Big Little Brothers (Part 1)

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated our blog. I hope this post will catch you up on what's been going on in our lives.

A lot of what we've been up to has included our little brothers. They're not so little anymore, though!
Mitchell, my little brother, came to visit us at the beginning of September with my mom. Mitchell is taller than all of his older siblings, yet that is not what in my mind makes him such a big little brother. It is the way he has dealt with serious challenges recently facing him in his life that makes him so mature.

I believe it was during Football season last year that Mitch first noticed the mole that formed on his heel out of nothing. Because our family has a history of melanoma skin cancer, my parents and Mitchell knew this would not be something to just be ignored. In May we got to go back to Hawaii for Mitchell''s graduation from high-school. Here's a picture I found from that time that I zoomed in on to show the mole.

When Mitchell found out he might have to postpone his college education because of cancer he was shocked. I mean, talk about timing! I guess there's never a good time to be diagnosed with something as serious as cancer, but if you had a choice I'm sure it wouldn't be when your life is already going through so many other changes. While his friends would be boarding planes for their freshmen year adventures, he would be stuck at home waiting for doctor diagnoses and test results. Having been handed more chaos to an already anxious time in his life Mitchell could have become withdrawn and grumpy because of the confusing emotions, but instead he remained as cool and calm as ever.

I think one reason for Mitch's great attitude is his island roots. Having grown up in Kona, Hawaii, Mitch has learned plenty of one-liners to help him stay positive and relaxed about tough things. Here's some of his frequently used one-liners: "Minah's bra;" "No worries;" "If can, caaan --No can, no can;" "Shoots;" and "Small-kine." Mitchell knows that when there is something that can't be helped, there is no use in fussing over it. And that's exactly how he chose to react to the knowledge that his plans for college weren't as set in stone as he had thought.

After a lot of waiting and prayer Mitch finally had the cancerous mole removed. The foot is a very painful place to have a surgery, and because they had to remove surrounding cells to make sure the cancer had not spread they ended up having to make a pretty large incision and do a skin graft. Mitchell's foot is recovering slowly, but surely. Hang in there Mitch! This time in your life will be "but a small moment." If you are curious and have a strong enough stomach, here are some pictures of the foot after surgery.

Clayton and I were so happy to have Mitchell spend some time with us in San Francisco! He hobbled around as best he could on his crutches and never once lost his sense of humor! What a fun guy! Here are some pictures from his and my mom's trip.