This Little Light of Mine

16: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝗼𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭

Tim, Lucy, and Bennett spent a few of the days following their return home from Atlanta at home. Bennett's parents had some very big decisions to make, regarding the future of Bennett's medical care.

They knew they wanted to do whatever they could to help shrink her tumor, or at least give Bennett a few extra days, weeks, or even months. But, they also had reached the point where they had to stop and ask themselves, "Is it worth it anymore?"

Saving Bennett was all they ever wanted to do. They had been trying to raise awareness over social media platforms, to show those unaffected by the horrible disease what it was like, and why there needed to be more funding within the sector of childhood cancer. However, they were almost to the one year mark since her diagnosis day. As many people called it, that would be Bennett's "cancer-versary". The one year mark was a huge milestone for anyone suffering from DIPG. Like they had been informed of at her diagnosis, many children with the cancer don't live past one year after being diagnosed with it. Tim and Lucy knew that Bennett was one to try to defy the odds, and ultimately, they were thankful for any time they had with her, no matter how much they had left.

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May 5th, 2031

By May, Lucy and Tim had made their official decision on Bennett's care. While they wanted to do all they could for her, they knew that it was time to stop. Even with the second round of the radiation, there was still a chance that it wouldn't help the way the first round did, and that it wouldn't give them any extra time with her. The parents were aware of that, and decided to forego any other traditional treatment for their daughter. They were still going to give her things like pain medicine if she needed it, and any supplemental medical items she needed. However, they had finished with the hospitals, and with all the pokes and prods.

Their goal now was to spend as much time with Bennett as they could. They had no idea how much longer they had with their daughter, but they were hopeful they still had a few months, at least. She was still doing relatively well, still having most of the ability to walk, talk, eat, and all of the other things a child should be able to do. So, they were going to tackle some new adventures for Bennett.

They had her create a list of things she wanted to do, and they were going to try their best to accomplish as many of them as they could, if not all of them. Bennett's list included things like: Disney, zoos, aquariums, libraries, ice cream adventures, and many of the other things that Bennett liked to do on a normal basis. The Disney idea though, was brand new. Sure, Bennett loved Disney, but Tim and Lucy had never had the chance to take her. However, they knew they needed to change that, before it was too late.

Once Bennett had finalized her list, her parents jumped onto making plans to go to Disneyland as soon as they could. They needed to get everything prepared, and they wanted to pull off a surprise for Bennett. Sure, telling her would've been special, but seeing the look on her face when they arrived at Disneyland without her knowing would be utterly priceless. After booking their trip and purchasing their tickets to the park, they had three weeks before they were leaving. Not only were they going to Disneyland since Bennett had never been before, but they had also decided to make it even more special for their daughter by celebrating her sixth birthday while they were there. That meant that they needed to plan the trip for close to, if not on, Bennett's birthday.

"I think she's going to love it. I'm just glad we'll be able to take her once, before we don't have the chance to." Lucy told her husband, as Tim nodded. "I agree. This way, we'll have accomplished the biggest piece of her bucket list, the one thing she's never had the opportunity to do before." He told her.

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"I think we need to look at getting her a wheelchair before we go." Lucy said, "You can't just carry her all through the park, and she's not as stable with walking anymore." She told him, as he reluctantly agreed. "I'm sure we can find one for her, I know it'll be a lot more helpful in the long run for her, especially since we know she'll hit a point where she can't walk at all, or do anything else." He said.

So, the hunt for the perfect wheelchair for Bennett was on. They needed to find one that would be the perfect fit for the little girl, but they also needed one that would arrive at their house before they were scheduled to leave to take her to Disneyland. The wheelchair would be extremely helpful to her parents while they were there, and while they were back home afterwards. It took them a few days, but they eventually found the perfect wheelchair for their daughter, and ordered it as soon as they could.

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Bennett's purple wheelchair arrived at the Bradford house about a week and a half before they were leaving for Disneyland. Bennett loved her new chair, it being one of her absolute favorite colors. Tim and Lucy were thankful she liked the chair, and was willing to sit in it from the start. It also helped that she would love anything that meant her father either had to carry or push her around.

Now that her wheelchair had arrived, Tim and Lucy set out on finishing the packing for the trip. They were running low on time, and they needed quite a bit of stuff to take with them. Of course, they needed clothes and toiletries, but Bennett was also at the point where she needed some extra things, and her parents wanted to make sure they didn't leave anything behind, but if they happened to, they would easily be able to purchase the needed items from a pharmacy near their hotel.

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Tim, Lucy, and Bennett headed out from their house early the morning of June 16th. They had decided just to drive up, as it was significantly easier than trying to get everything and everyone through security at the airport. Plus, it would allow Bennett peace and quiet, and would give them a more calm trip, at least they hoped.

They had to take a few extra stops, but they eventually made it to their destination. They had made it the entire journey without Bennett figuring out what they were doing, and she was elated when she was informed they had made it, and would be heading to the park the next day.

After Bennett had gone to bed that night in the hotel room, Tim and Lucy spent a few minutes enjoying it all. Enjoying her presence, and the fact that they had successfully made a road trip with a terminally ill child.

"Goodnight, baby girl," both of her parents said, well after the girl had fallen asleep. "We'll see you in the morning." They told her, before they drifted off to sleep themselves.