THE JOURNEY CONTINUES!

Sahara Aldridge with Rick Springfield

Gunner Gillespie

Trevor Tredaway
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If you were to lend me some pieces of yarn and colored push pins with a map of the United States, here's how I'd construct my personal journey involving three children who have been featured on my Blog Pages since 2006. The First push-pin would originate in a tiny town in Southeastern Missouri called Cape Girardeau, where 13 year-old Sahara Aldridge lived with her parents Shannon and Amy. Sahara loved basketball so much that she earned the nickname "HOOPS". I should add here that she also loved Cats, Shopping, Cheesecake, and of course rock artist and personal friend Rick Springfield. Sahara passed away on November 5, 2007. The Second line of yarn would be attached with push pins between my home in Scottsdale, Arizona and Benton, Kentucky where 8 year-old Gunner Gillespie lived with his parents Gus and Janna along with his 5 year-old sister Garlynn. Gunner's passion was Trains--he absolutely loved every facet of Trains. His favorite movie was "The Polar Express" starring Tom Hanks and he also loved reptiles and meeting new people. Like Sahara, Gunner battled a cancerous brain tumor. Gunner passed away on October 23, 2008. A Third piece of yarn would be placed between Scottsdale, Arizona and Midland, Texas where 3 year-old Trevor Tredaway lives today with his parents Todd and Melinda along with his 22 month-old sister Morgan. Trevor recently underwent a successful brain re-sectioning and he is recovering beautifully. However, his treatments will continue and two spinal cord tumors (which are stable) will need to be addressed in the course of his need to become fully healthy again. Trevor has an amazing energy that has found nurses chasing after him as he excitedly visited every person in a room to say hello, to share a new toy or to ask a child or adult where they are from. He is very engaging and sweet and funny!

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I've been Blessed. I experienced meeting Sahara, and I knew Gunner extremely well. They loved me and I loved them tremendously as their memories lend so much meaning for me in my life. On a shelf in my dining room here at home, I have three framed photos as your look from left to right. The first photo is that of Sahara Aldridge sitting on stage with Rick Springfield and her Grandma Frances Dooley during Rick's song "Don't Talk To Strangers". My VIP pass that I wore that night is placed around the picture frame. To the right is a die cast model of a 32 Ford Roadster automobile model that I gave Gunner as a gift. Gus and Janna were so gracious and loving to have recently shipped me the car that Gunner loved to help me remember him. It is parked next to a photo of me with my arm around Gunner the morning he was flown from Scottsdale to Benton for the final trip home. Finally, to the far right is a picture taken with me sitting on the floor with Trevor Tredaway and we are giggling at my impersonations of a train. He is seated in my lap and I have both arms securely around him. There is Joy and Life in these photos! And there is hardly a day that passes where I don't remember Sahara and the story about the day she was diagnosed. Someone had given her a twenty dollar bill. She dispatched her father, Shannon, with instructions from her hospital bed to use the money to go out to the store and buy crayons and coloring books for the children whose school was destroyed by a tornado. With Gunner, a highlight I choose to remember is the day volunteers at McCormick-Stillman Train Park broke with tradition and invited Gunner behind the counter and the tall spectator gallery to see close-up one of the world's most magnificent train exhibits for some thirty minutes. And with Trevor, how can I forget sitting on the floor with him in mylap as we each used a joy stick to guide a toy train up and down hills giggling at my sound effects of the train climbing a hill. The older I get, the more I realize that we have a choice in life: either to live out of Fear or live out of Love. I choose Love!

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In the weeks ahead, you and I will be sharing and exchanging news about a special concert event I am working to assemble here in Phoenix to help Trevor and his family continue their journey with "A Concert for Trevor". With my own Sports Medicine Physical Rehabilitation continuing, I also began regaining my musical skills after a very long hiatus from my guitar. I started to think about a concert that could benefit Trevor with his families medical expenses. The concept has evolved from a mere local effort to a dinner concert with a major international recording artist. No one who is successful in any endeavor "goes it alone", and I couldn't ask for a better organization to partner with than The Hard Rock Cafe. They have a long history of Philanthropy and I am very lucky to be working with a First Class Marketing & Events partner. We are so elated with Trevor's progress. However, he also faces more treatment and it will not always be easy. But like Sahara and Gunner, Trevor has two wonderful parents in Todd and Melinda. Over these past three years I know that it hasn't always been easy for those of you who are parents of toddlers or grown children alike to read what has been for me an intensely personal journey with these three children. And yet, on those occasions where perhaps like you--I have wondered about what is happening to us as a people--with our fear to risk loving, to be vulnerable, to trust, to be considerate even when others may have not chosen this route, it can be very discouraging. And if I am having a discouraging day, I only need to go back to the night I bid Trevor "goodbye for now" in the doorway of his parent's hotel room. He looked up at me and mentioned my first name four times with a question mark attached. I could see sadness and genuine concern on his face that he'd never see me again. I gave him my Promise that he would. And I will keep my promise to forever erase those question marks. Moreover, we will give our new project everything we have to make it a success as we celebrate Trevor's life and the lessons of love that each of these beautiful children have taught and continue to teach us. May this simple story give you Hope as we look ahead to a new week!

With Love,

Michael