Wasn't The Food Network calling offering me that cooking show (shame on them)
Wasn't the lottery commission calling to tell me I won the big one.
Wasn't Weight Watchers calling to tell me their scales are off by 20 pounds and I'm actually underweight and don't come back.
Wasn't the college boards calling to tell me my brilliant children should not have to spend a cent on higher education and they should choose any college of their choice and just go - all expenses paid.
No, as lovely as any of those calls would have been, the best phone call came from our 10 year old nephew in Michigan.
Shane was calling from the 5th. floor of Beaumont Hospital where he was getting his second round of chemotherapy.
Shane has cancer.
Shane told me that he was trying to think of ways to help other kids with cancer. What?? Help other kids... but you have cancer.
Yeah, yeah.. whatever. The purpose of the call was to ask me to help him help other kids with cancer who have to be on a neutropenic diet.
Sometimes, if their blood counts get too low, doctors advise a neutropenic diet to ward off any exposure to bacteria. In a nutshell, fresh fruits and vegetables have to be avoided, as well as any fast food, food from a deli, food that is dispensed (think ice cream, soda, etc).
If you really start thinking about it, even that syrup dispenser at your local waffle house could be deadly for these kids.... no fresh herbs, no yogurt, no soup at a restaurant, no ice tea with lemon... really, think about it - it gets huge!
Shane's idea is for me to teach him how to cook healthy, easy, TASTY (he stressed tasty) meals following the restrictions set forth by the diet. We also have to take into consideration queasy stomachs and sore mouths.
Once we have all of our TASTY, easy, healthy meals we will put all the recipes into a cookbook for kids. I'm not sure what his distribution plans are, but who am I to question his idea?
Cool huh?
We are leaving next week for Michigan where Shane and I will begin our "test-kitchen" cooking. I hope I can do it without adding too much salt to the recipes from my tears.
Once again, I got schooled by a 5th. grader.
This is Shane last year on a camping trip to Acadia, Maine. We had a blast!
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Well, we all know you deserve the cooking show!
ReplyDeleteHow sweet is that still thinking of others. He is a dear boy! Good luck with that. I know it will be a bit of a challenge but if anyone can do it--it would be you! It is really a challenge to struggle through the chemo and then not be able to have that craving...if you are lucky enough to crave anything.
LOVE TO HIM! KEEP ON FIGHTING SHANE!
LOL - I always watch the next foodnetwork star and think, Man, I could do better than that... easy to be an armchair quarterback [cook]
ReplyDeleteShane is really a sweet guy. His story is at www.teamskelcy.wordpress.com
We also watch the Next Foodnetwork star. It is family viewing at our house. Last year Megan cried when her girl got voted out-the blonde bubbly Kelsey. I was very happy with how it turned out.
ReplyDeleteI was looking and found a great websight about the diet you are working on. I am sure you have seen it but thought I would give you the link anyhow.
http://www.nhlcyberfamily.org/treatments/neutropenic.htm
Good luck! You are and awesome Aunt!
Tamis,
ReplyDeleteYou have such a heart! Thank you for the website. I am constantly amazed at the outpouring of love, care and concern from people who you would think are but strangers. I am beginning to understand there are no strangers, just angels you haven't met yet.
Thank you.
Shane is so sweet! I'm telling you, I'm sure I've said it before, we can really learn from sick kids...I hope his second round isn't too horrible on him, poor little guy. You are wonderful Linda, I love that you're doing a test kitchen with him!!! Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments (blush) but I really do feel that Shane is the hero / sweetheart here... I can't imagine that if I was in his position I would think of anyone but me.. He is my hero.
ReplyDelete