Today I went to Yahoo News, like I usually do when it's slow at work. I like to keep up on what's going on in the world around me. The first story I saw was "Dying Baby's Parents Create Blog 'Bucket List'". As a parent, I couldn't resist clicking on the list. What I read absolutely touched me. A beautiful baby girl with a rare incurable genetic disorder who had a bucket list. And she lost her battle yesterday, April 30.
I followed the link to her
blog, where the intro reads: "Imagine you've been diagnosed with an incurable genetic disease and you are told you will not only lose your ability to walk and move your arms, but you will die between now and the next 18 months. What would you do? My name is Avery Lynn Canahuati, I'm almost 5 months old, and this has become my reality. But before I die, there's a few things I'd like to accomplish...this is my bucket list and my story. SHARE IT & HELP ME TELL THE WORLD ABOUT SMA!"
I read her bucket list. Some of them are things we all take for granted every single day. Wrap my arms around my mommy and daddy. Go swimming. Attend a birthday party. Make cupcakes. Read a book. Ride a bicycle. Stay up past my bedtime watching TV with my mommy and daddy. And some of them were bigger things, like swim with dolphins, going on a road trip, go to San Diego and visit the zoo, go kayaking, make college visits with my mommy and daddy, etc. My eyes filled with tears as I saw the few items crossed out, showing she had done those, and the many others that were still there, showing that she hadn't been able to do those. One item really stood out to me. So I printed a picture, and hopped in my car.
That item was "go to the beach". I work in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach, and every day that I work I take small breaks to stretch my back. Literally right behind the office is Marine Stadium. It's only a few hundred feet from the back door to the rocks and the water. I realized how I take that for granted every single day. There are so many people who have never seen the water or been to a beach, and there are even more who will never get that chance, just like Avery.
I drove a couple of blocks down to Mother's Beach. That's a popular beach near Marine Stadium for families. The waves are miniscule at best, and it's a nice quiet beach with a playground. I remember going there often as a young child with my mom, and sometimes with my cousins. I grew up mere miles from Long Beach, so I've always been around water. And it rarely, if ever, crosses my mind how incredibly lucky I am to live in Southern California, near the ocean and all its beauty.
I parked my car, and proceeded to take pictures. I took a picture of the Mother's Beach sign, of me holding Avery's picture with her birthdate and yesterday's date, the day she passed away. Avery was born on November 11, 2011. Kaylee was born on November 12, 2008. They were so close in age, and especially birthdate. I buried my toes in the sand, and buried a corner of Avery's picture in the sand too, so it wouldn't blow away. After I took the pictures, I sat on the bench, with my toes still buried, and said a prayer for this little angel, and the loved ones she leaves behind. I went back to the office and posted it on
Avery's Facebook page, with a note: "I was so moved by Avery's story, & I had to do SOMETHING. So I did one of the things on her bucket list. I took her to the beach, appropriately Mother's Beach. I'm so sorry for your loss. She was an angel on Earth, & now in heaven". As I type this post, 73 people have "liked" the photo I posted. The comments people left were so touching: "Such a thoughtful thing to do. Bless you"; "What a wonderful thing for you to do!"; "That is the most sweetest and nicest thing anyone could do for someone so precious"; "This was so thoughtful"; "You are amazing!"; "Wow, you are a great person"; "This is amazing! You are so thoughtful!"; "So amazing of you to do this". I appreciated all of their comments, and as I told them "It isn't much. But it's something. Thank you... It was the least I could do. I have 3 kids, & I'm an avid charity volunteer. This was the very least I could do for someone so beautiful... I'm just a mom & volunteer."
I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. We may not understand or know what that reason is. We may never know. But God, or whatever Higher Power you believe in, does have a plan for all of us. In her short five months on this Earth, Avery touched thousands, if not millions, of lives. Some of my online friends have posted about her. Avery's story has become international news, a heartwarming story in a world where bad news is the norm. I don't know how it affected others, but Avery and her story reminded me to live every single day to its fullest. My aunt used to say "every day is the first day of the rest of your life." Avery has reminded me, and many others I'm sure, to live every single day, every single second, to its fullest. Don't take anything, or anyone, for granted. Ever. Be grateful for what you have, and give to others what they don't have.
Larissa R. left a comment, a call to action of sorts: "Like you, I was very touched by Avery's story and am heart broken by her passing. Please join me in wearing IVORY on FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2012 (which would have been her 6 month birthday) so that we can cross 'have one million people across the world wear ivory in my honor' off her bucket list." I will absolutely be wearing ivory that day, and I hope you will too. Let's show this family how truly loved and appreciated this angel baby is.
To find out more about this amazing baby Avery and her bucket list, go to http://averycan.blogspot.com. You can also visit her Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter.
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