Bubbles of hope, prayers for Pierce

Bubbles of hope, prayers for Pierce

Pierce_01

Artistic expression comes in all forms and, apparently, so do prayers.

With each swoop of his arm and twist of his wrist, when Lakeside resident Bill Watson releases massive soap bubbles into the air, each iridescent globule represents a prayer for his grandson, Pierce Watson.

His “bubbles of hope” began earlier this year when the family celebrated Pierce’s first birthday on Jan. 22 – a birthday that preceded another surgery.

“Our second grandson, Pierce, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer at the age of 4-1/2 months,” said Watson. Pierce was five months old when he had his first cancer surgery to remove a kidney, followed by chemotherapy. After surgery in February, he went through more chemotherapy and will have a bone marrow biopsy and scans this month.

“[While] blowing bubbles to entertain our grandson and his family on his first birthday¸ we were so glad to notice Pierce smiling bright, laughing out loud, and giggling greatly as he admired and popped some nice, big and pretty bubbles,” said his grandfather.

Watson shared that with Pierce’s frequent trips to the hospital, blowing bubbles has become a type of meditation or prayer for him. “I’ve since realized that bright, innocent and beautiful bubbles have much in common with my young grandson,” he said. “Seeing the bubbles float across the horizon, bounce off the river or rise to the heavens reminds me of lifting his spirits and fun times to come.”

It’s also a science project of sorts as Watson tests and refines bubble recipes to make the biggest soap bubbles possible for Pierce. He is often seen in local parks and passers-by stop to watch or comment. “Someone asked me if I had a ‘thing’ for bubbles,” he said. Rather, Watson has a ‘thing’ for making his grandson smile.

Watson’s son Alex is struggling to work since Pierce’s diagnosis 10 months ago. Alex and his wife Kiley spend most of their time at Wolfson Children’s Hospital or at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for the most recent surgery. They also have another son, Gage, who is three years old.

Watson and his wife Mylene are members of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, which held a benefit dinner and auction last summer to raise funds for the family. Watson Realty held a garage sale recently to add to Pierce’s Go Fund Me account (http://www.gofundme.com/au5m5s).

By Kate A. Hallock
Resident Community News

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...