Christmas Card 2012

My heart is full as I sit and reflect on 2012. We have had hard years in the past, there is no doubt about it, but I have to say this one takes the cake! Hatcher did not have one surgery this year, but he has fought harder than I have ever seen him fight. With that being said, I don’t think there has been a year that we have seen so many tender mercies.

The Hatcher Wheatley Professional Bull Riding benefit was definitely a highlight! It was an emotional day and we were so happy Hatcher made it out of Primary Children’s so that he could be there to watch one of the things he loves most … bull riding! It was a humbling experience as so many gave to this special little boy and helped to lift a very heavy burden. Friends, family, community and even strangers packed the arena with hundreds of raffle and auction items, food, music, entertainment and cowboys! Although Hatcher looked weak (he had just spent 5 days doing experimental inhaled heparin treatments in ICU) he has never looked so happy playing in the dirt and hiding in his miniature clown barrel. It was the most humbling thing Randy and I have ever experienced as we watched many that had little give so much. Although there was an extraordinary amount of money raised, there was also an extraordinary amount of hope raised that day as well! We are forever grateful for those who sacrificed and worked so hard to put it together. It is something our family will never forget.

At the end of May we headed back to LPCH at Stanford to meet with transplant and touch base with our team there. Hatcher had continued to struggle with casts and was really suffering. I can’t tell you how many nights we sat up with him wondering if it would be his last little breath. But low and behold morning would come and his fight would continue. Doing so many experimental treatments has been nerve racking, and we were hoping for some ray of hope! After a very long and emotional day at Stanford, it was decided by us and the team that a heart transplant (in hopes of fixing the problem with his lungs) would not be the best option for him. They agreed that they would do it if we felt we wanted to go forward with it, but with so many unknowns of plastic bronchitis and his history, the outcome was very unknown and chances of survival scary. After we left the hospital I felt such sadness and pain, but I also have never felt so much peace. After our plane ride home we were driving back to the house when Hatcher very quietly from the back seat asked us if he was dying. That was the hardest question I have ever been asked. I explained to him that we all die, some when we are little and some when we are big, but that it was part of Heavenly Father’s plan. His response, “OK.” He is such a little boy with such a big soul. I thought, OK, I can live with that too, let’s hope for lots of days or years, but in the end it will all be OK. We knew we had done all we could do and now it was time to enjoy one another and let this little boy make some memories! The summer was rocky and it definitely took a toll on all of us, but by the end of summer we were feeling hopeful again with a new herbal approach and some really great days!

October was the most exciting month in our house as Hatcher’s wish was granted and we went as a family to Disney World to meet Woody! Higland High School raised all the money for Hatchers wish and we made friends with an amazing girl Timmie Bowie who has touched our hearts as she has battled her own fight with such grace. We stayed at Give Kids the World, a resort for wish families that was founded by Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor who came to America with $20 in his pocket and something very important, hope. It is like no other place in the world. Kids eating ice cream for breakfast, visits from Santa, birthday parties, presents, and to make this all happen; 1,500 volunteers a week. I was especially grateful for how special everyone made Jaxyn feel, she deserved it! She has been such a key person in our family through all of this. Spending time there sure fed our souls with a new energy. Standing in some shade with Hatcher at Universal Studios I was approached by another mother who had seen our Make a Wish buttons. She very lovingly looked at Hatcher and then at me and asked if she could ask what my little boys’ struggles were. I told her Hypo Plastic and before I could even finish she said, “I knew it, I lost my little boy to the same thing and when I looked at you I just knew, it was in your eyes, another mom just like me. I finally talked myself into having enough courage to come and talk to you.” She asked Hatcher if she could give him a hug. He shook his head yes, and gave her the longest sweetest hug, we were all chocked up. I was overwhelmed that two complete strangers would be brought together to share a very special moment. She introduced us to her family and then we parted ways in a sea of people. As I watched people that day I couldn’t help but think how we all have a story. Some of us may have a Make a Wish button on, but we all were buttons, some of triumphs and some of sorrows. What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ and the ray of hope he offers all of us, no matter what button we wear. We are filled with hopes of a wonderful 2013 and pray that each of you will be too! Thanks to all our wonderful friends and family who continue to be part of our journey, you make us smile and realize just how wonderful life is. Merry Christmas, we love you.

Love always,

Randy, Britt, Jaxyn and Hatcher Wheatley