Proud To Be A Lady Topper

Last January, the Hillsboro girls basketball team made Grace an honorary Lady Topper. At the time, it was just about a month since we first shared that our little girl had this incredibly rare, incredibly awful genetic condition that many of us know all too much about by now. It was also the first time that any of the teams that I had covered had done something at a game for Grace. It was an experience so brand new to us, that we were not only late, but I missed the team talking to Grace completely because I just dropped Mary off at the door and parked the car.

Grace got to be an honorary Hiltopper again this weekend, and got a new Pete the Cat!

Since then, many other teams have done things for our princess, from purple bows to signed balls to stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes. It never gets old and it always leaves me in awe of the generosity of the coaches and the players. Particularly the players. I can remember when I was 16 or 17 and I'm not sure I would have had the spirit to do what they have done.

At an early season game, the three Topper seniors came to see Grace.

Ranking which team event for Grace is the most special is like trying to decide your favorite child or favorite flavor of pie, but the latest game on Saturday, Jan. 30, almost a year to the day of Grace's first experience as a Lady Topper, ranks right up there. Earlier this season Grace came to a Hillsboro girls basketball game with me and it provided me with one of the best moments of the season. As soon as I walked in the door, the three seniors on this year's team, Lindsey Storm, Maddy Reck and Carly Cameron, flocked to Grace and treated her like she was the most important person in the gym.

The last time we saw the Hillsboro/Litchfield game, Grace got high-fives as the team ran in.

For those of you who know Grace, she ate this up. Her favorite thing has always been when people smile at her and tell her how beautiful she is. She just lights up and doles out the biggest smile she can muster, which in turn brings more smiles and compliments. It's a beautiful cycle.

At the state golf tournament, Lindsey wore a special purple ribbon for Grace.

These are Lindsey's basketball shoes for this season.

Since our visit to the Lady Toppers' home game, we've done our best to show our support to our team, often on social media. We've cheered when they've won, which has been often, and supported them when they've lost. They're an easy group to cheer for, both on the court and off. Lindsey Storm has particularly made an impact on our family. During golf season, she wore a purple bow in her hair during the postseason and a gracelets in honor of Grace at the state tournament. Early in the basketball season she asked if it was okay if she wrote Grace's name on her shoes as a way to recognize her. Both acts blew Mary and I away and we feel truly blessed that Lindsey has formed such a connection with Grace.

Hanging out with my favorite Lady Topper!

Hanging out with daddy before the start of the game.

Saturday's game was the second meeting between Hillsboro and another Team Grace member, Litchfield. I have a love/hate relationship with the cross-county games, because it's always more fun for me to see a Montgomery County team win and somebody has to lose in these contests. Still, the Hillsboro/Litchfield girls game is a must see for the Herschelman family due to the support we have received from both communities. The previous game at Litchfield provided a pretty memorable moment as Lindsey asked if the team could high-five Grace on their way back out to the court before the game. It was a pretty special moment, especially when I looked back on the pictures Mary took and see all the smiles on the players' faces.

Grandma Kim's favorite Lady Topper too!

Grace's cheering section! Every one of us had a different Grace shirt on!

This Saturday, the smiles were there again as the team invited us to come to the floor before the game began and presented Grace with her very own Pete the Cat stuffed animal and a copy of Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses that was signed by the whole team. Again Grace loved the attention and snuggled Pete for most of the game, which Hillsboro won in a close, fun game to watch.

At halftime of the game, Lindsey asked if she could get her photo taken with Grace. She later posted it on Facebook and said, "it's not every day you get to take a picture with someone you look up to so much." 

After the game, we were talking to Carly Cameron's parents and her father Clark said that as proud as he was of the girls on the court, he was even more proud of them off of it. I can't echo that statement enough and I hope they know how much it means to us to have them on our journey.

KRH

Missing Out On Little Moments

Three weeks ago tomorrow, I took a refreshing dip into Lake Lou Yaeger in the name of Stamp Out Cancer, the Montgomery County Cancer Association and the family of Eric and Stacy Lamb, who probably know better than almost anyone what we are going through with this whole INAD unpleasantness. It was an awesome experience and I was glad to be a part of it.

The plunge did have a downside though, besides the fact I had to use an ice scrapper to get my socks off my feet and I fell on my butt in front a hundred or so people. After I got out, I figured I would take a quick sub-zero selfie, because that's what the kids are doing. It was at that point that I realized that my selfie-taking device, aka my phone, was in my pocket… of the pants I just jumped into the lake in.

After some failed attempts to get it working again, we discovered that the phone was a lost cause. Water damaged the screen, meaning that the phone would turn on, but you couldn't answer it or see anything.

In all honesty, I wasn't worried about it that much. I've been trying to unplug a little more and if Lake Lou forced the issue, so be it. It was a little strange though. I wasn't able to talk to Mary any time I wanted. I wasn't able to get updates on how the North Dakota State men's basketball team or Tottenham Hotspur soccer team was doing.

