Monday, June 14, 2010

Hot Dogs for Breakfast, really?

Dear Connor's appetite,

We appreciate you being back in Connor's life. We know how important it is for his body to get the nutrition he needs. We know that since you've been back in his life this week he has been enjoying food all day long. We never know how long you are here to stay, so we will appreciate you while you are here.

P.S If you have a chance to speak with Connor's cravings, could you please ask him if he can mix up the "Hot Dogs" for breakfast craving ?

Thanks!

It was so nice to see some sun this weekend (now it is gone again). We enjoyed our first spring/almost Summer Barbecue over the weekend. Connor also enjoyed his class field trip to the zoo last week. It was so fun seeing the kids from class, and also seeing the animals at the zoo. We haven't been there since treatment started.

This is the last week of School for Connor's class. It was been such a busy year for them. They have learned so many things. I couldn't have asked for a better homeroom for Connor this year. Although he spent very little time at school, he always felt connected to his class. His teacher did an amazing job of keeping him connected. The kids were so thoughtful and were really kind.

They also did a fantastic job of taking care of "Monkey Connor". I've started a new page on this blog and there is link to the right, that will highlight some of Monkey Connor's adventures during the Summer.

We were given a reprieve from Clinic today. With Connor's counts going up it's safe to say we should have a relatively "normal" week around here. His next cycle of Chemotherapy is scheduled to start on the 21st (overnight stay and Audiogram). We're hoping for high counts (to avoid delays), and continued good audiogram results (thanks for the prayers and good thoughts).

Tomorrow is a big day for Connor, and one of mixed emotions. During the day we are going to visit his 1st grade class for the last time, and In the evening the "Make a wish foundation" will be sending a representative out to our home, so that Connor can make his wish.

As we started this "Quest to battle a Brain Tumor", we started out with A LOT of unknowns. We have become experts in some of the unknowns, mostly we are still fumbling around as novices. Unfortunately a lot of this process involves "flying" by the seat of your pants. You make a lot of decisions that you "think" are the best. There aren't too many comparables, since "everyone is different". So a lot of your decisions are based on "what will work out best for your child, and your family, right now".

We've had to make a lot of big, scary, hairy, tough decisions (and I'm sure there will be many more to make). Although I haven't posted many of those internal discussions on this blog, they have existed. There have been many sleepless nights, many tear filled moments of clinging onto to hope that you are making the "right" decision. We've come to grips that there are many "right" decisions out there, and although our decisions may not be "right" for someone else, they are "right" for us, "right" now.

Any regular reader here knows how fond we are of Connor's teacher. Her tutoring has been a blessing for Connor this school year. She is dynamic. I had complete trust in her, and never doubted that Connor's education would suffer in her hands. She pushed him, when she needed to push him, and most importantly she encouraged his love of learning even when he wasn't in a "Classroom".

The last thing a parent whose child is facing an illness like this wants, is more worry. Will my child lose his friends, will he forget his academics, will he fail to learn new skills, will he be depressed from all the changes, will he be forgotten while he's away? She walked with us for all these worries, and helped us battle them side by side.

Greg and I have had many discussions about Connor's education for this upcoming 2010-2011 School year. With treatment continuing until the end of year, Connor is faced with missing a large part of his second grade year. With heavy hearts we have decided to enroll him a local charter school this year. Although we are saddened he will be leaving his friends, school and staff at Grant Watts we are excited about the flexibility that this program will provide him and our family as we complete Connor's treatment. The charter provides a complete home bound curriculum, and access to a teacher for weekly tutoring. After Connor completes chemotherapy, we can focus on getting him strong and back to his regular school. It's a right decision, for our family, right now.

Well Someone is craving another Hot Dog! so I better wrap this up.

Thanks again for everyone's continued support. We'd love to hear about what "you" are doing this Summer. Please remember to stay in touch!

1 comment:

  1. Boy are you good at activating my waterworks! Never forget that I, too, have benefited from my time with your family. I feel like Connor's taught me as much as I've taught him. I'm so thankful for the school year we've had together. This won't be the last you'll see/hear from me. You're stuck with me now. :)

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