This is a significant week of memories in our journey. Leap year pushed the days ahead by two, so today is the same date as last year’s Saturday. It was on this day that I had what I consider to be one of my worst days in our journey with Samantha. It was the only day I was without Travis entirely. It was the day that the terror of her worsening condition filled my soul. It was the day I knelt during her EEG, wishing I could comfort her.

For two couples, today is a day filled with wonderful memories. Last year, Travis did two weddings in one day. I missed them both, even though they were couples I cared about very much. But with Samantha in the hospital, I couldn’t just leave. I would only leave her side long enough to eat, and then come back. I just couldn’t handle being gone any longer than that. Because Travis had the weddings, he went home on Friday to do the rehearsals, then did both weddings on Saturday, then stayed to do church Sunday morning before returning. I was so exhausted on Saturday that I texted back and forth with my sister, crying and worrying about my daughter. She and her family came up for a few hours to spend time with us, which made it a bit better.

Over the next few days, I will walk you through the events that led us to take Samantha home. This is a journey filled with memories, and this is but the latest step in that journey. Thank you for walking with us.