank Brad Gaddy, Shawn McClenny (owner of Raoul's and Fuel), and all of our friends that will attend. Thank you to everyone reading, to all of my friends, my old classmates, and everyone who has taken the time to send an email, to mail a card, or place a nice phone call!

I promise everyone reading, if anyone ever needs my help, today or tomorrow, please know I will be there, do not hesitate to contact me.

Fat Cheeks...

Time is amazing. Its been twenty years since I graduated high school. Sure doesn't feel like twenty years. But whats more amazing is the time I wasted worrying about how I looked in pictures I submitted for the reunion website. Who cares!

So I opened the site tonight and clicked on a name. It was a profile of someone that I didn't know well. I waited for the page to load and when it did something caught my eye. Not only did he have his senior class picture but he had a recent photo next to it. Bald and over weight.

He submitted a picture next to his old one? Hmmmm. I didn't do that. Everyone submits pictures of their family but no one posts updated photos of themselves. Why? Could it be that we look in the mirror and say damn I look different. Maybe everyone will remember me the way I was twenty years ago if I don't show them what I look like now. Maybe that's not the case for some of you but maybe it is for others. I have to say it crossed my mind.

How insignificant are all those thoughts? I have a daughter that lost 30 lbs., just lost her hair and I'm worried about my fat cheeks, triple chins, and gray hair! Worried about what people think of me? Terrible, not to mention petty and shallow.

Back to the classmate. He is balding and over weight yet he still proudly posted his picture. Confident and secure. The two words that I'd use to describe him. I'm impressed and I admire this guy from my graduating class. No, I envy him. I don't like that word but I'll use it tonight. This fellow Shawnee Mission North Alumni said here I am, take it or leave it.

I've really enjoyed looking at pictures of the spouses. I love seeing the different taste among my old classmates. I enjoy looking at photos of people I know with spouses I don't. Did that make sense? I'm curious about every ones story. Where, when and how did they find that person? We go to school with all these different people and everyone ends up with someone. It amazes me that we shared the same hallways yet somewhere along the journey we found people who wanted to share a life with us. Have kids, get a mortgage, and share a bank account. Wow!

It blows my mind to think that someone from my Science or English class was pursued, courted, and proposed to. Throw in the kids and you have a family. Maybe its all an illusion. Maybe I just want everyone to be happy and carefree because I'm sad one day, miserable the next, and happy on the third. Who knows and who cares? But I want you to know that I knew your loved one when they had the 80's hair, pastel jeans and Huarache Sandals.

So if you can walk into the reunion, and you have your health then who cares what you look like. Some of us have bigger things on our plate besides Pilate's and fruit smoothies. So lets have some fun and lets share some stories. By the way Rick Campbell, nice job!