Nearly every week Ginger and I are contacted by a new childhood cancer family. Sometimes a friend introduces us, other times they land on this blog or Harrison’s Facebook page, and sometimes they’ve seen something on twitter. But every time I think the same thing, “Another family facing weeks and months of fear, hurt, and sorrow.” Each time I am … Read More

On Harrison’s very first visit to the pediatric oncology clinic at UNC he chose to sit in chair number nine. I don’t recall why he picked that particular seat. Perhaps it was the only one available. Maybe it had a good view of the nurses station (he just ADORES the nurses). Harrison speculated last week that it was because he … Read More

Yesterday Harrison, Lachlan, and Blakely started another school year. They join tens of thousands of kids embarking on another year of learning, playing, etc. On the surface, there is nothing exceptionally special about the first day of school, other than moms snapping shots of kids and posting them to Facebook. But for Harrison, and the tens of thousands of other kids … Read More

Last Saturday Harrison, Ginger, and I spent about two hours practicing soccer. Harrison tried soccer once, when he was four. Lachlan played once at five or six. Blakely never played.    So why soccer? Because Harrison refuses to let cancer win. Let me explain. At his last hospital visit Harrison got some really bad news: no football. He was devastated. He had … Read More

Harrison pretends he is ready for school to be over, but the truth is he LOVES school. Not the school work, mind you, but the teachers and friends he has there. Lachlan and Blakely were always happy to play alone as younger children. Not Harrison. He has to be with people. Preferably, his friends. I wonder sometimes if his connection … Read More

Yesterday my wife celebrated her eighteenth Mother’s Day as a mom. And her third as the mom of a kid with cancer. Which means her say was a mix of extreme joy and sadness. Ginger loves being a mom. There is nothing she would rather do than bless her children. My kids mean the world to me, but they mean … Read More

Harrison and two of his good friends are playing wiffle ball in the front yard while I write in the den. And I am happy to be distracted by their playing, because the distractions are the sounds of life. Laughter is often missing in the world of childhood cancer. The cancer journey can be a lonely one. Thankful that Harrison … Read More

As a follow up to my recent post about the opposing player who compared Harrison’s status in his league to Derek Jeter’s in the major leagues, I wanted to share this reminder: This statement, by one if baseball’s greatest legends, characterizes Harrison’s approach to life. This attitude has, I believe, helped him immeasurably in his fight against cancer. Every day … Read More

Baseball season has begun, which has me again thinking about where was and where he now is. Before cancer, another player was watching Harrison play shortstop and remarked, “What Derek Jeter is to the Yankees, Harrison McKinion is to his team.”  It was a tremendous compliment for a nine year old kid. But cancer has put Harrison in another role … Read More

I spent the night conflicted, as I often do parenting a child with cancer. Harrison learned yesterday that he earned a spot on his middle school baseball team. This was his dream since his brother made the team six years ago. Words cannot express the elation he felt having achieved this dream. In some many ways, baseball has been a … Read More