Wyatt and Olivia have had a special bond since the moment they were each conceived. They grew together in my womb and knew each other instantly when they were reunited out in the world. This picture was taken not too long after we brought our babies home from the NICU. You can see how they turn towards each other in their sleep. They are completely comfortable in each other’s midst.

Wyatt has always had an uncanny ability to see that his sister was special. He knew that she was sick even in his very young age. I remember him sobbing as his sister went through tests and how frantic his face looked because he wanted so desperately to help her. That was at 4 months of age. And developmentally, more like 2 months because they were born 2 months early. 

Wyatt happily took the back seat to his sweet sister for the entire 20 months and 3 days she had with us on this earth. And if you have been lucky enough to meet our wonderful son, you know that he is anything but a wall flower. He just loved his sister so much that he was happy to let her have whatever she needed.

And Olivia loved him too. We believe wholeheartedly that the sequence of events around Olivia’s passing was no accident. Olivia went very quickly. We only had 5 days with her from the time we were told she wouldn’t make it and they thought she had weeks or months left. And then only a few days after Olivia passed, Wyatt was diagnosed with diabetes and had gone into keto acidosis. We believe that Olivia let go and went with Jesus when she did because she knew that it was now her brothers turn. Wyatt needed us. And he held on trying to make it by while feeling truly horrible with his undiagnosed diabetes to allow Olivia to have that final time with us. Talk about true love. My babies gave true love to each other every single day they had together here on earth.

And now I watch while Wyatt aches for his sister. He has taken to going into her room when he is sad and taking her teddy bears off her dresser. He calls them his sissy bears and insists on carrying them around the house. He talks about her and tells me how he wants to go and see her. It breaks my heart into a million pieces. I wish so badly that there wasn’t this distance between them. They will have to wait until our family can be reunited in Heaven.

Childhood cancer stole time away from our family. The time we had on earth together was marred by tests, stress and hospital visits. And now we will never be able to have all of our children together in the same picture. No family portrait will ever be complete.

You see, we desperately need a cure. Our family is not the first to experience this heartbreak and we will certainly not be the last. You can help! To learn more please visit our website at www.oliviacaldwellfoundation.org and help us in our fight to find a cure for pediatric brain cancer.