Live Life Like Nothing’s Wrong
I got a call late Saturday evening to take part in something extraordinary, and now that it’s all done, I can reflect on it as being exactly nothing short of extraordinary.
I was given the privilege and the pleasure of accompanying a little girl, Loralai, and her mother Chantle, to Disneyland. They had traveled to the Happiest Place on Earth by the generosity of donors gathered together by my friend Francesca, who runs a number of charitable efforts for terminally ill children.
You see… Loralai has ETANTR, a form of cancer so rare that it doesn’t even show up on Wikipedia. I don’t know much about the disease, but the neuropils are abundant and the rosettes are authentic as hell. In case I need to repeat it, it’s terminal.
What’s miraculous is that Loralai is still going strong, but she’s be defying doctors’ expectations for over a year, due in no small part to the benefits of medical cannabis. While she’s heavily medicated and can have her cranky moments, she’s still every bit the little girl she is, precious and adorable.
I went into the day with the mindset to be of service to this family in any way and resolved that everything be “right” this day. That’s not to say we didn’t have our hiccups, but in creating the space that everything be perfect, regardless of the circumstances, I came away with a lesson for myself.
Living life like nothing is wrong is delicious.
That was Loralai’s gift to me and I will cherish it forever. I only hope that what I could provide for her and her mother could meet a fraction of her gift to me.
Follow Loralai’s journey here.
UPDATE: At 9:01 on 2 January 2015, Loralai transitioned on to her next life. Please send your prayers and best wishes to her mother and family as they grieve their loss.
Such a sad story. And yet I’m so glad that you got to spend the day with them and that Loralai and her mother were able to have that experience. It’s clear to see from the photos what a wonderful time she was having! Sometimes we just have to focus on the quality of a life, when the length is cut so unfairly short. And we can all learn a lot from that little girl.
My deepest sympathies to Chantle. I hope that eventually she’ll be able to take comfort from the happy memories like these; I feel sure there have been many more.
ian, what a tremendous opportunity. Your selfless act provided her with so many fun memories and an opportunity to let everything else go. It’s amazing how the reward is exponential. Going forward, one can’t help but think of her life, her struggles and her spirit. Putting everything in that kind of perspective is awesome and I think more people need to have those kind of experiences. It would make the world a happier place for all. Prayers to her family.
Ian, this post is fantastic. Thanks for the reminder of the gifts of time and relationships. Keep these posts coming. Love your logo too.
Hi Ian — such a touching blog post! loved it — prayers for their family. So glad you were able to make her Disney visit so special!
What a precious gift to receive. I firmly believe that we learn most when we are in the spirit of giving. I also believe that our greatest lessons come from the deepest tragedies
Sometimes Angels take the form of children with disease to teach us that this world can be a better place to live based on our attitude if we choose. This doesn’t seem logical and very much cruel but the creators ways are always mystery. When they have completed their mission of “message” they go back to heaven. So glad that you were able to entertain an angel. Blessings!
How awesome that you got to give and receive in the story of this precious girl!
Very inspiring post Ian. Amazing gifts can come in unexpected ways.