Madame Ambassador :)

Kristi posted the following on Greta's CarePage:
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals have an annual celebration and they select 1 child from each state, DC, Puerto Rico and several from Canada to represent their home hospitals. Helen DeVos Children's Hospital nominated Greta to represent them and she was selected by CMNH to be the 2013 Michigan Champion! I wanted to share our experience with you but also document the trip before I forget everything!

We were flown to Orlando earlier this month to participate in the Celebration. We stayed in a Disney resort and had several scheduled events during the trip, but also we were able to spend some free time in the Disney parks. The trip was amazing. We arrived to the Orlando airport and Delta had a red carpet greeting for Greta and the other Champions as we exited the plane. We then arrived at the resort for more red carpet treatment. Greta couldn't go anywhere without a crowd cheering her arrival. She was bashful at first, but quickly got into it.

The next day, Wednesday, was the Celebration day. We had some free time in the morning so we went to Hollywood Disney. That night all the Champions were announced on stage by Nick Cannon, Zendaya (a Disney actress) and Miss America. They also each received a medal. It was quite the party.

Thursday we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. The CMN Hospitals Champions were announced later that morning at a street party in front of the castle, and again later as the grand marshals of the afternoon parade.

Friday morning, Randy and Greta went back to the Magic Kingdom to participate in a satellite TV interview with the Fox news affiliate in Detroit with Miss America. In the afternoon, the Champions participated in a pin exchange with the sponsors and corporate partners. The kids stamped their autographs on CMNH books for the sponsors and they gave the kids pins. We later kicked back at the resort pool, which I think was the kids' favorite activity of the whole trip.

Saturday we spent at Downtown Disney. We went bowling, had lunch at T-Rex and then checked out the Lego store. The US families were then taken to the airport to board "Champions 1", the official Delta Air Lines charter flight to DC. We received a water salute as we taxied away. We had a late flight, and by the time we arrived in our hotel rooms it was after 1am. It was a very late night for some already tired kids!

Sunday we slept in and then set out to find some breakfast and to tour our nation's capital. We made our way to the Ford Theatre where Lincoln was shot, the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court. This was during the government shutdown, so most of the buildings were barricaded or closed to visitors.

Monday we all went to Arlington National Cemetery where we participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That evening we joined many of the other families with a pizza and pool party. Again, one of the kids' favorite nights!

Tuesday we had our pictures taken in front of the Capitol Building as a group, and then we all went to a luncheon at Union Station. Later that night we were taken to a dinner cruise on the Potomac River for a closing party.

Wednesday was originally supposed to be our travel home day, but we were told if we could stay an extra day, the White House would be able to have us come and meet with President Obama. So we both contacted our employers and the kids' school, and made arrangements to stay an extra day. We all gathered on the lawn of the White House. President Obama joined us for a quick Q&A with the kids, where Greta asked him where his hot tub was. In case you're wondering, there isn't one. He took a group photo with us, and then had to excuse himself. This was also the day that the agreement was reached to end the government shutdown, so we were thankful for any time he was willing to give us. The rest of the day we joined two other families and toured the WWII memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the Lincoln Memorial.

Thursday we packed up and headed home. It was a very busy, tiring trip, but it was an amazing time. We met lots of amazing, brave kids and their families. We got to celebrate our miracle children and help promote the hospitals that helped save their lives. We were very honored to have been selected to represent HDVCH and Michigan for the 2013 CMN Hospitals' Celebration.

A quick Greta update, she is doing very well. She started 1st grade in August and played soccer again this fall. In three weeks she will be celebrating her 7th birthday! She will have her 5 year post transplant scan in January. Hopefully this will be her very last one too!

Five years ago today. Five years.

We had taken Greta to the ER the night before and were admitted to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital with a biopsy scheduled for the next day.

Five years ago today, April 28, we heard the words "it's cancer". Our beautiful 17 month old baby girl had cancer, and it was devastating news. We were in a small meeting room with about 15 other family members and I remember trying to stay focused on what the surgeon was telling us while the world was crashing down around us. Five years ago today we sat with our oncologist, Dr. Fahner, who explained to us what the plan was to save our daughter's life. There was little to go by for this type of cancer in a child as young as Greta. Chemo would begin immediately and continue every couple weeks for the next 9 months. Followed by a stem cell transplant that would require a 27 day stay in a small hospital room. And after the year of treatments was over, we got to take our daughter home, cancer free.

2008 was a very long year. One that I still relive and sometimes keeps me awake at night. I remember at that time, during her stays in the hospital, thinking how great it would be to skip ahead to today and be five years removed from all of it. Five years means her odds of a relaspse goes way down and I just wanted to be there and not have to worry so much. Which I now know will never go away no matter what the odds say. I worry every time she has fever, every time she says she has a headache, and every time she complains that her legs hurt. I worry every time she has a cold that lasts just a little too long. I worry when she sleeps in longer than usual. And most of all, I worry when the time comes for the yearly scan and I may have to hear those dreaded words again.

I was right though, being at the 5 year mark feels amazing! What a miracle we made it to this point! How blessed we are to get to enjoy her silliness, her giggles, her attitude, her sassiness, her snuggles, her laughter, her playfulness, her kisses and hugs, her athleticism and her pure joy of life. So today we celebrate the past 5 years we weren't sure we would get to have with her and look forward to the many more fun and exciting days that her life is sure to bring us.

So yes, 5 years! Really! Praise God!
The Betz Family