Just a Quick Update!

Hey Team Orange! This post will be short and sweet. I have some pretty important and recent news to update you on. As some, but not all, of you may know, Mason will be going to Johns Hopkins in Maryland for anything that has to do with his bone marrow procedure. In fact, we all had to get our blood drawn and sent down there for them to attempt to find a match. Though we wanted to get everything done at CHOP for various reasons, we found out today that everything will definitely be taking place there. Mason may be being transferred down to Johns Hopkins, but it’s such an amazing hospital with great staff and flat screen TVs, which Mason is beyond excited for.

With that I will tell you the next bit of news. We were waiting results of the match test, as you all know. They called my mom earlier in the week to say that they had the types of the three of us done. Woo! Except something was missing. The blood they were supposed to match it to… No worries. They got it the next day, which was good. Today, Mason, who hadn’t been feeling so well, called me into his room right as I was leaving for work. When I walked in he told me that he had both good and bad news. I knew exactly what he was going to say, but since I was expecting a much more grand gesture in the revelation of this news, I didn’t think I was right. He told me that Parker and I weren’t the ideal matches that the doctors need for him. Morgan, however, is the perfect match, and none of us could ever be happier to hear it.

On Tuesday, May 1^st, we will bring Mason to CHOP for his third and hopefully, his final round of chemotherapy. The power of prayer is so strong, and I’ve never seen it work like this before. I know that not only do we have all of you on Team Orange, but we also have God on it too. We keep praying for things to work out as they have been. We are lucky in every sense of the word. We’re beyond lucky; we are blessed.

Thank you so much for everything, Team Orange. You guys really are the best, and though I do not feel like I can ever sufficiently thank all of you, I can keep you in my prayers the way you have done for my family and Mason. I pray that you are able to see that you, too, are as blessed as we are. All it takes is the eyes to see it and faith to believe it. I pray that you can have those eyes and that faith. I’m changing the song to a previous one I had up because it can truly open eyes and strengthen faith. It’s a very important song to me as I think it can be to all of you. I encourage you to listen and even look up the lyrics. The song teaches one of the best lessons I ever could have learned. Thank you so much again, and go Team Orange!! 

Once in a Lifetime

Hey everyone, it’s Mason. I haven’t posted in a while so I have a lot of stuff to say but I’ll keep it short, sweet, and to the point. So it’s safe to say that yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I finally got to meet my idol, Mr. Andrew McCutchen from the Pittsburgh Pirates. I also got to meet the two other Pirate starting outfielders, Travis Snider and Starling Marte. Now Starling is from the Dominican so he doesn’t speak much English, and I could tell. I also met the Pirates closing Pitcher, Jason Grilli. I mean he was a really awesome guy. The first thing he said to us when he walked over was “Yooo dudes, what’s up!?” He got the save in last night’s game so that made it extra special to meet him.

So now about Cutch. When I met him I gave him one of the “Prayers for Mason” wristbands. Guess who wore that wristband the whole night? That’s right, Cutch did. I can honestly say that that is one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime. I really hope he wears it in every game he plays in. When I met him, I was on the field to the left (facing the dugout) of the Pirates dugout. I was Andrew walk up the steps to the left of me and my heart sort of just stopped. I couldn’t believe it. He has been my role model my whole life and yesterday was the day I got to meet him!? Wow. It was just too amazing. Really no words can describe what I felt when I saw him coming up the steps. And him wearing the wristband!?! It was all just so surreal. Andrew McCutchen is now a proud member of Team Orange. Hopefully he wears my wristband everyday. That would make every single day throughout all of my treatments 100 times easier. Knowing my man Cutch is supporting me. It’s just so incredible. The Pirates won last night while he was wearing it so I’m hoping some superstition may kick in. Cutch didn’t have an amazing game but I know he’s in it for the team, not just himself.

This really has been one of the best weeks of my life. First off, I wasn’t supposed to leave the hospital for awhile but I was discharged Saturday. And it just so happens that the Pirates are playing the Phillies in Philadelphia this week? It just proves that the Big Man up in the sky is on our side, He’s pullin’ for Team Orange. I’ve never been to 3 out of 4 games in a baseball series, but I went to the one on Monday and last night, and since my mom and I will be in Philly already at CHOP for another bone marrow test, we are going to today’s game.

Now, I’d like to take the time to thank everyone who has been supporting my family and me. You’re awesome, just remember that. You guys make a very hard time A LOT easier. Thank you so much. Words can’t really describe what I wanna say to all of you. I can only keep giving all of you my thanks and prayers. It really means so much; I can’t describe it. I’m glad I’ve met you all somehow, and now that you are a part of my life.

I have to put a quote in here from my role model because I met him. So in the wise words of Andrew McCutchen, “ I just play. I let the game take care of itself. As long as I go out there and do what I need to do. I'm not trying to set up a goal, I stay within myself.” I just gotta do what I can do, and control the controllables.

And now, in the wise words of St. Augustine, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” I hope you all are having an amazing week like I am. If not, make it awesome starting tomorrow!

Here are some pictures from the night