Monday, August 16, 2010

Where has the Summer gone ?

The Summer just flew by. Although we have a few weeks left before starting School, it feels like our Summer has dwindled to an end.

We finished up our 6th cycle of Chemotherapy at our new Hospital on August 2nd. The transition was pretty seamless. We are very happy with our decision to change facilities. It was a pretty intimidating decision to change in the middle of treatment but I feel very re-assured we made the right choice.

Connor did really well. He didn't have any nausea during his stay. He enjoyed watching the movie with all of the other kiddo's in the playroom (Cloudy with a chance of meatballs). He sampled their food service menu (leave it to Connor to select Salmon and Cheesecake).

Connor's magnesium was still off, and the doctors spent a lot of time with us this visit getting his dosing just right. They were very thorough.

This is a short Chemotherapy Cycle and Connor will be starting his next one on September 1st (Here's hoping he meets counts!!).

He's been presenting with symptoms of low Hemoglobin and platelets this weekend so we will be making a trip into the clinic today for a transfusion.

We have quite a few appointment coming up. This new hospital prefers blood counts twice a week (some of which we are able to obtain locally, which saves us a drive into Portland). Connor will be having a scheduled audiogram on the 18th, and a scheduled MRI the morning of his admittance for Chemo on 9/1 (Please pray and hope for no re-occurance, as that is always in the back of our minds).

It's been almost a year since Connor was diagnosed. There are days that it feels like yesterday, and there are days that it feels like so long ago. With only 3 more rounds of Chemotherapy to go I can see the end of this tunnel. I'm anxious to give up many aspects of this experience: Our life has become caught up in appointments, and scheduling around blood counts, Our cabinet has become a mini-pharmacy and my kid can name more cancer drugs than Vegetables. But through all of this we have been given many gifts that I know we would NEVER have experienced without Cancer entering our lives. These gifts are things you can't go out and purchase.

Connor's treatment (provided we don't have delays)is scheduled to end December 5th (which seems sooo far away to me), but I remind myself he only has 3 more treatments to go, and I remind myself how far he's come. My kid is so strong, and feisty. He doesn't waiver. Every week he's asked how's he's doing "Good as always he says!!".

7 is great, he's been pretty profound lately.

Connor on life: "Mom, do you know what's most important in life?" (Wow, that caught me off gaurd)"Family and Love are the most important things".

Connor on why we haven't won the lottery yet: "We will win just as soon as Dad picks the right numbers!"

Connor on saving electricity: "I wish there was a day that everyone would turn off their lights so I could see the stars better"

We did a little shopping the other day, and a nice woman approached Connor and said Hi. She told him she was a Cancer Survivor (Hodgkins Lymphoma), asked him his name, and what he was battling, "Not much!" he said, Greg explained that's a way of asking "What type of Cancer you have", "oh", he said (I know he only uses the word "Battling" in the context of Star Wars and video games)we told her he had Brain Cancer, and she told him she would keep him in her prayers. "That was nice of her", he told Greg, "But how did she know I had Cancer?"

I was thinking back the other day about the time Connor started to walk, and how that would change my life forever. Then I remember when he started talking and what a difference that made, and now I realize how life changes again once a child learns to read.

Connor completed his Library reading program (Grand prize, his own Library Bag, and a Free ticket to the Blazer's basketball game!! He's sooo excited!). More important than the prize, has been his own satisfaction in reading. He was sooo proud of himself when he completed his first chapter book on his own, even more excited when he completed his second. He reads everything... everywhere we go. Signs, and Menu's, advertisements, recipes, bumper stickers.. where there are words he will read. It's like a new world is in front of him. While I'm embracing his new found freedom of information overload, I do admit it makes me a tad nervous since he still "believes" everything he reads.

We had this great conversation about how people earn money the other day, which evolved into how people buy homes, then Connor asks "At what age can you start...." (and I thought Great!!! He's already thinking about what kind of job he wants to get so he can start saving) ......... and he says... "driving!"... (uggh that's a conversation for another day).

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