1) We Should Have Known - When you, Nikko, were 1st born you had a special purpose. Your 1st gift was to be the bridge for your blended family & community…AND you did that so well with your quick wit, your smile, your energy, and your laughter. From Day 1, with your golden brown afro and sparkling blue eyes--you simply were beyond BEAUTIFUL - both inside and out!
2) We Should Have Known - When you started preparing for school you would master both Spanish and English at the same time. Because for you, working on just ONE thing at a time was not enough.
3) We Should Have Known - When you were1st diagnosed it wouldn't be the typical symptoms and it wouldn't start slow. A simple, my wrist hurts would lead to YOUR parents and doctor taking immediate action based on the smallest symptom AND demand tests that others thought were not necessary.
4) We Should Have Known - Your mission would demonstrate that miracles still occur. You wouldn't have just one perfect Bone Marrow match, But 2 to pick from. You would have 3, not just 1 hospital aggressively join your mission - as well as many doctors you would never meet live take active part in your battle thru email only.
5) We Should Have Known - your fight would include an army of extraordinary people doing extraordinary things! Your parents, their company-AAA, your friends, your family, your medical teams and even strangers doing anything and everything they could - Not because we had to. -Because our hearts demanded it!
6) We Should Have Known - that your journey would not be an easy one-Because your spirit, your strength, your love for life needed to teach us how to rise above every obstacle. Instead of saying why me? You would say, mom and dad I'm sorry you can't go to work today, but I'm glad you're here with me.. This after months of 24-hr/day stay in the hospital where your parents never, I mean NEVER left your side.
7) We Should Have Known - your mom and dad would be our role models - they would be your body & spirit guards-demanding to be taught how to administer your meds from home. They would learn the medical options and complex jargon so they could carefully and meticulously chart for all of us to follow your online journal of pictures, poems and medical stats… We should have known, doctors too would learn from you.
8) We Should Have Known - That even in your last days when the doctors openly above your bed used the dreaded word 'terminal', Your mom and dad would later ask you, what did you hear? Your simple, but angelic response was-I heard that I'm a special kid!"
9) We Should Have Known - you wouldn't hear or get distracted by anything but the positive. Often asking your parents to buy birthday gifts for other patients fighting the same battle. We should have known, you would always, I mean ALLWAYS, think of others first, before you thought of yourself..
10) We Should Have Known - You would fight the hard fight to the very end. You would have a website with a record # of hits per day. Strangers, family and friends all wanting, needing to be a part of your journey. To learn from you…
11) We Should Have Known … And NOW we do!!! Your life/ your mission was special!! With YOU we have truly witnessed a rare and precious ANGEL on earth. And Your legacy will live on as a unending gift, a beacon call to action for each of us to follow…We NOW KNOW you have taught us to Live Large, to Love Deeply and to embrace each and every obstacle with a flaming zest for life…
12) As I often wrote in your journal, and I say again now, THANK YOU my little Warrior Angel for your many unending gifts. WE CLEARLY KNOW NOW AND PROMISE TO NEVER FORGET … We will continue your mission …
I will Love You Always and Forever.