I don't know what got into the boy!

Although yesterday was Ainsley's birthday, it was also Graham's graduation from kindergarten. Now, you may remember from year's past my description of kindergarten graduation at SCS. It is over the top. There is live entertainment, a movie, and of course the traditional name calling. It was during the live entertainment portion of the evening that Graham truly made himself known.

You see, the first 30 minutes of the graduation ceremony was a live musical of sorts. Each child had a part and one by one they would step up to the mic and tell the story of their year as a kindergartner. All of the kids did wonderfully and not one of them had trouble with their memorized lines. Whoever wrote the script did a great job as I never felt bored. In fact, it was down right funny and each child brought some great material with them. I can honestly say that, if I had not already, I now have a great grasp of what they did this year, what they learned, and how much fun they had.

The speaking parts where broken up by choreographed dancing and singing parts. It was like watching Glee - the kindergarten version. And this is where Graham came out of his shell. By all appearances it looked as though his singing was right on. It was not what was coming out of his mouth though that captured the attention of the audience. It was his dance moves that kept every one's eyes on him. He totally hammed it up. He invested every ounce of energy into his "moves" and delivered a performance like no other. It was easy to pick Graham out of the crowd. Although all of the other kids were doing the moves, Graham was doing it to the max. He not only had Lynley and I in stitches but the rest of the audience as well. In fact, after the performance, no less than 50 people would congratulate me on Graham's incredible show of dancing prowess.

Who would have known. After all, he is like me - geeky and awkward. Somehow though, he pulled off an enormous coo of coolness.

It was awesome.

I am so proud.

I don't know that I could have done that. However, I don't actually know that he knew he was doing it either.

He was just having a blast.

It was contagious.

As soon as we get the video we will be posting it here and we will let you know.

Until then, you will just have to trust me when I tell you our graduate has some incredible purpose.

Happy Birthday Ainsley

Today Ainsley turns five years old. Now, for normal kids, it is simply another nice birthday. For Ainsley, however, this is a huge milestone. The fact, that she survived another year, is simply astounding. Sure, she made it through the year needing some extra additions - some staples on her noggin for example - but she did make it through fearlessly. Daily she continually amazes me with the things she will do. She is carefree and boundless and I only wish I could see life through her eyes.

I have received several messages this week asking how she was doing after her little head injury. Let's see, later that day she was back on a swing. It was not 24 hours after the incident that she was already trying to climb trees. 2 days after the episode I had to stop she and one of her "boyfriends" from giving each other a noogie contest. In short, it hasn't slowed her down one bit. It does seem, however, that several times daily I find myself saying "Stop doing that Ainsley. You have staples in your head" I feel that I need to remind her. Clearly, the rest of her family are the only ones with concern. She certainly does not seem to be bothered by it. She is "staple head girl" hear her roar.

So, in short, I guess you can say that Ainsley is just fine.

Some how.

And now we are back to the reality that some how she made it another year. I might also point out that she did so without any jail time, trips to the police station, or loss of teeth. In fact, she was my only child that made it through and entire year without even a single yellow sticker at school. Yes, she had perfect behavior - all year, every day. Who could have possibly predicted that? Double Wow!

Like I said. It is Ainsley's birthday and she has a lot to celebrate. She did it in style.

Happy Birthday my little fire cracker of purpose.

Win an Apple iPad!

Okay, so here is my best effort at bringing my kiddo's fundraiser to the office and begging all of my friends and work companions to help support the team. If you could help, I would greatly appreciate it. It is inexpensive, for a worthy cause, and you could win some great prizes.

First, as you know Graham and Sydney have both qualified to go the USA Taekwondo Junior Olympics. In fact, their entire team will be going. Here is a great picture of the team:

The Junior Olympics will be in Orlando Florida on June 29th - July 3rd. Graham and Sydney's team have set a goal to raise $6000 to help cover the costs associated with the Junior Olympics. This includes costs for required equipment, competition uniforms, and coaches fees. In order to meet this goal they have created a raffle to raise the necessary funds.

Raffle tickets are $5 a piece and you can win any of the following:
• Apple iPad
• Scuba certification for two
• Scentsy gift basket
• Movie gift basket
• GSX parents night out for a month
• Dinner for two at Hoffbrau

Please email me at mdungan@edocendo.com if you are interested in purchasing a raffle ticket. Let me know how many and I will get back to you with your lucky raffle numbers.

