Jesmyluk

I was born in rural Michigan. My mother had been raised Catholic & when she married my biological father she converted to Methodism.  So I was baptized into the Methodist church as a baby.  Obviously, I have no memory of this.  About 3 years later, my biological father left my mother for another woman.  He fought for 2 years to get custody of my 2 older siblings & myself.  It was decided there would be a 6-month split.  He would get us for 6 months, leaving my mother with one weekend a month to spend with us, & then it would be reversed.  She would get us for 6 months, leaving him with one weekend a month.  He went first but before that first 6-month split was completed all 3 of us had been kicked back to mom, he wanted nothing to do with us.  I never saw him or heard from him again.  Nice guy, right? Leaving my mom to raise 3 kids on her own in rural Michigan.  I don't know what his demons were & frankly I don't car...

Before I get into this remember I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I am a registered Independent bleeding heart liberal.  Every time a conservative says something akin to the phrase "progress for the sake of progress is a bad thing" or "things were better the way they were before Roe v Wade," I think of the scene towards the beginning of Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, (yeah, I'm a geek, deal with it) where Umbridge is introducing herself to the students & staff &, although very thinly veiled, lets everyone know that the Minister of Magic, (: ie the government) are monitoring & soon will take over at Hogwarts.  For the benefit of the students of course.  That's who they really care about.  Never mind that Umbridge actually hates kids.  Mostly because she can't control them.  At least not without torturing them first.  At this time in history, GOP members ARE the Umbridges in the US.  With Mitch McConnell channeling ...

We made it through the first year.  I say that as if at the end of the first year all the pain & heartbreak magically ends.  It doesn't. Grief isn't that simple nor is it linear. You will go through the grieving process many times.  Every time I see his picture on the wall in our home I stop & talk to him. "Hi baby, I miss you so much, I love you." Shower crying still happens.  I still beg God for it to all be a bad dream, that I'll wake up & he'll still be here.  I still want him back in my arms. Alas, those wishes never come to fruition.  And the pain starts all over again.  The truth is that no matter how much time passes I will always miss him & want him back.  My heart has a giant hole right in the middle where Liam is supposed to be, he took it with him when he passed.   It amazes my everyday that it has already been a year when it feels like he left us just yesterday. Just yesterday I held him in my arms & snug...

Liam's final message,  I Love You *Warning*  The following is not for those who cannot handle grief &/or raw emotions & does contain a few swear words.  February 2, 2021 This year just gets harder & harder.  For the first time in 5+ years, Liam & I are once again in the hospital.  After the New Year, Liam started having a harder time breathing & he was choking more easily when he swallowed.  We talked with his pulmonologist who was worried about infection so he prescribed a 6-day Z-pack.  He also asked us to up the breathing treatments to every 4 hours to help clear secretions & to keep him informed on Liam's progress.  He seemed to get better, had fewer secretions but he was still choking easily when drinking & eating.  We started virtual speech therapy, tried thickeners, & other tools to help him choke less but nothing seemed to work consistently. Both myself & the physical therapist noticed he was starti...

Our beautiful boy, Liam was taken off the vent at 7:30pm last night, (the 25th of February), he passed away this morning (the 26th of February) at 10:40am. He is free of AT & reuniting w family in heaven today. There are no words that can truly express how we all feel this morning. Grateful to have had such an amazing soul as an integral part of this family for the last 19 years. Grateful for the outpouring of love we've felt from all of you. Grateful for the memories we each hold of Liam. And devastated by the loss of our sweet baby Liam. There is a piece of our hearts that is no longer with us & we feel its loss keenly. Walk, run, fly free our Liam. We love you so much, thank you for choosing our family as your forever family. We learned so much from you. Your smile, laugh, wit, heart, & hugs are greatly missed sweet boy. We love you now & forever. ❤️ Mom & Dad. PS. In honor of Rare Disease Day this Sunday the 28th of February please consider donating to the A...