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Well, 2020 you were something. A year not many of us could have predicted and a year that held greater ups and downs than many of us have experienced in our lifetimes. And while we may be eager to put 2020 in the rearview mirror I wanted to encourage you all, the...
Hello friends....I've missed you! It's been well over two months since I've put up a post and I finally got the courage to sit down to try and put some words around at least the tiniest bit of what's been flowing through my soul since Will died. I've sat down,...
William Stellan Maniatis died at home on February 18th after a 14-month long battle against acute myeloid leukemia. As the afternoon faded to evening he bravely laid down his sword, a warrior to the end, unafraid and at peace knowing he had fought the good fight and...
Our sweetest boy and brave warrior, Will, has laid down his sword to fly among the angels. Quite simply, he was the strongest person I've ever known and I have been honored to be by his side throughout. We imagine he is now in heaven, sipping pineapple juice with his...
I have started and stopped this post so many times I realize the saying "no words" is appropriate here. This kid...a warrior to the end.... We are with him whispering sweet nothings into his ear. We are holding his hand and kissing his forehead. We are offering...
Just a simple post to update you about Will - our darling and brave warrior. As you know he has stood strong in the face of a daunting diagnosis and taken every step of treatment like a true warrior. He has done everything we could have asked and more and, still,...
I am sitting, about to start this journal and not really sure where to start or what to say when I glance up and see a sign. It is one of many, lovingly made by a group of Will's friends, and it says "WE LOVE WILL". And that is just about the perfect way to start...
A short while back a friend commented on one of my posts: "I see you smile and know you are suffering....I'm sorry you all have to wake every morning and prove how strong you are. I wish for Will's cancer to someday be just a chapter in your life and not the whole...
As you know I don't post many of these journal updates but sometimes I just need to put it down and so here I am. Holidays have whizzed by in a blur and we sit, on the eve of New Year's Eve and I am thinking about our lives, just over a year after Will's diagnosis. I...
Those of you on Facebook have probably seen a few posts about a fundraising campaign directed toward Lolo's Angels. A little back ground: two local high school students (Ainsley and Abby) were inspired by Will's story and decided to craft their senior DECA project...
I really want to have something clever to say at this point, but I don't. This week has been tough and we are putting the finishing touches on an unexpected check-in at Children's that underscores the reality in which we now exist. Whereas I once was inspired to...
Happy Friday to you all - hope you've all survived the first week of "Fall Back" which tends to throw me off for at least a week...by 4:30p I'm reaching for a wine glass but then glancing at the clock and thinking I better wait a tad for appearances sake. Of course...
After a grueling week of pain and nausea followed by more pain and nausea, Will has decided it's just as easy to have pain and nausea at home as it is to have it in the hospital. In truth, Sponge Bob Square Pants and a Halloween party were the real motivators behind...
Still here, not surprisingly, but feeling cozy and well taken care of in our home away from home. Apparently winter decided to make an early and emphatic debut and for added measure is going to stick around for one more day. The view is reminiscent of the many...
The weather is fitting - an early snow starting to blanket the area signaling the change that is coming soon - and as I sit and write and watch the fat flakes accumulate, softening the edges of the day and dampening the sounds of the outside world I feel as if I'm...
Just a simple post to update our people on the latest with our boy, Will-I-Am, and his sidekick, Stokeley. Now home we've been told to take it slow and so embraced the pace in our clumsy and slap happy ways. The step back into reality has been somewhat awkward but...
Time has a funny way of being somewhat flexible and malleable in that some days seem to go faster than others. Days turn into weeks which turn into months and often we find ourselves scratching our heads wondering where did the time go? These past months have been...
We are accustomed to live our lives either moving toward a goal or an event or reflecting on moments in the past and this is certainly true even for our family as we live, somewhat suspended, in the midst of Will's diagnosis of AML. Many of my days are hazy, they...
Friends: Will’s results from the MRI were acceptable so the bone marrow transplant is scheduled to go forward tomorrow as scheduled. We would like to cover Will and Stathi in prayer tomorrow morning. Anyone who wants to come is invited to a prayer vigil at Natalie...
The vibe rumbling around room 761 on day "negative four" feels about as dreary as the day looks. In a course that has been filled with a few ups and too many downs we have managed to stay hopeful and move through each day with as much grace and gratitude possible....
While in treatment Will was often confined to his hospital room. In order to satisfy his creative and entrepreneurial nature he opened up a little online clothing business featuring his own designs. Soon after he began donating portions of his own proceeds to childhood cancer charities and in in this spirit we have kept the store open and ALL proceeds now go directly to WillStrong Foundation. Shop with purpose and help us help others!
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