Finally, we are also looking for corporate sponsors for our team. If you would be interested in sponsoring the team we have a variety of sponsorship packages available from $100 to $5000. Your support would help make the difference and I can guarantee that you will get some tremendous exposure (shirts, billboards, uniforms, print and radio media). How would your company like to be known for sponsoring a national champion? It is a win-win situation for everyone. Please contact me if you are interested by email or at 817-846-6085.

Today's purpose comes in the form of a threat from some very talented twerps.

He is my son

I am capable of doing one thing at a time, doing it well, and then moving on. Much to Lynley's chagrin, this is just how I am built. It is all fine and dandy if you are a multitasker. I can do that as well but, when you get right down to it, at my best, at my most efficient, I do one thing. Over the years I have gotten much better at multitasking. In fact, at any one point in time, I am juggling 5 or 6 projects. However, that has been a long time in coming and, if I had my druthers, I would still be doing 1 thing at a time.

Last weekend we kind of had a surprise national qualifier for the AAU National Tae Kwon Do Championship. The AAU is another national Tae Kwon Do organization. It competes directly with USAT which is the sponsor of most of the tournaments we normally play. In Tae Kwon Do there are these two major groups vying for international dominance. The sparring rules between the two groups are different but essentially everything else is the same. It is kind of like the NFL and the old USFL, one will eventually dominate but, until then, we have a choice.

Regardless, last weekend we had the opportunity to compete in the regional qualifier in Addison. We felt that given Graham's performance in the last few tournaments it might be good to get some more sparring under our belt.

It was a good idea.

Graham dominated all of his bouts. By the end of the day he would fight 3 times and win each handily. He won gold and earned his spot at the National Championships in Fort Lauderdale.

So, what happened?

It wasn't complicated. It fact, it was just the opposite. Graham was told to do one thing. That was it, over and over, and that is exactly what Graham did. He spent every moment of the fight repeating a cover punch, kick, clench routine.

Over and over. Cover punch, kick, clench. Cover punch, kick, clench. Cover punch, kick, clench.

He blew the competition away and don't think they were pushovers either. With the exception of the gold medalist from the USAT Texas Championship, his competition on Saturday was equal or better than any we have been up against.

He was the difference. There was no hopping around like a little bunny rabbit. There was no cluelessness. He was on a mission and he knew exactly what to do. It seems as though, as Graham has advanced and gained more skills, he has just become more confused. With all of his newly found weapons he just never knew what to use. He couldn't do the math on the fly and figure out which combination to throw.

So, we erased all of that. Adrian gave him just one thing.

His mind cleared and he dominated.

Now, I don't know how Graham will fair at the National Championships or the Junior Olympics given the level of competition at those levels. I honestly don't know whether he will be able to get away with throwing this simple combination over and over. However, it certainly was nice to see him back in his element. And, I can tell you this for sure, I would rather see him lose due to being out played rather than because he spent 3 minutes hopping around the ring waiting to be kicked.

In the end, it was very easy for me to understand. His mind is simple, just like his dad's.

He can do one thing at a time, he can do it very well, and then he can move on.

It is the intensity, the focus, and the singularity of purpose which makes the difference.

Another nightmare

Yes, I know, that is hardly the way to start a diary entry. However, I can assure you it wasn't a very good way to celebrate a Saturday afternoon either.

We had just gotten back from the AAU National Qualifier in Addison. It had been an exciting morning at a qualifier for the Tae Kwon Do National Championships. But, the results will have to wait until tomorrow.

None the less, Graham and Sydney were playing inside. Lynley and I were on the back porch putting together a grocery list and Ainsley was about 25 feet away swinging on the tree swing. Even though Lynley and I were working diligently, we had a pretty good eye on Ainsley. Honestly, we had little choice. On every upswing Ainsley would call out "Mommy (or Daddy) watch this!"

Next, we saw her swing down, we heard the sound of a melon crack, and we saw the swing come back up without her on it. All of a sudden she burst out screaming. Lynley and I were already running down the stairs from the porch. By the time we were half way there we could see the blood on her dress.

That was fast. Where is the blood coming from?

Ainsley stood up. The back of her head was soaked in blood and, I kid you not, there was a stream of blood literally shooting from the back of her head.

Lynley stabilized her and her head to keep her from moving. I shot back up the stairs to grab towels and the phone to call 911. Within seconds, I was back with a towel. It took less than a minute for the first one to soak through with blood. I got her another one and Lynley increased pressure.

Ainsley was awake, alert, and no doubt terrified. Lynley had always told her that if she wasn't more careful she was going to crack her head open and that was Ainsley's first question. "Mommy, did I crack my head open?"

