I thought we had many more “firsts” before we were on to our lasts. I did not know Maddison would be our last child to complete 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th, or 5th grade. I didn’t know she would be our last child to go on the Lansing feild trip, or Mackinac Island trip. I had no idea we were already experiencing our “lasts”. I thought we would have 4 more years of elementary school carnivals and school picnics on the playground. I didn’t know Maddi would be the last to do a 5th grade science project. I took all of these things for granted, thinking I had another to come. I never went on a single feild trip with Payton. After this school year is complete, I will never attend another school picnic or carnival or 5th grade graduation. I will never teach another child to ride a bike without training wheels, which Payton didn’t quite master last summer, but we knew he would this year. DIPG didn’t give him those chances. It took a bright future away from my son, from my entire family. 
Payton Strong 