IT WAS FIFTEEN YEARS AGO TODAY

LOST and the Misses set out for the managed care Mecca known as Kaiser "Zion" Hospital - named for the street it is on, and not for any particular sectarian reason - for purposes of officially starting the LOST family. Mrs. LOST was almost literally bursting at the, ahem, navel, carrying something akin to the size of a one year old baby. While the announced intent of the appointment was to "induce labor" one week early, the staff of the Labor and Delivery unit certainly must have known otherwise. When the administration of the Pitocin actually stopped the contractions rather than facilitating them, it became brutally apparent what was going to be necessary. Convincing Mrs. LOST that a C-Section was the best thing to do would take the next 12 hours or so, and an abundance of other scheduled C-Sections (they were lined up on the schedule board like planes leaving the airport on Thanksgiving Wednesday) would mean a debut for this giant sometime the following day.

The giant showed up at 7pm the following day, all 12 and a half pounds and 23 1/4 inches of him. Kaiser staffers buzzed about hurriedly, to find the precise dimensions and to excitedly spread the word. Although it was never expressly communicated, it was clear that a pool had been established on this one, and that it had drawn Derby-style "action" from the local fans. LOST and the Mrs. were told that the Giant hit the board, but missed the all time by about a pound. Such is life.

In fifteen years, the Giant has continued to grow exponentially. He towers over his parents ( like that was hard to do) he's excelled in the classroom, loves and aspires to the stage, holds a black belt, and is pursuing his latest greatest interest, pole vaulting. Even though the Giant's high school has a spotty athletic program (reportedly a shake up caused by a former principal's abrupt dismissal of a popular coach) with no vault coach at all for the track team, the Giant has learned by watching his peers, gobbling up pointers from teammates and the helpful hints from opposing coaches and has achieved new heights in this new pursuit. Indeed, the Giant's pole vaulting is metaphorical for what he did to our lives - - turned them upside down while sending them soaring to new heights. Happy birthday, Giant, from your biggest fan.