As Lynley applied pressure and first aid. I barked orders from the 9-1-1 operator. "Don't move her." "Keep her still." "Apply pressure." While doing this, Graham and Sydney became aware that something was terribly wrong. They started balling and crying. I asked them to go outside and flash down the fire truck and ambulance. We could hear the sirens getting closer. In the meantime, I locked up the dogs and opened all of the doors to provide the fireman and EMT's fast access to the backyard. Within a minute they pulled up. As they prepared I gave them the background.

My daughter Ainsley, age 4, fell backwards off the swing onto the dirt. Significant bleeding from the back of her head. She is alert and conscious. She has not passed out. She has not thrown up.

There was a flurry of activity. I then went back into the house to make sure Graham and Sydney were okay. I gave them each things to do.

Graham go put on your shoes.

Sydney change clothes.

I will be up for you in a minute.

"Daddy, is Ainsley okay?"

"Honey, I don't know but she is awake and talking. That is a good sign. Say a prayer for her and lets let the emergency workers do their job."

I gathered up everything I thought we would need at the hospital. I called my mother to see if she could come watch the kids. I went back to check on Ainsley and give her a reassuring smile. The EMTs worked methodically and deliberately to slow the bleeding and secure Ainsley's neck and head.

Ainsley was scared but she remained responsive and alert.

After the bleeding had slowed (or stopped) they wrapped her head tightly and loaded her on the backboard. Then they loaded her on the gurney. As they did this, I went to check on the Graham and Sydney. They were in hysterics. I told them that if they could stop crying and put on a brave face they could go out and see Ainsley. They quickly muffled there cries and I ushered them outside. Ainsley was still obviously scared but I think seeing her brother and sister did everyone a world of good. The kids went back to the house with DeeDee, Lynley went to grab her shoes, and I walked with Ainsley as they rolled her out to the ambulance. Lynley hopped on the ambulance. I gave Ainsley a kiss good bye and told her I would see her very soon.

I grabbed my keys and took off. In fact, I had left the house before the ambulance. On the way, I made phone calls to Mimi and Papa and to a good friend that was a surgeon. I will tell you that I was in shock and could not figure out why there was so much blood. It was good that I had called David. He quickly got me the facts I needed to know and I was then ready to care for Ainsley and my family.

• Lots of blood was normal - head bleeds profusely (and her case, shoots blood).
• Injury on the back of the head was better than the sides - skull is tougher.
• The fact that she was awake and alert was a very good sign.
• Eyes and pupils responsive was a great sign.
• No nausea and no vomiting another good sign.
• The fact that she did not pass out was also a great sign.

I felt much better. This could be just a scratch. This could just be some staples in the head and a trip back home.

That was the first moment I realized that this might all be okay.

Thank you David.

I beat the ambulance by about 20 minutes. In the meantime I was texting with Lynley. She was getting more confidence as well. All signs in the ambulance was that this may not be so bad. We would still need and x-ray and maybe a CT scan but this was continuing to look better.

They quickly ushered us back into the ER. The only problem was that we found ourselves in the room in which Sydney was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. That left us a little uneasy. However, the fact that Ainsley has doing well and there weren't doctors and nurses swarming all over her gave us some more confidence.

In all, it would take several hours. Ainsley would receive several staples to close a 1 centimeter hole in the back of her head but, thankfully, everything else came back good. No fractures and no apparent internal damage.


Thank you God.

I got my purpose back in one piece.

A great night for neuroblastoma

Good morning! Well, last night was a late night. I did not get home until midnight. I had the privilege of attending a fundraising dinner to benefit neuroblastoma research in Dallas. My job during the evening was to speak about neuroblastoma and try to paint the picture of some of the problems that our children face. To be honest, although time was tight, I really enjoyed the opportunity to stand up and practice my speaking skills. I was only given about 15 minutes to speak which, with my favorite subject, was a challenge. How do you cram everything you want people to know in such a short time?

While it was important to let them know the basics about neuroblastoma, I really wanted them to know the reality of the disease. What exactly is the treatment like? What does achieving a remission really mean? In a disease without a cure, when do you really win? Can you?

As you can probably tell, it was a pretty depressing talk. But, I think I did lay a pretty good foundation to argue that these kids desperately needed a cure. I then went on to show that there was no profit incentive for pharmaceutical companies to make drugs for pediatric cancers and provided a litany of examples of promising drugs with activity in neuroblastoma that were dropped because of the lack of a billion dollar market.

