Translated from spanish

Mexico City, December 31, 2002.

My beloved and admired Andy:

Sixty two years ago, to congratulate me for my Saints Day, my maternal grandfather, Don Angel Lucido Martinez, your great-great grandfather, wrote me a letter. I'm attaching a copy, luckily I keep the original all this time. And as had  for me, I have an immense love for you.

Some time ago, I had hoped that we could spend Christmas of 2002 together, in Mexico, but after your recent hospital stays it was better for you to stay in Boston, as a precaution. That's the reason I write you  this letter and this way I can start a tradition. I will send it during the first days of January 2003 to kickoff the year, because 2003 will be crucial to your development in all fronts.

I love each one of my grandchildren specially and in a particular manner, this is only understood when you are a grandfather. During this last three years and a half, thanks to you we have learned and discovered many things, we have advanced in concepts that in other ways would have taken us more time to know and perhaps we wouldn't had had the opportunity to discover.  Notice how interesting, you have given us the opportunity to find a lot of answers even before you started talking.

Mi grandfather Don Angel discovered, as you will see on his letter, that in spite all that was happening at that moment (I don't know what it was), when he remembered his love for me, all doors would open and the happiness of remembering his love for me would make him see things differently. When I was a boy I didn't understand the meaning of what my grandfather was trying to tell me on his letter, now I'm able to understand it. He uses a writing style from those times, it seems to be very negative at first glance, but then with time I came to understand what he wanted to tell me.

I've always been flattered to have been the cause of such happiness that he states I brought for him. Today for me, the letter of my grandfather is a treasure, hopefully this letter will be the same for you and I also desire that your parents keep all the letters that you have received and all the thoughts from family, friends and even unknown people that write on your Internet website.

All this messages and letters will remind you that your family is very important in all of our hearts and that you have the support, good feelings and specially love from all and mine in particular very specially.

You will walk through life with the certainty that we are and will be always with you. I think you will do very well, because you are standing over the affection of all who have shown it to you and also over the love from all who love or loved who now love you, like my grandfather’s love for me.

In 59 years, when you will be of my age or before, you will perhaps be able to write a letter to your grandchildren. One hundred and twenty one years since the first one. Imagine what love can do for someone! Think of what that force can move!, And time only makes it stronger!. The certainty to know that all of us love you will help you overcome any obstacle. Our essence is love and fear like other negative feelings are acquired, that's why we can let them go, because they are acquired, and you are very much loved.

Some say that you will not remember all the obstacles and suffering that you have affronted since you were born. But all of us will remember that during those difficult moments we gave our best following the stupendous example and leadership from your parents Andres and Paulina. I believe that your parents have demonstrated that they know how to be who they really are and all of us follow slightly behind.

Your dear father and mother, are going through all of this with their first child, submerged in this tremendous fight for life, showing everywhere, on every level, all time the best of themselves, what a lineage! We get emotional and our eyes fill with tears recalling it, how brave and determined! They even emigrated  from their country to go to the place where you could be treated. Some say that subconsciously, even though you will not remember consciously, you will have a very deep rooted strength as you affronted what you have affronted and that you have a very special destiny...You are genuine and will know how to recognize your way, I think better than anyone you will find your own answer. And with  the enormous advantage that you are loved everywhere and anywhere.

You can not avoid the bad, but neither the good; what we can do is decide how we affront each case. Like anyone, you won't be able to choose the circumstances that affect your life, but you will be able to choose the answer, like with any game, you play with the cards you get and not only with the winning ones, pay attention in that the secret is found on how to play the game, so play it, always participate.

Invoking the love that many of us have for you, I would like to recommend with all strength, that you choose starting now to direct all of your efforts to love all who have an affection for you, and of course all others, as well. The force of your love will give you the clues to resolve everything that is presented to you and will put you in a situation to receive the same you give in reciprocity. Like your grandmother Marilu affirms, to give and to receive is the same! As you find love, you will provide the solution that will save any circumstance.

That's your great advantage, you will be able to find happiness anywhere, you will be able to give love, in whatever circumstance, because it only depends of your own will. That way you will never loose your way for long, and if you get distracted, remember that we will all be there to help. Take into account that everything dissolves, except miracles, with the presence of love.

