Our 6 year old son, Tyler, has always been full of boundless energy.  His joy of life is contagious, and it’s hard to spend any time with him without smiling.  Unfortunately, in March 2007 his spirit was tested when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  We had taken him to the doctor for flu-like symptoms, but despite the doctor’s assurances that he just had a bad cold, he wasn’t getting better.  Then one night Tyler turned to us with alarm in his eyes, and we realized he was having trouble breathing.  We rushed him to the emergency room, where x-rays showed a mass in his chest.  Over the next few days we learned that Tyler had a tumor wrapped around his heart and pressing on his airway.  Our sweet little boy was fighting for his life. The next few weeks brought a lot of tears and heartache, as Tyler was in the hospital, hooked up to countless IVs.  He was unable to talk because he needed a breathing tube to protect his airway.  But he quickly learned how to communicate with us by squeezing our hands – once for  “Yes” and twice for “No.”  One of my strongest memories from that time was when Tyler came back from his lymphectomy. He was just out of surgery, couldn’t move, and had an uncomfortable tube down his throat.  But when I asked him if he was in pain, he squeezed my hand twice –  no.  Even at that moment, he refused to feel sorry for himself. Tyler has a huge source of support from his dad, Derek, who had the same form of cancer when he was a child.  Derek has been able to share his experiences with Tyler each step of the way.  However, thanks to amazing advances in treatment over the last 20 years (particularly with anti-nausea medicine and more targetted medicine dosages) Tyler does not feel nearly as sick as Derek did when he went through treatment.  For that, we are forever grateful to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, for funding vital research in cancer treatment. We have had some ups and downs over the least couple of years with Tyler’s treatment.  Unfortunately, after being in remission for over a year, in September 2008 Tyler relapsed, with cancer cells in his brain and spinal cord.  He has been able to get back in remission with a high dose of chemo, but his dad and I are disappointed that he has to start over with his treatment.  But, as always Tyler, has refused to feel sorry for himself.  And although he has had to learn more than any child should (how many 6 year olds can discuss the differences between prednisone and dexamethasone), he has taught us to be thankful for all of the good things, and have perspective on the negative.  When Tyler was first diagnosed, one of the things that upset him the most was that he couldn’t eat his favorite food, sushi, during his treatment.  But after thinking about it for a while, he said, “I’d rather not be able to eat sushi for a little while than have cancer for the rest of my life.”  With that attitude, we know Tyler has the strength to kick this disease and continue to bring smiles to everyone around him.