Santa Tracker

I can't think of anything I want for Christmas. I honestly have everything I could ever need. What I do know however is that my little boy Luc has instilled that feeling within me. Perhaps it's his amazing sunshine personality. Perhaps it's his absolute love for Christmas.... perhaps it is because he is the bravest little boy I have ever known in my life.

Have I ever told you that I named him after Luc Van Lierde? Have I ever told you that in the NBC video of the 1999 Hawaii Ironman, I am in the finish scene with LVL? (In the crowd). And in Triathlete and Inside Tri.... I just happen to be in the background there?????

Make your own conclusion......

He's just 7 years old and truthfully he's been through his fair share of stuff. Whatever he faces however he comes out the other side with a great big smile.

The day after his very first triathlon this summer, Luc broke his leg. He spent eight weeks in that cast, and you know what? It was just a broken leg. Bones heal. How did he handle it? He just did. He learned how to scoot on his butt, he learned how to use a wheelchair and he learned how to use a walker. When kids would stare and people would look at him with wonder, he would simply tell them "I broke my leg.". I might have snarled and said "What are you looking at????"

On October 11, 2004 Luc had open heart surgery to repair an atrial septal defect, a hole between the two top chambers of his heart. We had known about it since shortly after he was born. On the spectrum of heart defects this was the best one to have. It was almost considered a sew and go. Except that they cracked his chest open and his heart was stopped while he was on bypass for 30 minutes.

During that 30 minutes my heart was stopped too.

When he arrived to the PICU later that day he was still intubated (had a breathing tube). He didn't look scared. When they asked him to look at his toes, testing to see if he had regained control of his neck yet.... instead of looking at his toes he pulled up his feet.

When they extubated him he sat upright. With a fresh incision on his chest. I was told that in 10 years of PICU nursing, my friend Bill had never seen a kid do that.

I marvel at Luc's attitude, his brightness, his lack of fear about anything. He is a kid who speaks his mind and if he has a question, he will ask you it.

I don't know how this little guy became so amazing but I am learning so much from him.

This year for Christmas he wants nothing more than a Polar Express Train. Nothing else. Just a small train please. He's been wearing a Santa hat for the better part of a month now. They even allow him to wear it all day at school.

This morning he woke me up.....

"Mommy!" He whispered..... "Look out the window!" I came to the window wondering what he had seen. "Look" He pointed to the sky. "Very small Mom." I squinted. "If you look very closely Mom, you can see his sleigh." He touched my shoulder. "But only if you believe."

I believe little buddy, I smiled and hugged him. I want that magic forever.

Do you believe? Well just click right here to track Santa for yourself on Christmas Eve. Call the phone number and speak to one of the Santa Trackers and I promise, you will believe too!


Thanks for stopping by.


:-) mary