This month is a little different for us here at Wanderlust and Mayhem.  After the amazing response to the blog post I wrote on Steve’s hometown of Bellville, he came to me with the idea to take a month off from supporting an adoptive family and support a family from Bellville.  He didn’t have to talk me into it.

If you are from Bellville, there is 0% chance you don’t know this story, but we thought it would be a great chance to spread the word.  We want to share this story not only because Grant is showing true grit in a long battle with an ugly disease…we want to share that his battle has brought out the best in his community.  This is a story from which we can all learn.  What follows is their story in their words.  Please read until the end; the Reeds have a challenge for you at the end of this bio.  We echo that challenge.

In their words:

Hope and faith – this is where Grant’s story begins and what keeps it going. Just recently our family had to once again plunge into the world of surgery, medical treatments, and figuring out how to deal with the words “The cancer has returned.” You see, this is the third time Grant has been diagnosed with a form of brain cancer called Medulloblastoma. His fight with cancer actually started 6 years ago when he was just 12 years old. When Grant found out he had cancer he was obviously frightened, not wanting to talk about it, but that was not an option. One of Grant’s physicians suggested naming the “cancer” so that discussions could be held without saying the word. Truly, this was the first time we saw Grant show hope and strength as he decided to name the cancer “Michigan” because Ohio State never backs down when playing Michigan and that is what he planned to do against cancer – beat it! The first brain surgery was rough and after the surgery Grant developed a condition called Posterior Fossa Syndrome. This condition put Grant in a debilitated state where he could not talk, walk, eat, or care for himself. But once again he exhibited amazing hope and strength working hard through rehab and just 6 weeks later he was talking, eating and walking out of the hospital.

Unfortunately this is not where the story ends, it is just the beginning. After successfully tackling “Michigan” the first time life returned to normal; but this was only temporary. About 18 months after finishing cancer treatments the first time, we found out the cancer had returned. This meant another challenge, another fight, but Grant was up to it. He endured grueling treatments requiring him to essentially live in the hospital. We even relocated our family to Houston, Texas over the summer for Grant to get a treatment not available in Ohio. Hope and faith not only pulled Grant and our family through that situation, it truly strengthened us.

That brings us to today – three years later and we are dealing with this wretched disease again. At this point we do not know what the future holds. Treatment options are limited, there is no defined path to success but that will not stop Grant’s fight against “Michigan”. Grant is now a senior in high school who has everything to live for. Despite all of the medical issues he has faced Grant has excelled through hope and faith. He is a member of National Honor Society, represents student organizations on Student Council, attended Buckeye Boys State this past summer, and has been a manager for the Varsity football team throughout high school. He has friends, goes to school dances, and takes part in community events. Grant has no intention to stop. So we may not know what the future holds for Grant and our family, but we know that with hope and faith it will be the “right” path for us.

The Bows!

The bows available this month are colored scarlet and grey or green, black and white. Scarlet and grey to represent Grant’s fight against “Michigan”. The Ohio State family has been so good to Grant whether it was inviting him to a football game or donating money for cancer research at the university medical center.

The green, black, and white bows represent the Clear Fork Valley. Our small community and school district have been a source of strength for Grant from the beginning. People have supported Grant and our family through fundraisers, cards offering words of encouragement, and most importantly prayer.

Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Our family has hope – hope that Grant will be cured, hope that there will be a cure for all cancer someday, and hope that good will come from our stressful situation. There are many families out there fighting pediatric cancer today and our hope is that each of them has the support that our family has experienced. So we challenge each person that reads this to go do something good to help those in need around you – whether it is purchasing a bow, sending a card, supplying a meal to families living at the pediatric hospital while their children get care, or praying – just do something and give hope!

Kathleen again: Who is ready do some good?  Here is what I need from you:  Of course you’re going to go buy a bow (or a lot of bows).  Even if you don’t have a baby to give them to, you can give them as gifts (there are some halloween ones in there), clip them to your shirt/bag, just go crazy!   Other things that would really help is sharing this blog post, talking about our shop, liking/following us on social media…and just helping us keep this little thing we have started growing.  Like our tagline says, we are a “little shop with a big heart”.  Remember, 100% of profits go to those who need it – Help this little shop do big things for people who need it.

Take Me To The Shop!

-final note: This is the first month we are relying on our own website to sell the bows.  If you run into issues, the bows will be loaded on our etsy site by the 2nd of October.  Please let us know what issue you had by writing us at : wanderlustandmayhem@gmail.com, and complete your purchase on the Etsy site. We need your help to work out any kinks!  click here if the store doesn’t work