May 30th — Just a normal boy

Yesterday was something we are going to carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Eli was able to attend a cancer awareness fundraiser and raffle held at Braxton Brewery. Our family and friends came out for him, and getting to be surrounded by the people who love him most was exactly what all of us needed.

Eli had a blast. He got to see his family, play with his friends, and just be a kid. He was running around, laughing, soaking it all in. And for us, watching him experience that love and support in person, actually feeling it rather than just hearing us tell him it exists, was something truly special. We have been telling him all along how many people are in his corner. Yesterday he got to see it with his own eyes.

It was also one of the hardest days we have had emotionally.

There was a moment where we looked over at him and he had his hat on and his port line was covered up, and he just looked like any other little boy at a party. Running around, smiling, not a care in the world. And for just a second, it looked like nothing was wrong. Like none of this was happening. Like we were just a normal family at a normal event on a normal Saturday.

That is a hard thing to sit with. It is hard to look at your child in a moment like that and hold both things at once. The joy of watching him be himself and the weight of knowing everything that is behind it and everything that is still ahead. A lot of tears were shed yesterday, and not just by us. We saw it in the faces of the people who love him too.

But it was a wonderful day. Even through the tears, it was wonderful. Whether you were there yesterday or you have been following along from a distance, praying for him, sharing his story, or simply holding him in your heart, we felt all of it. We are so grateful for every single one of you.

He felt the love. We all did

🩶🦁🧠 #RoaringForEli