Dear Friends and Family,

 

It has been a while since we updated the website.  The summer was very difficult.  It was hard not to think about where we were last year; watching Quincy’s health deteriorate and knowing that heaven would be seeing a new angel.  August fourth marked the one year anniversary of her death. That day the four of us went to visit her grave.   Brody and Keenan brought her some purple hydrangeas from our yard.  Quincy’s gravestone was put in place a few days prior, as it had been a long and painful process picking out the appropriate stone and sentiment.  After admiring her sweet little face on her gravestone we headed up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend.  We always smile when we think about Lake Tahoe and Quincy.  One of our first family vacations was to Tahoe in the summer with Quincy before her cancer was diagnosed.  She had such a good time and told friends she liked Tahoe because it smelled like New Jersey!

 

The same friends also shared a sweet story with us.  One night when Quincy’s best friend’s mom was putting her daughters to bed, she told them how she was the luckiest mom in the world because they were such great girls.  Her daughter sat up in bed and told her that was not true.  She said “Mrs. Lee is the luckiest mom in the world because she had Quincy!”

 

We miss our sweet little angel every moment of every day, but we do know how “lucky” we were to have her be a part of our lives.
 
The morning glory blooms
But for an hour,
And yet it differs not at heart
From the giant pine
That lives for a thousand years.

 

                                    Teitoku Matsunaga
                                     16th Century Japanese poet

Thank you all for your continued love and support.

 

Love,

Roger and Lisa

P.S.  Next month the official Quincy Lee Foundation website will up and running at this same address: www.quincylee.com.  Look for our first official fundraiser in November.

Dear Friends and Family,
 
It's hard to believe summer is almost here.  Baseball has been in full swing for the boys and their teams are into their playoffs.  Spring proved to be another season of "firsts" for us again, starting with Quincy's birthday in March.  It felt so strange to celebrate her 7th birthday without her.  But as sad as the day was, we celebrated her life with friends who graciously continue to support us and grieve with us.  Her absence from our family seemed magnified on her birthday and Easter, as she was a child who believed in the goodness in life and found happiness in every day. 
 
In many ways Quincy's spirit continues to spread her magic in our lives.  Her "bench", generously donated by Rancho Romero families at her elementary school, has been installed on the Iron Horse Trail by our home.  It feels good to have a tangible memorial to share with our community.  (photo coming to website soon).  Other friends are eager to help with the Quincy Lee Foundation and have thought of great fundraising ideas to start planning for next year.  We are also in the process of changing this website format to reflect Foundation and Pediatric Cancer news, and hope to still hear from everyone on the "posting" section.
 
All the best for a happy and healthy summer.
 
Love,

Roger, Lisa, Brody and Keenan

Happy Birthday Quincy,

 

You are still our sweet little girl turning “7.”  We so wish you were here and miss you more every day.  Everyone asked about how we survived the Holidays without you and we told them it was no different than any day without you...we were sad.   From your starting every morning with “I love you”, to laughing away the days with your brothers, wrestling with your daddy, playing beanie baby hospital with your girlfriends, to finally a little SpongeBob and being the best mommy's helper with dinner, we miss the incredible daughter, sister and friend that you were!

 

We especially missed you during your brother's birthdays in December and February.  They weren't quite the same without your presence.  You were always the Master of Ceremony, helping to plan and lead the festivities.  We missed your enthusiasm and excitement on their celebrations, especially when it came time to lighting the candles on their cupcakes and singing Happy Birthday to them. 

 

Your friends at school also miss your sweet smile and kind nature.  They have generously put a bench on the Iron Horse Trail by your school with a wonderful plaque on it that compares you to a butterfly.  We think you will really like it.  It says, “A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam and for a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world.”

 

We also want to plan something in your honor with the Quincy Lee Foundation, so we can help raise money to find a cure for your cancer.  We will be planning something for next year. 

 

So sweet little Quin, on your birthday today, March 5, 2005, we will be celebrating and  remembering  the joy, the laughter and the love you brought into our lives for 6 ½ wonderful, beautiful years.

 

All our Love,

 

Mom, Dad, Brody and Keenan

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Happy New Year...a simple greeting never sounded so impossible.  We made it through our “first” Thanksgiving and Christmas with all of the holiday festivities and now find ourselves filled with many questions.  Questions about life, and meaning, and heaven, and being.

 

We knew these “first “ holidays without Quincy would be extremely hard.  We thought it best not to be at home for either one.  For Thanksgiving we spent a week with friends in Palm Springs and at Christmas we spent a quiet week in Lake Tahoe, just the four of us.  We learned that you can run, but you can't hide from sadness.  Our family and lives felt so whole with Quincy in our world.  It will never be the same without her.

 

There are times however, when we do focus on the many ways our family has been blessed.  We had our sweet little girl grace our lives for six precious years, making them so much greater and richer.  We have two young boys who even through this tragic event, keep us going and fill our days with their smiles and laughter.  We are continually blessed with our incredible friends, family, neighbors and community who have reached out and have given us support over these difficult days. 

 

In the months and years to come we hope to continue Quincy's goodness and spirit through the Quincy Lee Foundation. 

 

Love,

Roger and Lisa 

“Even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that still lies ahead.”  
                                          Frederick Buechner