Family Stories
Respite Spotlight: The Rath Family Personal Respite Letter
Dear Believe In Tomorrow,
Thank you so much for the amazing gift of a week in Deep Creek, MD. The house, activities and Deep Creek itself were amazing. But it was the chance to take a break and focus on family that made it so valuable to us. It's the first family vacation we've been able to take since Austin was born. Like any families of medically ill children, Austin's illness has meant that we've often had to use our vacation time on hospitalizations and medical appointments. Since his illness is chronic and life-long, there is no remission or cure for us to work towards. But the vacation really gave us something to look forward to and it helped to wash away so much of the stress that had accumulated over the years. We loved hiking at Swallow Falls, swimming in the Wisp Resort pool and going to the museum in Oakland, but our favorite activity was riding the train in Cumberland.
When Austin was an infant and so sick that we thought he wouldn't make it, my favorite book to read to him was the 2003 version of the enclosed book. I'm convinced that it must have been written for medically ill children and their parents, and reading it over and over has a healing effect on the spirit. It's now become one of Austin's favorite bedtime stories. He, of course, still doesn't understand the more subtle messages in the book, but we get it. It's amazing that a children's book could remind us to lean on friends when times are tough, to pace ourselves, to not be envious of the seemingly simple lives parents of healthy children have, and most of all that every dark tunnel must have a light at the other end. It was tremendously special that we ended our Believe In Tomorrow vacation week with a train ride. I couldn't stop smiling watching Austin's excitement that he was riding on a real train and thinking how amazing it was that our favorite book was coming alive for us as the train rolled out of the station, strained up steep mountains, crossed over rivers, stopped at a destination and entered a long dark tunnel. I hope this book can be an inspiration to other families at a Believe In Tomorrow home.
Thank you again for giving us a lifetime of wonderful memories. Please accept this donation as a small token of our appreciation.
Sincerely,
The Rath Family