Now, THESE are fun posts to write. I’ve cried more in the last 20 days than I have in the last 20 years – and it is not close. The first few days were some little leaks, mostly driven by shock. Then the surgery, recovery days, and uncertainty got the best of me for a few days, but Team Rex has driven 90% of the tears, and they have been positive and therapeutic. The cards, the kid coverage, the videos from a favorite aunt, the random texts from folks that just really hit the spot at just the right time. The support from near and far has been overwhelming and helped me through some dark times.
I would love to really blow out this gallery. So help me out – if you have a 1-2 images of our kids or our families together text or email rob.rex@gmail.com so I can throw them in! These are the fun ones to revisit!
What exactly is “LFG!”?
My favorite surprise storyline to emerge has been LFG. Some friends put a sign out in my yard officially coining the term Team Rex. A term I have come to love deeply, and one that has become something of a mantra to me. Team Rex can handle this. I also love that top pic above of me with the kids just as the sun went down that first evening, and will unapologetically use it in many places.
I have gotten a ton of questions about LFG from friends and family, and at this point, it is more of a feeling than a set of words. It started as a rallying cry with my buddies to Let’s F-ing Go, the kids really got behind Let’s Fight Good, and my favorite might be my aunt chastising her grown children for failing to identify Love, Family, God.
How to Support Team Rex
Almost every communication we have had ends with a generous adn clearly genuine offer to help, and we appreciate that. The number of cards, and giftcards, and food, and decorations that Jenn sends me pictures of is astounding. I’ve been told that starting the day I went into surgery frozen meats (including ribs…. mmmmmmm… ribs…) have been piling up in our freezer – and pile-o-meat I want you to know I am coming for you. And all of this is great, because life keeps moving and all of the 4 kid craziness that makes life so awesome doesn’t slow down when I’m gone or limited. But many of the asks are looking for more specific things to help with and if I may be so presumptuous I’m going try to answer that question. Most of this isn’t new as Team Rex has been pretty on point with all this stuff already but it can’t hurt to write it down.
- Normalcy & time with friends for the kids. Jenn and I will be exhausted for at least the next month. We’ve made it through the ‘a brownie every night will help them cope’ phase and just want our kids to have as normal of days as possible. Being at a friend’s house running around and having normal dinner where normal adults are around doing normal things is what makes being a kid so fun, so let’s do as much of that as we can.
- Rides. I’m not sure when I’ll drive again, but it will not be soon. Throw in all the activities, some bonus stuff like my outpatient rehab, and any practice or pickup for a playdate will be golden.
- Listen, and bear with Jenn & I emotionally. The rah-rahs and positive vibes have been amazing and helped us through some already rough times, but this process will be long and filled with ups and downs. The real support, the support we feel in our bones, comes from folks that spend a little time to understand and join us on the journey, not a cursory ‘you got this’ or ‘This tumor has no chance.’ You will be shocked by how limited I am when you see me. I know this because I am living it, and still every day I’m forced to eat more slices of humble pie as I fail to progress as I want (And I hate pie, and humble is the worst kind… it tastes like patience and bitterness). When I get home, I will go up and down my stairs 1-2 times per day and will plan hours in advance to make sure I can do that. Jenn watches and feels every second of this THEN keeps the kids learning and the house running – I am still not sure how. It is not about doom and gloom, there is a lot of joy in any given day – facetime and hanging out and a great chat with friends. In fact, I’d put 8 of the last 9 days in the ‘good’ pile. But it is exhausting, and scary, and uncertain, and, ‘trying harder’ or being blindly positive won’t beat this. It’s about reality, and a fight that we’re totally ready to tackle with Team Rex alongside. Bring it on.