{"id":334,"date":"2018-02-21T05:41:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T05:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hayleysmom.com\/?p=334"},"modified":"2018-02-21T05:41:36","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T05:41:36","slug":"hernameinlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hayleysmom.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/21\/hernameinlights\/","title":{"rendered":"Her Name in Lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

I have some catching up to do. \u00a0We shall see if we get one long post or multiple ones. \u00a0Back in the fall I met with a local tv anchor. \u00a0She and I have been friends since her days on the AHA board. \u00a0I have done Go Red for Women stories with her. \u00a0One year I even let her film me in a Gym. \u00a0That was when I was weighed on tv and the story’s angle was a women recovering from a heart event and getting in shape. \u00a0The only problem was that my story was followed by one about a contest to guess the weight of the hippo at the Woodland Park Zoo which both kids thought was hysterical. \u00a0Despite the hippo story this woman is the only one I would trust with Hayley’s story. \u00a0We met and I told her what had happened and all of the positive events that happened since my loss. \u00a0I explained what I wanted to accomplish with the #belikehayley movement. \u00a0First I want people particularly teenagers to understand what the “be” meant to her and I. \u00a0Make a decision to “Be” something each day, week, month or year. \u00a0When we ask our children what they want to be when they grow up it is assumed that they will tell us what career they will have. \u00a0Hayley wanted to be an FBI agent or a Police Officer. \u00a0This was her answer since around 6th grade. \u00a0Prior to that it was a pilot, but the she realized math was not for her. \u00a0But as she entered high school and again in college we talked about the “be” all the time. \u00a0I want the first thing my kids to think of when I ask them what do you want to be when you grow up, NOT to be a career. \u00a0I want them to say things like “be happy; be loved; be kind; be outgoing; be brave”. \u00a0Pick a career that makes you happy, kind and brave. \u00a0You will have made the right choice.<\/p>\n

The second goal of the campaign is to promote organ donor awareness. \u00a0We are one of the top states with an 80% yes rate with the dmv. \u00a0I recently did some training with our state organization. \u00a0I expressed my desire to encourage people to say yes to organ donation. \u00a0Her reaction was “we are already the best in the nation at that”. \u00a0My reaction, but we are not 100% so why stop trying. \u00a0Hayley’s organ donations, the lives she saved and the families that did not have to go through what we did, that is what has kept me standing.<\/p>\n

My friend and her kind cameraman stayed for 4 and a half hours filming. \u00a0We filmed at my house, we walked at Beaver Lake and hid some painted rocks. \u00a0I don’t know what will make the final cut or how long the piece will be. \u00a0But that day I honored my daughter. \u00a0I had the best listener, a woman that both Hayley and I respected. \u00a0Hayley thought she was always the prettiest and smartest person in the room. \u00a0She would be thrilled that her story was being told by Marni.<\/p>\n

I felt drained that day. \u00a0I poured all I had into it. \u00a0In spite of my planning there was still things I wish I had said. \u00a0That evening one of my new friends from the past 6 months called to say that on Wednesday, Valentine’s day we had plans. \u00a0Um, no, we have to pack and leave Thursday morning for our trip to San Francisco. \u00a0Being my friend from New Jersey, no was not an answer. \u00a0Be ready by 6, you will be home about 9 and dress warm. \u00a0OMFG, what is she up to. \u00a0First, not a huge fan of surprises. \u00a0Second, Scott and Henry even said WTF. \u00a0But we all knew we would be ready at 6 in spite of our reservations. \u00a0Scott doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day so I figured maybe I would get some love out of this. \u00a0Boy did I.<\/p>\n

That day I was busy. \u00a0I did some work. \u00a0I bought Justin Timberlake tickets, cause hello “Suit and Tie”. \u00a0I had an eye doctor appointment. \u00a0Then the dog kept throwing up so I had to take the puppy to the vet at 4:45. \u00a0As I was getting ready to \u00a0leave it came to my attention that I had spent the day with my pants inside out. \u00a0Pretty typical shit for me. \u00a0Got the dog back home with ear drops, meds and a $253 vet bill. \u00a0All in time to have 15 minutes to dress, grab a hat and gloves and be ready for our adventure.<\/p>\n

