Memorial Day 2025

Today is our first Memorial Day since Michael’s leukemia diagnosis. As I write this, it is an absolutely gorgeous 65 degrees and sunny outside. It’s been a low-key day that started off with Michael making breakfast for the family. Since his diagnosis, (and especially when he was on the steroid) he’s shown a growing interest in food and how it is prepared. Today he made pancakes and bacon while I supervised. Cooking wasn’t something that I really showed interest in as a child but have come to enjoy as an adult. It’s exciting to see a couple of my children taking an interest in it. Sarah and I had a conversation this morning and decided that before our kids leave the house, each of them needs to have basic understanding and ability to cook at least a few things.

After we cleaned up from breakfast, Sarah and I with the “help” of our girls did some spring cleaning in our home office, before I headed outside to take care of some yard work that’s been on hold for several weeks. Following the yard work, it was time to get the ribs for tonight’s dinner prepped and on the smoker.

The last two weeks have been relatively uneventful for us. We’ve been down in Ann Arbor each of the last two Mondays like normal. If my memory serves me correctly, Sarah also took Michael to Ann Arbor for a checkup two Thursdays ago. Thankfully, we do not have to go down today or this week. At our most recent visit, Michael had a transfusion and an MRI of his abdomen. I’m assuming that we will go over the MRI results when we meet with the GI team in a few weeks.

I was reflecting this morning on how medical procedures like transfusions, spinal taps, CT scans, MRIs, EKGs, echocardiograms, and ultrasounds have become commonplace for Michael. To my knowledge, I have never had a transfusion or a spinal tap. I’ve lost track of how many transfusions and spinal taps Michael has had. If I had to guess, I would say he’s had somewhere from six to ten of each. I was in my thirties before I had my first EKG. Michael has had several. I’ve never had an echo or an ultrasound. He has had a few of each. And he has me beat with the number of CT scans and MRI’s he’s had too. A large number of these procedures are related to his pancreatitis which I, very gratefully, have never had.

Michael continues to recover from his pancreatitis. His energy levels are up, and his pain has been nonexistent for a few weeks now. The only area where he has not fully recovered is his appetite. I would guess it’s about 60 to 70 percent of what it was prior to the pancreatitis. The GI team is monitoring his recovery, and we have the first of what will likely be at least a few appointments with them in mid-June.

Today, as I reflected on our battle to save Michael’s life, I was reminded of the tens of thousands (or more) of fathers and mothers over the years who lost a son or a daughter in the battle to defend our freedoms. I can only imagine the grief they have carried and continue to carry. On Memorial Day, it is right and appropriate (as it is every day of the year) to remember those who paid the ultimate price while fighting for our freedoms. We owe these heroes an insurmountable debt of gratitude. But we also owe the Gold Star families a debt of gratitude as well. They too have paid a heavy price for our freedoms. To the parents and grandparents who lost a child or a grandchild, the husbands or wives who lost a spouse, the brothers or sisters who lost a sibling, and to the children who lost a parent, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. May the sacrifice of your loved one never be forgotten, and may your sacrifice never be forgotten.