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Team Cannon CAN, Crown point, Crown Point, IN (2025)

11/16/2025

Today is World Sanfilippo Awareness Day.

Today and everyday, we fight to spread awareness, and bring hope for Cannon and all of his fellow MPS warriors fighting this incredibly cruel disease.

Cannon is a force to be reckoned with. He is outgoing, fiesty, curious, determined, strong, charismatic, silly and incredibly loving. He loves his friends and family, has never met a stranger, and proudly tells everyone “I Cannon Walsh!” He enjoys being outside, loves any reason for a party, and is the proud owner of hundreds of stuffed animals, all of which are accounted for!

Cannon brings so much joy to everyone he meets, but he’s also fighting a battle no child should have to fight. I look at Cannon and I think, how can this child who is running, jumping, singing and smiling - actually be dying? What a cruel world where this child who lives life with so much passion is actually going to have everything taken from him slowly - the ability to speak, walk, and eat…. The ability to play with his friends and sing his favorite songs…. And ultimately be taken from us entirely too soon?

Show your support Can and his Sanfilippo siblings today and wear your purple! Share Cannon’s story and help us spread awareness & hope.

We will never stop fighting for you bestie 💜💜

10/19/2025

Cannon loved meeting our neighbors chickens yesterday…. However he cried for over an hour afterwards because he wanted me to “order” chickens online - after we weren’t successful at finding baby chickens to order on Amazon, he decided we should try the Walmart app… he didn’t understand why every time we typed “chicken” in the search bar, all that came up was chicken breasts - he clarified to me “I want chicken no die” 😂 It’s frustrating trying to explain to Cannon why we can’t have baby chickens, especially when he has a solution for everything. When I tell him the dogs will eat the chickens, he explains to me how he will build a house for the chickens. When I tell him the cats will chase the chickens he tells me “Cannon Walsh one eye chickens” (that’s his way of saying he will babysit the chickens - and he always refers to himself by first and last name 😉) As challenging as these moments are because he is crying and unable to regulate his emotions, which leads to meltdowns, throwing things, etc… I can’t help but smile at the way his little mind works and feeling a sense of relief at the way his mind continues to problem solve and think things through. Cannon is my daily reminder that everything is “figureoutable” - and sometimes that reminder is what gets me through the day 💜

10/17/2025

And just like that, my bestie is 8. He’s all tucked in bed and I am feeling some sort of way. When I was shopping for his gifts, I found myself browsing the aisles and ultimately ending up in the toddler aisle. All of his gifts say “3+”…. In so many ways I feel like I’ve had a 3 year old for years. Cannon has never developed a full vocabulary, or learned how to do things like get dressed on his own. Cannon recognizes his name on paper, but he does not know how to spell or write his name. If you ask him to count, most likely the response will be “1,2,8”. But the thing is, Cannon is not defined by his ability to count or recognize letters. Cannon loves simple things like stuffed animals and Little People playsets, but again,those things do not define Cannon. Cannon is joy. Cannon is happiness. Cannon is a light in a world that truly needs a little more light. Cannon loves to give hugs, he loves to make people laugh, and he loves to live life to the fullest. He understands so much more than people realize, and though he may not have the words to express himself, he still has the ability to communicate, sometimes communication can be challenging but Cannon never loses his determination to get his message across - he will sign, he will use pictures, he will grab your phone and pull up something on the internet - he will do whatever it takes for you to understand him, and the patience he has is truly remarkable. I can’t even imagine how frustrating it must be to picture something in your head, and be able to recognize the word when someone else says it, but to not be able to say that word yourself. This boy challenges me, he makes me a better person and teaches me so much about life. He has renewed my faith, he has shown me the deepest love and he reminds me daily - there is always hope. Cannon Zachary, you have changed so many lives and I know you will continue to do so. As long as you’re here fighting, mommy will always be right beside you. You are my hero, and I love you BIG! Happy Birthday Bestie 💜💜💜

10/13/2025

Cannon LOVES carving pumpkins…. Pretty sure we will be carving or painting one every night till Halloween 😂 I love his excitement every time we cut a pumpkin open and he acts surprised to see what’s inside 🙂 love this little guys so much!

