Today is Shane’s 6th birthday. 
He would be SIX. I can’t really wrap my head around this.

We are often asked how we celebrate such a sad milestone. 
Honestly, each year is different. We have a simple tradition of having a cake based on a theme he liked or what we think he would enjoy. This too is getting harder. I am always thankful to have this consistency for now.

Shane was born on 07.11.13. He was perfect for us. Chase was born in ’07, Ella in ’11 and Shane in ’13. Together that marks Shane’s birthday.

Grief changes year to year. This year it’s been more physical. My body has been reacting in a allergic response to grief, i.e. asthmatic symptoms or allergic reactions. Like I don’t have enough to juggle at those times đź¤”
But, that’s the truth. 

Each passing year will be a struggle. The distance grows and we cling to 19 months of memories we had with Shane. BUT, those memories were everything…the good, the bad and the beautiful. We were so lucky to have him share his life with us.

Ella shared her thoughts on today. When it’s raining, Shane is swimming. When it’s thundering, Shane is bowling. When it’s lightning, Shane is the star in his own rock band. 

The kids look forward to his birthday. They honor him, speak of him and now are teaching Will about him. Today at dinner, we said “Cheers!” to Shane and to our family and the happiness he brought us and continues to bring us. 
I said to Will, Shane brought you to us. Will raised his arm and said “yes,” as he looked up.

I can’t ask for a better ending to this day.

We want to thank everyone that came out to the event yesterday. To those that couldn’t make it out and sent in donations, thank you! It was a huge success. We raised close to $20k this year. Weather was perfect. Turnout was terrific. It was wonderful seeing old and new friends. So much thought goes into the event, and we hope everyone enjoyed themselves. We kicked off the event with Fishtown vs Lighthouse in a friendly soccer match. We want to thank both teams for participating. It was so important for us to get the game in. Other than playing with his siblings, soccer was Shane’s everything. Special thanks go out to our speaker Dr Kamala Maddali. Her talk was truly inspiring. Now we rest, and start thinking about the 6th annual COL.

A huge “Thank You” to Pat Morris and St. Joseph’s University soccer program for donating a basket to our 5th annual Celebration of Life, which includes a certificate for a day/night camp fee and SJU swag!

Thanks to 5 Wits for supporting us! #youradventureawaits
#beyourownactionhero #youradventureawaits #adventure#escaperoom#escapegames

We have an amazing “Night Out in Philly” basket that contains a $100 gift certificate to La Famiglia Ristorante and tickets to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Thank you to both La Famiglia and Philadelphia Museum of Art for your donation to our 5th annual Celebration of Life!

Our 5th annual Celebration of Life is THIS Saturday!
If you haven’t registered, please do so before 6/14 to be entered to win a Yeti raffle prize:
See comments for the link 

This event is not possible without the love and support from our family, friends and our community.

This event is like planning a birthday party for our little guy who didn’t get the chance to see his 2nd birthday.

It’s not just this “thing” we do every year. 
It’s much bigger than that.

We are making a difference is the childhood cancer research world. We are bringing moments of reprieve to families affected by childhood cancer.

Wouldn’t you want to be apart of that too?

For our 5th annual Celebration of Life, Longwood Gardens has graciously donated two admission tickets!

Thank you so much!

#shanesfuturedays #helpshanefightcancer #celebrationoflife #sfdcol

Thank you for the free tasting cards for our 5th annual Celebration of Life event!

We are super grateful for the support and generous donations from Wicked Cool Toys!

We will have multiple baskets this year at our 5th annual Celebration of Life. 

They are the makers of brands like Pokemon, Blinger, Cabbage Patch Kids, Lunch Pets and more! 
Check them out!*
*Link in comments. 

If you look at some of their products, you can even see some familiar faces!

Another amazing donation for our 5th annual Celebration of Life is from Vetri Cucina

They have graciously donated a Lunch Tasting for Two! 

Both the food and atmosphere is wonderful. This is truly a spectacular experience!

Thank you!