Dear friends and family,
The year 2002 has been tumultuous for us, whose "main event" was the death of Andy’s dad (who passed away August the 6th). It brought sorrow to our family. He was a great father, father-in-law, and grandfather to us. He is and will continue to be dearly missed.As if to add insult to injury, Thaddeus got burned by tea on 14 percent of his body on the 19th day of August, so shortly after the death of Andy’s father. It was a depressing month! Thank God for the Shriner’s Burn hospital: they took very good care of Thaddeus, and they did so without charging us a penny. If you’re a Shriner, thank you! If you know of a Shriner, thank him or her for us. It was a sad and emotional time for the whole family, watching Thad lie there, whimpering, wrapped up like a mummy. The burn center taught us how to change Thad’s dressings, and we did this twice a day for three weeks. After those three weeks we went back to the hospital and they gave us an "A" for the hard work we had done. The teamwork really paid off, as we avoided the skin grafts that had seemed inevitable early on. Thad might have scars on his upper arm and under his armpit - it’s too early to say - but we are glad that he has recovered and is back to his cheery self. He is 14 months old now; loves books and being the center of attention, and being babysat by his brother Tchapo and uncle Kpandja. |
Tchapo just celebrated his 17th birthday on the 24th of December. He has told us that after his 18th birthday we can’t tell him what to do anymore. We’ll see about that! He is having a good year as a junior, judging by his full social calendar and dance card. His school soccer season is over with, and although they didn’t have a super record - they were 6-12 for the season - they won their district, only to lose in regionals in overtime. He is now playing coed indoor soccer. He loves to rap and even performs for us. He has been going with his girlfriend Lauren for about a year now. Best of all he is being a great big brother to Thaddeus.
We hope that this letter finds you with a sunny disposition, and looking forward to a great year 2003. May it be a blessed and happy year for you. Please do drop by for a visit when you are in the neighborhood. We love having visitors! Take care now,
Love,
The Longs of Ft. Thomas