We had stairs at our house and one of Darian’s favorite activities was to jump down as many stairs as possible – so the idea of him hurting, twisting his knee, or spraining his ankle was an everyday occurrence.  But this turned out to be different.

30 hours after that first appointment, which included 2 sets of x-rays, our first trip to Portland, an MRI, and finally a late night biopsy, we heard that word we never thought we would hear. The word that never should be said in relation to a child: Cancer.

Darian was officially diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his left leg, located right above the knee.

Darian spent the next 10 months in treatment.  Three weeks “on” with chemo treatments, followed by 1 or 2 weeks “off”.  We spent hours in the car commuting to Portland and spent many nights in the hospital.  Things that seemed strange and daunting at first become second nature for us.

Looking back, I’m not sure how Darian did it.  All the shots, all the drugs, all the procedures, all the surgeries.  But he did.  Sure, there were good days and bad days, but throught it all, Darian was amazing.  His spirit and attitude were an inspiration to everyone.

After 10 months he was done!  No more drugs, no more surgeries, no more nights at the hospital.  All scans and tests came back clean.  Darian and our family were moving into the next stage of this journey.

I wish I could tell you that after treatment Darian went back to school, played little league in the spring, and will grow old…
I wish I could say that Darian will use his story to inspire and encourage others…
I wish I could say that Darian is a happy and healthy 9 year old boy now this Summer of 2012…

There are a lot of things that I wish for now regarding Darian, but unfortunately for us, and all that loved Darian, that is not the case.  At his 3 month check, they discovered the cancer had spread to his lungs and there wasn’t anything else that could be done.

On April 29th, 2009, God determined that Darian had fulfilled his purpose here on earth and called him home to Heaven.

Abby and I were very fortunate and blessed to have been given the privilege of raising Darian for the short time he was here with us.  Darian might no longer be with us physically, but his spirit and attitude will remain with us forever.

Thank you for letting us share Darian and his story with you

As a result of this experience … and in an effort to help other families dealing with pediatric cancer, 4Him2Day was founded in January 2010, and became incorporated February 22, 2010.

Thank you for hearing our story… the story that is continuing to be written.

-Craig

Father of Darian and Founder of Darian’s Gift