"Daddy, Here's Your Bracelet"

Tim at work was wearing the noted Lance Armstrong yellow bracelet. It was a fundraiser for Armstrong cancer foundation-Livestrong. I told Tim I'd take three, one for me and two for my kids. Hailey was excited to get the bracelet.

However, she didn't know anything about Lance Armstrong or cancer but the bracelet was yellow and looked cool. I took it home but her wrist was too small and it slid right off her hand. The next day at work I asked Tim if he by chance had a youth-sized bracelet. Sure enough he had one. Hailey was excited. She wore it every day for the next two weeks.

I was standing in the backyard, less than an hour after hearing the news that Hailey had a malignant brain tumor. Franticly pacing across the yard as I attempted to call family and close friends to tell them the horrible news. Pam was inside packing Hailey's suitcase for the hospital. Hailey was bothered that she would not be able to finish watching Lizzy McGuire. Suddenly the arcadia door opened and Hailey walked outside. She walked up to me slowly, then stopped in front of me, looked up at me and reached out and handed me my Lance Armstrong "Livestrong" bracelet. Her only words were, "Here you go Daddy" as she handed me the bracelet. Her face was somber yet confident. At this point Hailey did not know she had cancer and she will never know how prophetic these innocent words were to me. In fact her body language and eyes really said, "Daddy take this bracelet and remember to be strong-we are in for a long journey."