Lately

I know my posts on this blog have been scarce, but that's a good thing because it means Andrew is doing well! I'm also not the blogging type. We've had a really fun summer so far not having to worry about any restrictions. I've put my fears of cyptococcus and other germs aside and taken Andrew to a public pool and let him play with any kid who isn't sick. It has been incredible!

Andrew just recently let up on the sleeping but he's still a mini garbage disposal as far as food goes. He's definitely got a pooky tummy now and I can tell when I bring up the rear that he's definitely longer than he used to be. We have an appointment the Thursday after next for a CBC/differential, which I think will always get my nerves up no matter how far out it is. We saw a normal pediatrician recently as well, and I guess I really just don't see the point of going to one. Since Andrew has been born, we've never seen the same one more than twice. We'll see the oncologist more in the next 3 years that we live in Salt Lake than we'll see any pediatrician, our oncologist knows Andrew much much better, and as a pediatric oncologist, he's also trained in pediatrics. I mean, our new pediatrician is nice and everything, but I guess the extra well-child visits don't make a whole lot of sense in my mind. Oh well.

This last week I had the privilege of visiting the Smiths who recently lost their son, Tanner, to AML. I'm always so inspired when I get to talk to them and talk about the kind of person Tanner was. He was such a brave young man, and every time I think of him, I just feel proud. Proud of the way he dealt with his trials and the faith he had in God. I had a great sense of peace just sitting on their couch in their home. I think when you have a life-threatening illness that strikes you closely, you think a lot more about death and the afterlife. I can only imagine how that feeling amplifies itself many times over when a loved one passes away. You can't just hypothetically think about life after death anymore: your convictions are truly tested--and strengthened--by the experience. There were just so many times that we talked about Tanner and where he was and the realities of the Resurrection where I just felt the truth of what we were talking about. I didn't think it would be such a testimony-building experience to visit and talk about Tanner, but there were many times that I felt the confirmation of the spirit that what we were saying was true. I hope and pray that even though the pain of Tanner's passing is still so fresh and harsh for them that the peace from those truths can sustain them.

Worthy Causes

Being part of the cancer mom world is wonderful. You have this instant support system of amazing women who know exactly what it's like and are so eager to adopt you into their world. It comes with a staggering price--having your child diagnosed with cancer--and it is inevitable that you hear bad news on a regular basis. I recently learned that Daniel Allen, a brave 7 year-old boy of one of our cancer moms, just got an MRI that showed his cancer has returned. He has a particularly aggressive form of medulloblastoma, a cancer of the brain. They expect he won't make it to meet his little brother in the fall. His parents have decided to go to Disneyland as they only have a few weeks before Daniel will start to feel unwell. Some of the cancer moms have set up a fund for him. If you would like to donate, please send me your email and I will give you the paypal account email for them.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danielallen6

Also, I was not able to make it to the inaugural curesearch walk held here in Salt Lake City last Saturday, but no one donates more to research for childhood cancers than curesearch. It supports the children's oncology group (COG) which makes the protocols and coordinates clinical trials. At least 80% of COG's funding goes to research. If you are able and so inclined, a lot of our friends on the sidebar have teams that walked last Saturday, and you can donate there, or at a general link:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?supId=0&ievent=452894&lis=1&kntae452894=B00B23C2BD734F5E8B076E85F2C0B34B

Love to all,

Lizzie

Still in Remission!

Andrew's still in remission!!! I'm super excited! These were his counts:

Hematocrit: 35.4 (normal 33-39)

Platelets: 313 (normal 150-400)

WBC: 5.1 (normal 6-17)

ANC: 1200 (normal 1500-8000)

I must admit that I was a tad bit worried about Andrew staying in remission these last 2 weeks. We sleep trained him at night, and then all of a sudden he was sleeping a ton more during the day. Also, there were some bruises that kept popping up on his forehead. These were things that you could easily explain as normal toddler things, like a growth spurt or more mobility, but seeing bruises will probably make me nervous for a long, long time.

3 Little Babies

I finally uploaded some pictures from a while back. These are the two other babies that were diagnosed with AML within a week of Andrew. All three of them were born within 3 weeks of each other, and diagnosed within 2 weeks:

I love these little guys! They are such champs!

We're all finally done! Yaay!