Everyone sets goals. When you are in school it is for good grades or making the team. When you become an adult it is for a new job or maybe even a new home. Once you become a parent you start setting goals for your child. When will he walk, talk, use a spoon, swim, read, and willhave ever sleep through the night.

Before Patrick's surgery he was already walking, talking, eating, with a spoon and, for the most part he was sleeping through the night. Overnight everything changed. When Patrick came out of surgery he couldn't talk, couldn't walk, and couldn't use his right hand. All goals had to be reset.

Well, now that treatment is over, Patrick can start setting goals all over again. Now there is a team of occupational and physical therapists helping him meet those goals. It's so wonderful to see him gain his independence. Right now I am sitting at Gigi and Buppa's house listening to Patrick on the baby monitor play with his "friends" (Micky, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Scout). He's such a happy boy.

PatPat's Hats is setting goals as well. I just counted the hats that we have, and we currently have just over 600 hats!!! We will be making our next formal donation in late August. We would like to donate 1000 hats on that day.

Our family will be donating at Yale New Haven-Smillow Cancer Center. We would like to reach out to other hospitals
For this donation as well. If you would like to be a PatPat's Hats elf and deliver hats to a local hospital, please send an email to auntbetsy at patpatshats.com . Let me know the name of the hospital, and I will find out their hat needs. We will send the hats to our elves, and you can personally make the delivery. If you have ideas about other organizations that could benefit from PatPat's Hats, please let us know.

With summer getting very close it is time for planting the gardens, cleaning up from the winter, and of course planning the summer trips and vacations. In our world right now there is another type of regrowth. HAIR!!!!

How important is hair in today's world?  We spend hundreds of dollars to color our hair, the drug store contains an entire aisle of hair products, and most people probably spend at least 20 minutes a day styling and preparing their hair.

When Patrick was diagnosed with cancer the first thing i thought of was "Oh My God, he's going to lose his hair!" As you all know, that is why I knit him a hat. Many of you first met Patrick as the cute little bald boy with the ipad,  and hey it really is adorable isn't it?

But from the time a child is born so many people think about what color their hair will be? Will they be blonde like mommy? Or maybe there is something from way in the past that will give you the red headed child. When a child is diagnosed with Cancer you realize, their hair is going to go away. They smile through it and put on a cute scarf or baseball cap (for Patrick is was his famous cool dude hat) and they go on about their day.

I don't write this post to make people sad about the little bald children, because they rarely feel sorry for themselves. I write this because I am happy to report that PATRICK'S HAIR IS STARTING TO COME IN!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is so amazing to see his hair starting to come back in. Another friend of ours whose daughter went through treatment for ALL along side Patrick recently posted pictures of her beautiful 6 year old whose hair is also coming back in. I sent her a message and told her that while bald kids are great, seeing them with hair is just so wonderful.

Mothers who have endured chemo alongside their children have an amazing way of putting things into words, and this mom is no different. her response to me:

I agree, Betsy! It's so neat to watch the "regrowth." For Patrick and Madeline it's just such a sign of health! And ironically, Madeline just asked me to go out and buy her some hair gel so she can start trying out new fun hair styles. :-)

So here's to regrowth. Regrowth of strength, health, and for this little guy HAIR!!!!


Aunt Betsy