I love this time of year, it is so peaceful and a warm time for reflection on the past year with a hint of excitement for the future one so near. Autumn had a good weekend with family and friends; her endless energy and courageous attitude never cease to astonish me. The girls and I are heading to SB in the morning for our very last LONG day at the hospital. I will treasure the drive, the stay and the hotel room we will have because it is almost impossible to return on the same day without feeling really sleepy. I have no idea if Autumn really understands that there may very well be an “end” to this new life she has been leading. We met a three-year-old boy at Sierra last week who had just discovered he had Type 1 diabetes. He wanted to visit Autumn while she was having her blood drawn and her mom seemed willing to allow her son to really understand what another kid may be going through. He seemed somewhat interested during our first visit, but he became increasingly more fascinated as time wore on. He and Autumn hit it off and were buddies the rest of the day. I remember Autumn asking this little boy when he was going to be “done” and his mommy said, “well, this is something that he will have forever, he will have to take shots in his tummy the rest of his life.” Autumn said to her, “really?, his whole life?”. Cancer is no fun, but the good news in that at some point in the survivor’s life, there is an end. My father was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, but he never took care of himself and he passed away homeless in his car in Las Vegas when he was only 49. I spent the rest of the day thinking of that little boy, and Autumn, and medical research, and one’s state of mind and how all of these things can profoundly affect the outcome of our quality of life. We can hardly control anything in our human forms, but that little boy’s mom had a great attitude as do most of the parents I have met throughout this incredible journey, which is about the only thing we can control.