Possibly the Best Place on Earth

I have St. Jude on my mind today; it's getting near the anniversary of that beautiful August day when the folks in the Neuroscience department at LeBonheur and E-clinic at St. Jude together gave Vivi the shot at survival that allowed many miracles for the Martin family.

Without them, we wouldn't have had Thanksgiving or Christmas with Vivienne. This moment, would never have been:


And this elfin smile, one I look at almost every day to remember what being happy actually felt like, would never have been:


I miss St. Jude - Memphis was Vivi's place, where she thrived, where she saw pandas and did lots of kicking and flirted with docs and nurses. In Memphis, Vivienne took her role as Queen Bee to the next level. In Memphis, we had a daughter to hold, and love and care for, and the help of the most supportive doctors and nurses, and other families dealing with their own tragedies.

I don't know if I want to move back to Memphis, but I would do anything for one more day with Vivi, even if it did start with a 7:00am C.S.T Assessment Triage appointment. Even if the Medicine Room is running hours late.

And to those in Memphis who still check in with us here at Viva la Vivi from time to time - y'all are my heroes. We will never forget what each of you has done for us. You gave us the most precious gift, of time with Vivienne, and we are eternally thankful for it.