Ironically on April Fool's day 2008, we were told our daughter, Lauren, who really hadn't shown any symptoms leading up to that emergency visit at CHOC, had a tumor in her head (I can still picture that doctor vividly. I still remember the feeling of the room spinning as I fell into this nightmare that I haven't been able to wake up from). And not only did she have a tumor, but it was in one of the worst spots that she could have it, in the middle of her brain, so they would not be able to operate. And not only could they not operate but it was large, giving her only 130 days to live.

"Take her home, make her comfortable", was the advice of one of the doctors. Well giving up was not an option. So began our journey. And now, here were are 730 days later. Two years since that awful day!

It hasn't been easy. Me and Hilary's marriage has been severely tested at times. We lost a daughter, Brooke, 5 days before she was born. We have seen other warriors from similar families in our situation that we had become close to, lose their battle. Mold in the house. Car accident. Home burglarized and ransacked. And even though Lauren has taken some bad lumps and has stumbled along the way, especially in the last couple of months, Lauren is still here, fighting forward (even if it's at a limp). Always battling. Always amazing me. Always making me proud.