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KYLE SAMPSON - 'EVER BRAVE' 
Forever in the Arms of Jesus
June 10/91 - November 24/04
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"With Hope" by Steven Curtis Chapman was sung at Kyle's funeral...this abridged portion has been etched on his memorial...
Never have I known anything so hard to understand,
Never have I questioned more the wisdom of God's plan,
But through the cloud of tears, I hear the Father smile and say well done,
And I remember you, where you wanted most to be, seeing all your dreams come true, cause now you're home and now you're free.
And we can cry with hope, we can say goodbye with hope,
Cause we know our goodbyes are not the end,
We can breathe with hope, cause we believe with hope, there's a place where we'll see your face again.
I know I will see Kyle's beautiful face again one day, that is what is keeping me going each day.
I found this poem on another site, it says it all.
THE CORD
We are connected, my child and I
by an invisible cord not seen by the eye
It's not like the cord that joins us til birth
this cord can't be seen by an eye on earth
This cord does its work right from the start
it binds us together attached to the heart
I know that it's there though no one can see
the invisible cord from my child to me
The strength of this cord is hard to describe
it can't be destroyed, it can't be denied
It's stronger than any cord man could create
it withstands any test, can hold any weight
And though Kyle’s gone, though he’s not here with me
the cord is still there, but no one can see
It pulls on my heart: I am bruised, I am sore
but this cord is my lifeline, as never before
I am thankful that God connects us this way
A mother and child, death can't take that away.
Kyle's Story
Kyle suffered with what we thought was tendonitis in his right shoulder the summer of 2003. After months of doctor appointments he was diagnosed in January 2004 with stage IV Undifferentiated Sarcoma - a very rare form of sarcoma. Our lives changed forever that day.
He was sent to our local children’s hospital, the IWK Health Center where he received the BEST care available. Fortuantely we were also able to receive much of Kyle's treatment and care from our home hospital as well as through Extra Mural Health Care. The ability to be treated close to home was such a blessing.
Kyle’s cancer was unresponsive to any of the treatments that were given and extremely aggressive. After undergoing many rounds of very intensive chemo and radiation with no positive results, we choose to come home on an oral chemo (VP-16) and enjoy EVERY moment, living each day making memories.
After only 11 months of fighting, my brave, sweet, precious boy was tired and his body could not fight anymore. Kyle passed away at home in his chair, peacefully and surrounded by more love than imaginable on the afternoon of November 24, 2004. He was almost 13 ½ yrs old.
He is now in the arms of Jesus...whole again and cancer free.
I will be forever grateful for our care team...without their guidance, wisdom and sincere care for Kyle's well-being, he would have not been at home when he passed away. He was provided the best home care and support possible. That was such a wonderful gift.
Take a look at Kyle's Quilt of Love...it is AWESOME!!! http://quiltsoflove.com/quilt_2004/kyle_GN_S/kyle_S.html
Journal
Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:55 PM CDT It's been a long time.
June was a month...I'm glad it's over!
June 10 - Kyle's 18th birthday...my child would be 18...really, really hard to believe!!
June 12 - Relay for Life - this is always an emotional event for me...for anyone who has lost someone or knows someone battling cancer. It's such an amazing night...I love beign part of it.
A very special young man, who I'd gotten to know through RMH passed away. Cody was an amazing person. His caring, loving spirit was evident to everyone who met him. He was an incredible inspiration to so many people while going through some pretty rough times. His visititation and service were June 17 -19. I was able to visit Cody with his family at the hospital just a day before Cody passed...I was able to give him a hug and say goodbye even though he was unresponsive.
June 19 - Kyle's graduation. I knew that grad would be hard, but I didn't think I would have the hard time that I did. There were so many emotions that took over from the minute I woke that day. I was excited for his class to be finishing grade 12 and starting an exciting new chapter in their lives, but also heartbroken that Kyle wasn't there to enjoy that with them. The class was amazing. They definitely didn't want him forgotten and did some wonderful things to include him in their day. His best friend Matthew spoke and he did a truly incredible job...he was amazing! I'm so glad I was there and so proud of the kids...they are an amazing group...I know they'll go far!
I almost lost my oldest dog twice...let me tell you how dramatic that was. Bailey is 11 and is my baby! She had really bad gi issues, to the point that I thought I would have to put her down. Thankfully the vet was able to prescribe antibiotics to help her. We got over that and then she began having trouble walking, to the point that she simply couldn't. She was in extreme pain with literally no mobility. Again the vet was able to prescribe high dose prednisone and pain killers, we decided to give it two days to see if she reacted to this and then we'd have to decide what to do. Thankfully she responded positively and seems to be doing much better. She goes for a recheck tonight so we'll see.
I think that pretty much covers the emotional month I had. There were highs and lows, good, bad and ugly...all part of life.
Life is sometimes pretty overwhelming, but you have to get up the next day and make the choice...do you live the day to the best of your ability or do you choose to let life run you over? Many days, many of us would happily have life run us over...I have to continuously remember that Kyle didn't let his tough times knock him down. The times that I think are tough are NOTHING in comparison to what he went through, so I can get up and go on...if he did than I can and I will because of him.
...my strength and inspiration - Kyle, Cody, Joshua, Coleman, King Ju Ju, Jacob, Lance, Haley, Mackenzie, Nadia, Nick....to name only a few.
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Heaven - Wrapped Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Mailing Address: 1133 Tower Road
Halifax, NS B3H 2Y7
Links: http://www.childrenswish.ca - a wonderful organization granting wishes to children with life threatening illnesses
http://curesarcoma.org - help find a cure for sarcomas
http://canadianbloodservices.ca - YOU can help these children in their fight against cancer
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