RIP Oakes

Where do I start? This is so hard to write. I never thought that Oakes wouldn't make it. He always seemed to find a way back after having his setbacks. And believe me, he had many.
He had a special way of bouncing back to smiles, to charming everyone. Charming his friends, family, nurses and even people he never met in person but just thru pictures. He had the most fight in him I have ever seen.
Oakes and his parents and older sister was a family we "met" at the hospital when Noah was there. When I say "met", we really didn't meet there. Pretty amazing huh? Considering the unit they were in was small, only 12 beds. And they were there at the same time together. Becky (Oakes's mom) told me later that she saw us in the hall, but I never did. Oh, how I wish I did. When I went to visit Noah, I never looked into the other rooms I passed. Noah was in room 11 and one of the last rooms in the unit. I walked by ten other beds before Noah's room. But I just never felt that it was right for me to look into someone else's room. I felt I was invading their space if I would do that.
Becky reached out to me after Noah died thru facebook. We started to message back and forth and at first I thought she was our next door neighbor. That's how clueless I was. I would say we have a pretty neat friendship considering we actually have only been together a few times and it's usually been for events.
Oakes was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) and he had two heart surgeries and a double lung transplant. Not to mention countless treatments and procedures. He was/IS a strong little dude and I feel priveliged to have met him.

You can read more about Oakes's life here. Both Oakes's momma and pappa are amazing writers. They are so good with words.

Tomorrow we celebrate you, Oakes.

Forever missed. Forever loved.

3/10/11 - 6/6/12