And I wasn't able to use Twitter, which has become a fairly big part of my job. My Twitter updates aren't crucial by any means, they usually just consist of the score or a few random thoughts, but they are a great way to connect with the next generation of Journal-News subscribers, the people who will be paying my exorbitant salary someday.

Still, I had gotten used to being without my phone. I had better conversations, in particularly with my Grandma Virginia and my beautiful wife Mary. I didn't waste my free time on things that didn't matter. I enjoyed watching the game more and interacting with those around me who were doing the same.

It was nice, and still would be, but all good things must end. Today, my father-in-law was nice enough to loan me his old phone, so I would at least have something to get me by for a while. I might have been able to go a little longer, but there was some fear on my part about being stranded in the middle of nowhere on my way home from a game.

To be honest though, one thing made me miss my phone more than anything. Yesterday I was sitting at home, feeding Grace dinner before taking her up to the "Sparkles for Grace" party Mary was at. For the better part of 30 minutes, my princess was non-stop smiles in between waffle bites. We hadn't been able to spend much time together lately due to work stuff, so it was by far the best part of my day.

Those kind of moments are what Mary and I's "#foreverhappydays" project is all about. It's capturing those small little moments that we say we will never forget, but we always do. I'll remember going to Disney World with Grace or the Volley for Grace games or our Make-A-Wish trip, but it's harder to remember those stolen moments. And this time I didn't have a way to capture it.

That's why I missed my phone. I'm all about living the experience, but sometimes I want a souvenir from that experience. I'm still going to try to use my phone less, but it's nice having a way to grab that souvenir when I want to.

KRH

Sparkles For Grace

A couple of years ago, Kyle's mom bought Grace a shirt that said "I share my sparkle with the world." We just thought it was so fitting for Grace's personality, especially her sparkly smile.

Thanks to the generosity of Marilyn Mueller of Premier Designs Jewelry, we certainly had a sparkly week and raised a lot of money for INAD research.

Grace was so excited to come to the jewelry party!

Last fall, Marilyn stopped by the paper and told me she wanted to host a Premier Designs Jewelry party as a fundraiser for Grace. We have been so blessed by people giving of their time and talents to help us raise money for INAD.  Originally, we set up a date in the fall, but I ended up having to postpone it when some family came into town. We tried to set up a time before Christmas, but it just got to be too busy for both of us.

In the end, we decided to wait until after the first of the year, and picked a date toward the end of January.  At first, I was a little nervous about sending out all the invitations, but once I got started, it ended up being a lot of fun.

Cousin Izzy came with her mom, and won a new scarf!

Mom and I kind of brainstormed a list of people to invite together, and she was a huge help in getting the refreshments ready. 

Before I knew it, the night of the party was here. I didn't really know how many to expect, but I was hoping to have 20 or so come. Marilyn already had her tables set up when mom and I got there, so we worked on refreshments and punch. 

We loved seeing our friends at the party, and are so grateful to everyone who came!

The guests started arriving, and we ended up with 25 or so, and others have placed orders as well.  I greeted guests as they arrived, some of which I just met that night. One woman introduced herself and said she followed our story in the paper, and that she just loved to see Grace's picture in the paper.

When the party started, everyone had a chance to look at the jewelry and enjoy some refreshments, and then Marilyn made a presentation as well.  She introduced everyone to her friend "Stiffany," which is the model she uses to display jewelry. We had a lot of laughs, and enjoyed seeing the latest in jewelry trends. Marilyn encouraged everyone to try the jewelry, even some pieces they might not normally wear. The first piece she showed everyone was a blingy cross necklace, called Grace. Although I did try it on after the presentation, I decided it was probably a bit bigger than most of the jewelry I usually wear.  I had already decided what I wanted before the party, a silver bracelet called inner strength. The words "she believed she could, so she did," are inscribed in the middle. I thought it was very fitting, and it reminds me so much of Grace.

Marilyn brought TONS of jewelry for everyone to look at!

Kyle brought Grace after she finished her dinner, and she loved the party.  First off, because she got a chocolate chip cookie, but also because everyone stopped by to see her. I think she had a Grace smile for each and everyone there. She may not be able to say the words "thank you," but I think everyone there knew Grace was thankful that they came.

As Marilyn began figuring up the total sales for the evening, I was shocked by how much we were able to raise for the study. Some orders and donations are still coming in, but I'm pretty sure we have raised more than $1,000 from the evening, which I lovingly called "Sparkles for Grace." 

Marilyn showed everyone the jewelry during the presentation.

I say it all the time, but we are so lucky to live in this amazing community, where we are always surrounded by love and support. Thanks to everyone who made "Sparkles for Grace" such a HUGE success, and helping us to #beatINAD.

MLH