It was a cheesy cheeseball, covered with Cheez Whiz and served on a bed of Cheez-Its. With a side of queso.
Jordan SonnenblickA typical weeknight when he was home like this: 1. Sit down and try to do homework. 2. Get interrupted by Jeffrey: โPlease play with me!โ 3. Ignore brother, try to do homework. 4. Get interrupted by Jeffrey: โCome ON, Steven! Iโm BORED!โ 5. Beg Jeffrey for five minutes of peace. 6. Get begged for five minutes of play: โSteven, you never, ever play with meโever!โ 7. Move entire homework operations center to different room. 8. Repeat steps #1-7 as directed by small drugged maniac.
Jordan SonnenblickThis was the kid who used to toddle over to my bed at 6 oโ clock in the morning every weekend morning to pull on my blankets so Iโd get up and watch cartoons with him. This was the kid who once made me play Hungry Hungry Hippos for an hour straight, until I thought my hands were going to fall off from slamming down those dumb little levers to make the hipposโ heads move. This was the kid who had spent an entire days at a time begging me to play Chutes and Ladders with him. And now he was feeling too sick to play with me.
Jordan SonnenblickMe: Well, you see, I, uh, I'm a cancer survivor. Person #1: And how's that working out for you? Me: Well, you see, I, uh, used to have leukemia. Person #2: Dude, how come you're not, like, BALD? Me: Well, you see, I, uh, I had acute lymphocytic lymphoma when I was five. Person #3: Whoa. THAT must'a sucked. I once had my tonsils out.
Jordan SonnenblickI tucked him in with his stuffed-animal pet dogโcleverly named Dog-Dog, by the way.
Jordan SonnenblickNot fair? Oh, I'm sorry I get this lovely laptop computing device when all you get is the ability to walk, control your hands, and know you'll survive until your eighteenth birthday." Then the kid was going, "Uh, I didn't mean..." But Tad wasn't done yet. While the whole class watched in horror, he put his hands through the metal support braces on the arms of his wheelchair and forced himself to stand up. Then he took a shaky little step to the side, gestured toward the chair, and said, "Why don't you take a turn with the laptop? You can even have my seat.
Jordan Sonnenblick