Chromosomes, Cancer & Kids

A Mother's Love

Lance Boldt — 2010-07-18T19:51:37-03:00

We're closing in on the 7th anniversary of a horrible car accident. Nancy and the six youngest kids were traveling to Michigan to introduce two week old Sadie to her family. Half way there, they rolled off I-80. Anyone who...

I Want to Be a Dad

Lance Boldt — 2010-06-20T13:03:19-03:00

When Josh's cancer was in remission, he had gone up to his room to rest one evening. I popped in to check on him. He was laying on his side, looking at a small picture of his sweetheart on his...

Graduation Day

Lance Boldt — 2010-05-27T18:38:28-03:00

Had he lived, Joshua would have graduated from high school today. A big day for any kid. A proud day for any parent. A momentous day for someone with Down syndrome. Josh loved school. He loved to learn and he...

You Can Go Back Home

Lance Boldt — 2010-03-01T01:25:45-03:00

Early on the morning of July 22, 2003 I woke to a phone call. The man said that my family had been in a rollover accident near Kearney, Nebraska. He said that one of my boys had been thrown from...

Field of Hope

Lance Boldt — 2010-01-25T00:13:46-03:00

Field of Hope. Funny way to describe a cemetery, but that's what I felt - Hope. It was Christmas Eve, about 9:30 in the evening. We were dropping by the boys' graves to leave some candles. As we drove through...

Charles Dickens or Monty Python?

Lance Boldt — 2009-12-20T18:57:19-03:00

I'm tempted to characterize going through the Holidays after the death of a child with Dickens' opening lines in a Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." I love feeling the...

Jiffy Pop and BB Guns

Lance Boldt — 2009-12-13T19:11:32-03:00

About 5 months before Josh died we went camping at Bear Lake. We packed up the trailer and headed up to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for a radiation treatment and then on to the Lake. When I was shopping for...

It's Time to Go Home

Lance Boldt — 2009-11-30T00:39:57-03:00

The first time Josh told me he was going to die was 4 or 5 months before he was diagnosed with cancer. Josh and I had just gotten in the car and were pulling away from the house. He said...

The Holidays: After the Death of a Child

Lance Boldt — 2009-11-23T01:08:06-03:00

This time last year, I wrote these thoughts on what Christmas would be like without Josh and Ben. It'is a huge question for the newly bereaved. Anticipation is bad - the reality is just as bad. But there is still...

What would Josh do?

Lance Boldt — 2009-11-12T01:03:41-03:00

There they were, 5 very tough looking guys, pants almost falling off, long hair, knit caps - the kind of guys dads keep their eye on. They were playing video games in the entry at Wal-Mart. Nancy and I bumped...

I'll Fly Away

Lance Boldt — 2009-10-25T18:30:45-03:00

December 23rd 2001, Nancy was sitting on my lap at the family Christmas program. My cell phone rang, I stood up and unceremoniously dumped Nancy on the floor. She didn't mind too much because she knew it was the call...

Mustard Days

Lance Boldt — 2009-10-21T22:23:15-03:00

We spent several days last week as house guests of some dear friends and their 11 children. Actually they have 13 children - but the oldest 2 don't live at home. Theirs is a fascinating story, and it's theirs to...

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin'

Lance Boldt — 2009-10-04T21:15:18-03:00

If you know kids with Down syndrome, you know they love to roam. Introduce wheels into the mix and they can get away faster and roll farther than you can imagine. I wrote about how great an escape artist Josh...

Can You Lose the Battle and Still Win the War

Lance Boldt — 2009-09-27T18:10:55-03:00

"The worst is behind you." "It's been long enough - you should be better now." "Your burden has been lifted." What a load of crap! Do I want to sound bitter and cantankerous? No. Do I want your attention? Yes....

When "Simply the Best" is Simply Gone

Lance Boldt — 2009-09-21T02:08:55-03:00

Survivor's Guilt is very common in parent's who've lost a child. I somehow thought it wouldn't apply to me. But as with most things related to grieving, I find I'm not exempt. I'll say unabashedly that Josh was The Best....