10/09/2025

Cannon had the absolute best time at his party this weekend - he was truly so happy when he saw each and every guest who showed up - from his teacher, to the school custodian, to Grandma, to friends - he was surrounded by so many people who love him. It is never lost on me how lucky we are to have the most amazing people supporting Cannon, and even on the most difficult of days, I thank God He chose me to be Cannon’s mama, because life is so much better with Cannon in it ♥️

10/02/2025

The days have been a bit more challenging recently. We have definitely seen some signs of regression with Cannon - specifically with his behavior and his ability to regulate big emotions. He finds peace being outside, and loves to work in the yard. He is obsessed with flowers! While he struggles with big emotions, and regulating those emotions, he continues to add words to his vocabulary - he has been getting used to using a communication device/program at school with his amazing speech therapist (have I mentioned how lucky we are to have the most amazing team supporting Cannon?!?) and he will soon be utilizing that device at home as well - we are hoping this helps to eliminate some melt downs that are caused by a break down in communication. Although he has always had a para with him at school, his favored para has recently moved to being his full time one on one - there is a special place in Heaven for this woman. The days with Cannon are anything but easy, and it is not lost on me how lucky I am, and how lucky Cannon is, to have someone that chooses to take on the challenge of Cannon each day, and shows him love when mama isn’t there. The days are long but the years are entirely too short 💜💜

09/28/2025

Cannon had so much at his sweet friend Raegan’s birthday party today… he even got to meet Cinderella 💜 as I look at this sweet boys face all I can think about is how could a world exist without this little guy in it? He soaks up every moment, he finds joy in the most simple of things, and he loves fiercely. Oh sweet boy, my heart aches thinking of a life without you. You are my heart, and I will never stop fighting for you.

09/23/2025

What is this you ask? This is hope.

This is Cannon’s dead sunflower that he carries back and forth between home, school and anywhere he goes. As he climbed onto the bus stairs this morning he said “I need mine” - “mine” is his dead sunflower. I ran back inside and grabbed it, and he smiled so big when I handed it to him. This afternoon, the bus driver handed me that same dead sunflower back, in a ziplock bag filled with water. Cannon lovingly carried that bag around before setting it on the table. The bag ended up leaking and Cannon carefully refilled the bag in the kitchen sink and then brought it outside so “hot” (the sun) could “help”. Cannon holds onto the hope that if he loves and cares for this dead flower, it will come back to life. He’s “loved” this flower for days now, and despite the fact this dead sunflower has clearly shown no signs of life, Cannon has not lost hope.

Somw days hope is harder to hold onto than others.

But no matter what, there is *always* hope 💜

09/20/2025

You know you’ve got your mom wrapped around your finger when…

In one morning, you’ve already danced happily in the driveway waiting for the bus (only to take a tumble, scrape both knees, and need bandages), shattered her phone screen in the process, refused to get on the bus because you wanted a police es**rt instead, convinced her to drive you to school, and then refused to get out of the car because you spotted some pretty flowers and decided you had to bring flowers from home to school.

(And yes—this was after she had already turned around once because you realized you forgot your hairbrush. Priorities!)

So of course, back home you went for the flowers, because mom knows you needed those flowers in order to be able to have a good day at school, in a way most people could not understand.

Life with Cannon is accepting you will probably never be on time for anything, and accepting that your days will always be completely unpredictable and anything but boring. When I look at this happy face, all I can think is how lucky am I that I get to do life with this amazing little human 💜

09/17/2025

When the guy at the grocery store thinks he’s funny asking if you’re buying yourself flowers.. and you respond “no they’re for my 7 year old son!” 💁🏼‍♀️ Cannon loves “gardening” but gets so upset when he picks flowers and new ones don’t instantly grow back… or when his picked flowers die… all the boy wanted today was flowers! So a trip to the grocery store and all was good in the world again! 💜

09/15/2025

Our attempt at getting a picture together… *nothing* and I genuinely mean *nothing* is ever simple with Cannon. This has been a challenging weekend. Nothing seems to settle Cannon. We went to Chuck E. Cheese at his request, but he doesn’t play a single game, just goes on and on about how there are no animatronics, eats half of a pizza all by himself, and purchases a few stuffed animals… he has been throwing things, hitting us, and having meltdowns all weekend. I know the day will come Cannon does not have the ability to do these things, I know the day will come he doesn’t have the ability to climb the kitchen counters and dump flour everywhere, I know the day will come he doesn’t have the ability to hit, punch and kick when he’s having a meltdown, i know the day will come he could care less about his 300 stuffed animals… so I try to remind myself in these moments of feeling defeated, that he still has his strength, he still has his independence, and one day I will wish he still had the ability to do these things. I love this little guy more than life itself, but today, I feel defeated…. Physically, mentally and emotionally. I want to be the best mom to Cannon, and his older siblings, but this weekend I feel from from it. I don’t write this looking for sympathy, because reality is, I know there are people who have it far worse than I do, but I write this to be real. I try to show up every day. I try to always be the supportive mom, the loving mom, the mom who “has it all together” but in reality, I feel like I’m falling apart. So to the mom who is trying her best and feels like she is still falling short - I see you. This life is messy, chaotic, unpredictable and at times, maddening. But despite it all, there are still so many things to be thankful for. So if you’re struggling today, remember tomorrow is a new day…. And tomorrow we’re kickin’ ass 😉

Team Cannon CAN

11/16/2025

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10/02/2025

09/28/2025

09/23/2025

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09/17/2025

09/15/2025

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