It’s someone’s birthday!

Someone will be opening presents Sunday, and it’s not J.P.

Paige, J.P. and I will be gathering with family to celebrate Paige’s birthday, and all she keeps saying is she wants to go shoe shopping.

But Paige’s birthday is about a lot more than shoes or gifts.

We have a lot to be thankful for after her bout with breast cancer four years ago, the aftermath with chemotherapy and what doctors called neurally mediated vasovagal syncope.

That’s right. You’ll find some bizarre medical terminology in this blog.

I remember Paige saying, “I can’t have breast cancer. I have a child with special needs.”

I’m so thankful that Paige is such a trooper. She faced the breast cancer diagnosis and beat it down. She’s a lot stronger than many may have thought, and I was there to support her every inch of the way.

It’s at times like that when we learned we’re blessed with wonderful friends, a great family and an awesome son.

I was able to continue working, and Paige’s parents, her brother, her best friend and my sister all spent weeks at a time helping us to care for J.P. and her.

We thanked God when we learned her breast cancer did not make it to her lymph nodes, and she was even happier when the chemotherapy was finished.

Unfortunately, the very drugs in the chemotherapy that we’re killing the cancer ended up damaging her nerves.

She’s been getting better this year, and she found acupuncture made a big difference in her recovery.

I’m thankful that Paige was able to get through what was a very tough time, and I know she’s glad she’s still here to watch J.P. grow and mature.

I know we’ll enjoy her birthday together as a family. It has new meaning and significance after all she has been through — even if it does mean a shoe-shopping adventure.