It is very important to take the command of your own illness. One is not a doctor, but one  knows how you feel and what hurts, in your case it seemed impossible to do it until now - you didn't know how to talk - in the meantime, your parents have been your interpreters, observing you carefully all the time to then guide others. They do it better than anybody else that can express themselves, and your parents have been in the front of the team that is finding your cure even though they are not doctors, guessing what you need. The doctors and nurses are allies to whom the patient and his family have to facilitate their work and this has been done on all the places you have been interned. Today you begin to express yourself and you defend yourself vigorously, that is why with more conviction we have to make you know that we love you so you can give a little more,  this way we will come out of this better.

During this time, when it has been very difficult to comprehend what makes you sick, it has been proven that reality is always better than what is imagined. Even if the news are bad, the truth is better; and if they are good news, the reality is much more than we expected originally. That's why I now question my beliefs, and this makes it easier to find the truth. I was looking like all externally, what we already have or what we already know internally; if I one listens to himself the truth is more easily found.

I've found that what bothers me, or even what scares me at times, is not what is happening,  but my feelings in that respect. The difficulties I perceive are charged by my feelings or by previous experiences. In contrast, when I don't oppose what simply is, the action becomes simple, fluid, courteous and without fears. It would be easier to teach a mute to talk, or a blind to see, or an elephant to fly, than to make reality different from what it is, or what I would like it to be. I think that accepting what it is, results much simpler, for example, my grandfather Don Angel could have put aside the drama on his letter, keeping the beautiful, if he would have had  the notion not to oppose to reality.

We've tried to understand the most advanced in modern medicine, genetics, and immune science, but we will surely flunk; but on the other side, we learned that we will never face more than we can handle and life is not more difficult than that, we know that we can't be pushed or pulled further than from our own understanding and that with the most serious and intimate situations we don't require teachers, oneself is the teacher you've been waiting for. Your parents prove this with elegance and bravery, they are not doctors or nurses but they do it better than many of them.

It has been achieved to resolve things moment by moment and that's why you and your parents live your own lives, as you are in it completely every moment. Your parents have known how to take many risks and have done very well with conviction.  I know that if you want to live in terror you have to get a future, I don't live in that imaginary future, trying to fix it and make it more secure, terror is what we find when we stick to that nightmare and when we get out of the present moment. We know that the conviction to love is what gives place to good things and it surely also makes what was thought impossible to happen.

It also happens that when we have someone seriously ill or when we are ill, that we start to believe that we have a legitimate reason to suffer and that's when we leave reality, to see further than the suffering mirage is a great faculty. All suffering starts and ends on your own being.

And the whole world is about you, like all difficulties start and end with you. With the miraculous power of love, you will be able to start again, and again, the past and future will not affect you. And as you give you will benefit receiving much more. You only have one homework, to love with all your might... As you open your heart more and more, you will direct yourself where you need to go. The virtues inside you will extend naturally and you will reach goals without effort. You will do what is correct when this emotional and profound imperatives are present. In you there is a loving being, magical and powerful, a truthful Being, a son of God. Just allow that Being to emerge and carry you in His greatness.

Andy, your father agrees that we have learned a lot during this time, he says we don't give another day for granted. That we believe in something new... that Angels live here with us on earth, its true!! and we have grown not only to achieve what we think we want, but to turn ourselves in what we can be and, we are getting there!

And for all of this things we are full of gratitude. We have even developed an attitude of gratitude-- knowing that when we get safe someplace, we have a reason to be happy, every time you smile, we have another reason to be happy, each thing we do and end well is a reason to be happy and in this way we exercise and use the happiness muscle, you can also do it and you will grow happy. Let this continuous exercise update your internal power.

I write this letter with all my love trying to say something of what I've felt since you were born. Since then, many of us have grown enormously. For that we are also thankfull...

Give love to those around you, help them grow; love your work, love your play, love your parents; love your grandpas; and great grandpas, uncles, cousins, your grandmother Marilú; love me and I and all of us will love you intensely. You already know, your real being, your internal being, will emerge when you are concentrated on love.

I always think of you, that's why I feel close. And I get a reward, because while I remember you, the sky opens, like when airplanes go out of the clouds, and under that brightness my fears resolve and I feel happy again.

Your grandfather

Víctor E. Treviño