Heart Warrior Update and Merch Pick up!

3/6/2026

When I wrote the first Heart Warrior post, I honestly had no idea what would happen.

Part of me just needed to say it out loud. When your family is carrying something big, sometimes putting the words out into the world feels like releasing a little pressure valve. I figured maybe a few friends would read it, maybe my mom would share it, and then we’d move on.

What I didn’t expect was the wave of support that followed.

Messages. People stopping us around town. Friends sharing the post. People buying shirts and hats faster than I could ruin them with the heat press. It has been overwhelming in the best possible way and a huge reminder of how lucky we are to live in a place where people actually show up for each other.

On the flip side, I was a little nervous about putting that kind of attention on Tucker and what he’s going through. So I sat him down and asked him what he thought about the shirts and hats and everyone rallying around him.

I said, “Be honest, how does this make you feel?”

He told me it gives him strength knowing people are supporting him through the surgery.

And in that moment, it was clear this was the right thing for both of us.

This was never meant to be a pity party.

It’s a strength party.

I didn’t share our story so people would feel sorry for us. I shared it because maybe someone else out there has been through it. Or needs a little push to ask more questions, push their doctors for more testing, or not accept “let’s just sit around and wait” as the only answer.

And the coolest part of all of this? The support has gone beyond just our family.

Through the Heart Warrior shirts and hats, we’ve raised over $2,000 for the Durango Derailers, an organization that helps families who have to travel to Denver for medical care. That part means a lot to us. A hard moment in our lives is helping support other families going through hard moments too, and that feels like exactly the kind of ripple effect this community is so good at creating.

One of the hardest parts of going through something like this as parents is figuring out how to keep life feeling normal for the other kids. When one child has something big happening, the whole family feels it.

But kids still deserve their normal rhythms; school days, sports practices, laughter, sibling fights over absolutely nothing… you know, the usual.

Which brings us to this week.

On March 9th, Milo turns 8. And birthdays do not get canceled just because life got complicated.

There will be cake.

There will be singing.

There will be bowling with friends.

There will probably be way too much sugar.

And there will be an 8-year-old who deserves a day that is fully about him.

This week, we celebrate Milo turning 8, we pack bags for Denver, and we step into something big as a family. Through all of it, we’re holding onto the normal moments, birthday candles, laughter, and the chaos of raising kids.

One day at a time.

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Merch Pick-Up

We’re just waiting on the small shirts to arrive and finishing up the merch, but we will be ready to deliver the goods soon!

Pickup Details: Chapman Hill, Monday, March 9th, 3:30–6:00 PM

If you can’t make it to Chapman, everything will also be available for pickup at 4Corners Riversports through Wednesday.

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March 13th Ask

If you have a Heart Warrior shirt or hat, please wear it on March 13th! If you don’t have merch, you can still show your support by wearing red. ❤️

Snap a picture and send it my way so I can show Tucker when he wakes up. Because every Heart Warrior deserves to wake up knowing they have an entire army rooting for them. ❤️

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March Mood

March is for deep breaths. For pauses. For trusting the process.

And for remembering that everything is going to be great.

Because while Tucker may be the Heart Warrior, he’s not walking into this alone. He’s walking in with a loving sister, Charlotte, who is always watching out for him, a brother who just turned eight who may fight with him like only brothers can, but loves him more than anything, and a family that stands fiercely behind him.

And beyond our house, he has an entire community behind him that has shown up in ways we never expected.

We chose to talk about this publicly, not because we wanted sympathy, but because we want to share our story.  The support we’ve felt from all of you has reminded us just how powerful community can be.

To everyone who has sent messages, shared our story, bought a shirt, or simply checked in, thank you for supporting our family through this. It means more than we can possibly say.

And if there’s one thing we know for sure right now, it’s this:

A kid with that much love behind him is already stronger than any surgery ahead. 💙