I closed by sharing some of my favorite statistics which showed that the government was not the answer either. I shared the NCI's annual budget of $4.6 billion. I also showed how those dollars were divvied up. I showed how breast cancer received a $580 million chunk of the pie and how prostate cancer received a piece worth almost $300 million. Those numbers really stood out after I demonstrated that all 12 groups of pediatric cancer comprised of some 50 different classes of childhood cancer shared in a total of only $190 million. Yes, the math was not in our favor and it became clear that the answer was not the government.

That left only one solution, the people in that room. If anyone was going to create change for these kids, it was going to be the people in that room.

Was it one of my best speeches. Probably not. That was a lot to cram in 15 little minutes and, frankly, much of what I would have loved to say was left on the cutting room floor.

The goal of the evening was to raise about $30,000 to help fund a clinical trial.

After all of the counting was done, it looks like some $170,000 was raised.

Now, I am certainly not saying that it was my speech that had anything to do with the success. In fact, I am guessing that it had a lot more to do with all of the friends and family of the Malones than it had to do with anything I said. I was just extremely honored to have been a part of such an incredibly wonderful night for neuroblastoma.

It was a true example of how a few people can make a huge difference in the world of neuroblastoma. It just takes action.

Now comes the hard part of put those dollars to meaningful purpose and action.

Another day off

Good morning. Well, welcome to the end of the school year where everyday is an excuse to do something outside of the realm of learning that requires your parents to take a day off of work. Did that sound bitter? I don't mean to sound bitter. In fact, I am quite the opposite. I relish the opportunity to spend time with the kiddos. In fact, I can't think of a better example than Graham's field trip to The Ballpark in Arlington. The problem is managing 3 kiddos who each have a series of days like this. It happens all at once and, the next thing we know, during the last couple of weeks of school we have to schedule off roughly 8 days of work. It isn't the fact, that we "have" to spend time with the kids. I love that. It is the pressure of work and not being able to fit it all in.

You know me and Lynley as well, family always comes first (don't tell our bosses.) It becomes significantly harder when we have spans like this. Today is Sydney's Field Day, a day of fun and games up on the field at the upper campus. For Sydney it is great. She gets to run and play with her friends. We get to watch and supervise. The whole thing ends at noon when they will be dismissed. It makes for a fun short day for them but leaves no work time for us. That isn't bad right. Suck it up Mark. But, did I mention that Tuesday I took the day off to spend all day with Graham at the Ballpark. Oh, and on Friday we get to repeat the whole field day process with Ainsley. If that were not enough, next week we have kindergarten graduation, individual awards ceremonies for each class, Ainsley's Birthday party at school, and Graham gets an additional day off from school because he will be a kindergarten graduate.

Wow. Do the math. It does not leave much time for work.

I know I sound whiny. I don't mean to. It is just a very busy couple of weeks professionally and it looks like with all of the school activities I will get to very little of it. On top of all of that, I am receiving nasty grams from my mother-in-law now because I am not writing enough in my diary.

For me this is a mental issue. How do I enjoy all of the time I want to spend with the kids when the pressure of work and the guilt of not being there will be hanging over my head. Am I man enough to handle it?

I sure hope so, otherwise, what is the point of being there.

On another note, my trip to the ballpark with Graham was excellent. We both had a great time. I got to chaperone Graham and his two friends, Hunter and Bryce. Graham had an absolute blast but will also tell you that he did not understand a word the tour guide said. In fact, if you asked him who played in the stadium he may not be able to answer the question. The tour itself was good and very interesting. My little piece of advice though - Don't go on a game day. On game days you don't get the complete tour and you don't get to see some of the best stuff.

Also, Day 3 of bullygate was much better. Lynley wrote Mrs. Holder and the issue has been escalated to the counselor. The issue seems to be that the little girl just doesn't understand the impact of her behavior. According to Mrs. Holder she doesn't believe that the girl has any idea of the turmoil she is causing. She doesn't understand how much she is bothering Sydney and it is Mrs. Holders belief that she would cease if she truly understood. True, but I wonder if that is not how all bullies think. After all, isn't that one of their major issues, an inability to empathise and put one in another's shoes? Regardless, with only a few days left of school and with the fact that the girl will not be returning to SCS next year it is probably a non issue. Between now and then they are watching her closely and it is probably a relatively safe environment for Sydney to learn to work through the issue.

Like with the pressure of not being in the office, there is not always a solution but there is a silver lining. Sydney will learn to master her fears and I will get more time with my purpii.