We crammed in to their Honda Pilot, my family and theirs. \u00a07 of us total. \u00a0I really had no clue. \u00a0We started with dinner at Burgermaster. \u00a0BTW, Valentines Day was one of the busiest nights I have seen there, we all mad cheap date jokes, that and weed jokes since the car next to us was Hot boxing. \u00a0After we headed into Seattle to Seattle Center. \u00a0OOOh, maybe we are going up the space needle. \u00a0Did I mention that it was colder than a witch’s tit? \u00a0That would be if a witch’s tit was 36 degrees. \u00a0At this point we were at a half wall near the fountain and on the side of the space needle were scrolling valentine’s messages. \u00a0I knew that they benefit the local AHA as I had worked there when the idea started. \u00a0Stacy gave us a card and explained that my friend, Shay had instigated this amazing idea and over a dozen women participated. \u00a0In addition to the messages we were waiting to see, there were gift cards to do family activities. \u00a0We were overwhelmed. \u00a0She said the messages would be on between 8 and 8:15. \u00a0Hear negative buzzer, nope didn’t happen. \u00a0During that time over and over we read that Jason loved Daina and that Bill and Karen Witter had something special going on with the space needle back in 1983. \u00a0Now the Cinderella family, Stacy, Dave, Brittany and Cousin, Tony; could win the funniest family from the East coast. \u00a0We made up creative stories about Bill and Karen. \u00a0Mostly to keep ourselves warm. \u00a0We figured the messages were behind. \u00a0Another 15 minutes and the “L’train” got away with the no obscenities by using a very nasty urban dictionary term that clearly AHA or Space Needle guy didn’t google. \u00a0But we did! \u00a0That gave us another 15 minutes of laughter. \u00a0Henry was starting to do the 15 year old freezing boy thing. \u00a0I said, this is too important to too many people our asses will be out here until we see this or we get hypothermia which ever comes first. \u00a0Poor Stacy. \u00a0My New Jersey friend was ready to hurt someone. \u00a0Not to mention the ladies that all pitched in had a group message going asking her why it had not happened, keep in mind they are watching a live feed of it from the comfort of their warm homes with glasses of wine. \u00a0Lots of swearing on our end. \u00a0As 9:00 approached we were starting to become weary and that is when it happened. \u00a0I thought it would be anticlimactic after freezing our asses off for an hour. \u00a0It was not. \u00a0It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. \u00a0It scrolled the following message on the side of the most recognizable landmark in Seattle. \u00a0“Be Kind #belikehayley.” “Be Real #belikehayley” “Be funny #belikehayley” “Remembering Hayley McCutcheon”. \u00a0\"\"I weeped. \u00a0I cried because I knew so many amazing woman that were honoring my daughter to try to help me realize she was not forgotten. \u00a0I cried because my daughter’s name was in lights. \u00a0I cried because it would never be a message from a boyfriend like Jason showing his love for her. \u00a0Scott and I held each other and cried. \u00a0The tears practically froze on our cheeks. \u00a0After watching it scroll three times I hope the Cinderella family knew how thankful we were that they stood outside with us. \u00a0But then we said “let’s get the fuck out of the cold”. \u00a0Just amazing.<\/p>\n

I still had laundry to do and packing but it was totally worth the lack of sleep. \u00a0The next day the three of us and one of Henry’s friends headed to San Francisco for the holiday break. \u00a0Thank you to all of the women that made what had been a tough day into something special. \u00a0I was missing my valentine so badly, this put it in lights. \u00a0Thank you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I have some catching up to do. \u00a0We shall see if we get one long post or multiple ones. \u00a0Back in the fall I met with a local tv anchor. \u00a0She and I have been friends since her days on the AHA board. \u00a0I have done Go Red for Women stories with her. \u00a0One … <\/p>\n

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