Today’s blog post has nothing to do with shoes, or workflow, or accounting software. But any mother, aunt, or anyone who has been touched in some way by cancer or Leukemia will know exactly why today’s View From My Shoes is dedicated to this adorable little fireball, Luke.

When I woke up yesterday morning, I could have listed a dozen things I was frustrated, stressed, anxious, worried, or even angry about – then I logged into Facebook. What’s the old saying? “Perspective is a wonderful thing”…

A few days ago, my high school friend, Michelle’s biggest stress was juggling her little sister’s upcoming wedding this weekend with the duties of wife & mommy to her husband & two little guys, Jeremiah and Little Lukey. Last Sunday night, when 2 ½ -year-old Luke’s fever just wouldn’t break after several days, she rushed him to urgent care in hopes of getting her family back to A+ shape by this weekend’s wedding day. The heartbreaking news that this family received less than 24 hours later: little Luke was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) yesterday afternoon, and begins 6-months of intensive Chemo treatment tomorrow.

I haven’t seen my friend since before she was married and had two beautiful boys, but thanks to Facebook, we’ve stayed in touch as our lives carried us in different directions over the years. I’ve watched both of her boys grow up through Facebook photos & videos, and I’ve said from the start that there’s just something special about this little guy. His sparkle is infectious & you can’t look at his smile and not instantly be in a good mood. My heart is just aching for this family, and especially for my friend, who I know would trade places with her little boy in a heartbeat if she could.

Thankfully, the Crecelius family is surrounded with an amazing support system of family and friends – within 12 hours of setting up the page dedicated to Luke’s Journey Though Leukemia, more than 1,000 people were already following his story. As we all go about life busy as ever, I hope that we can take a moment to remember little Luke and all the other kiddos out there fighting battles like this. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of Luke showing all of us exactly what he’s made of – and that AML decided to mess with the wrong kid.