Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is nearly here. Time surely flies.

Early pilgrims from England barely survived their inaugural Fall-Winter in the new land. With some diplomacy and bartering, they managed to influence local native Americans to co-exist with them instead of annihilating those 53 pilgrims during September-November, 1621 (after 102 voyagers perished during and soon after the journey on the Mayflower).

One of the younger leaders of the tribe even spoke fluent English which allowed for open communication that instilled trust among the parties. Those fortuitous breaks allowed those early settlers an opportunity to work the harvest and promote security for the village. The rest is history.

We need some good breaks with Duchenne. My grandson Hayes has it. There is no cure, yet. Has 2019 been a bummer of a year for us and other Duchenne families? You bet. Nonetheless, do we have blessings for which to give thanks during the upcoming days of family gatherings? Most certainly. 

America remains strong and free, despite herself. My job is professionally satisfying and I truly appreciate my work colleagues. Cousins Hayes and Olivia have bonded. Hayes keeps getting smarter at a rapid rate, and he enjoys most all aspects of being a normal 4-5 year old. Our family remains very much together, actually stronger, since the April 25th diagnosis that changed our lives forever. God loves us.

And, quickly advancing gene transfer technologies with recent promising results flicker a light of hope for a cure or mitigation of Duchenne when no such realistic hope existed during Thanksgiving’s past.

Thank you,

Papa in Tennessee