Greetings, Loved Ones!
We hope that you’ve had a fabulous 2008 and that this letter finds you well!
We’ve had quite the busy year; lots of travel, many changes and loads of lovely memories.
In February, Cole was invited to the Grand Opening of the L.A. Orthopaedic Hospital’s new universally accessible playground. It was so great to see the project all the way through from start to finish with all of his friends from Shane’s Inspiration! And it is a grand park indeed, serving both the neighborhood and the population of more than 60,000 children who pass through the hospital’s doors annually.
In June, we got a very special treat! Ilia’s puppy raisers, Stacy and Sean Napoles, visited from Plano, Texas to turn in their 6th (!) puppy, Boulder. We drove to Oceanside to meet them for a lovely dinner and they did their very best to rub ALL of Ilia’s fur right off!
In July we were flown by Miracle Flights for Kids to New York and on th 15th, Cole had surgery with Dr. Nuzzo. He operated on Cole’s inner thighs, hamstrings and calf muscles. Although it was an outpatient surgery, there was a lot more pain than anticipated. We were glad to get back to our New Brunswick Ronald McDonald House family where Kathy, Carol, Linda and the rest of the wonderful staff doted on and fussed over us. What a wonderful place to stay!
And our Ilia was absolutely amazing. He traveled over 7,000 miles on six different planes to be by Cole’s side during surgery. And he also took great care of the kids at the Ronald McDonald House, even though he didn’t have to!
We then headed to Virginia Beach, Virginia. Cole was able to spend time with his grandparents, Sara and Howard, as well as his 91-year-old great grandmother, Mary Lee, and his 101-year-old great granddad, Bus.
By using our laptop and blowing letters up very large, we were able to communicate with Bus, who’d become hard-of-hearing. Cole asked him all sorts of questions about his time in the war and all the rest of his life’s events. He showed Cole his pearl-handled revolver from 1918 and the hunting knife his father gave him when he was 12. The two couldn’t get enough of each other.
In August we travelled to Vail, Colorado so that Cole could be the guest speaker at a fundraiser event for Canine Companions. Our lovely and generous hosts, Joan and Bob Solon and Ann Roberts made sure we had a wonderful time in the beautiful mountains. And Cole got to help the auctioneer!
In September, our big boy turned 11! He took off to Legoland with his dad and his friends Noah and Jordan. And he got to have an overnight in a hotel with NO MOM and pizza and BOYS ONLY!
And then came the big call from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: this 142-year-old organization had named Ilia their 2008 Dog of the Year! Wow!! He had been nominated by our friends at the New Brunswick Ronald McDonald House! Back to New York for us!
And if all of that wasn’t enough, our good friend Bob Solon called Cole in to direct the voice-over for two new CCI public service announcements with: Tom Kenney…the voice of Spongebob Squarepants! Tom and his wife Jill are the loveliest people! And the 29th with John and Tony and the rest of our friends at DG Entertainment was The Best Day Ever!!
And finally, with the help Sensei Rich Favinger, Jr., our good friend in Pottstown, PA, we launched this website!
At the end of October, we flew to New York and stayed at the Time Hotel, courtesy of the ASPCA. The big awards luncheon took place at the swanky Rainbow Room in the Rockefeller Center. Fancy! And Kathy and Corrine from the Ronald McDonald House were there to surprise us!
This trip also made it possible to see Cole’s orthotist (who gave his braces a much-needed adjustment) and his physical therapist. And we got to see our good friends Caitlin and Massimo for a fabulous dinner! Oh, NYC has the BEST restaurants!
November brought some sad news: Our beloved Grampy Bus passed at age 101-and-a-half. We are so grateful to have gotten our time with him this summer. He is deeply missed.
And now here we are standing on the threshold of another New Year. Because of all the people who worked so hard to make Cole’s surgery a success, we are looking forward to all of us walking into 2009…together!
We wish you all blessings and peace and thank you from our hearts for being in our lives. Please keep in touch and tell us how you have been doing.
Big Massie love to you,
Michelle, Nick, Cole and Ilia
