January 31, 2009

Good afternoon,

I had intended to post an update sometime yesterday, however it was "one of those days" and my writing juices were not flowing. Dane had his check-up and fourth chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Clinic yesterday morning. From a physical standpoint, the appointment went well. His various blood levels continue to improve, particularly his platelet count (one of the main factors in deciding whether he needs a transfusion). He has lovely red lips these days and that's a great indicator his counts have returned to much more normal levels. The chemo treatment was his final one for the 28 day Induction phase and thus far he has reacted very well to the medicines he is receiving. After nearly four weeks he has yet to lose any of his hair so we are in "wait & see" mode. Thanks to a good friend of ours in the sporting goods business, he has a stash of new caps and toques waiting if/when that time comes.

The main reason I wasn't in a writing mood was because it was a very tough mental/emotional day. Dane was inwardly very nervous and afraid of having an IV done at Cancer Clinic (this was to be his first there as all the others have been done at Children's Hospital). His natural reaction was to get very somber and angry at both of us, but particularly me. He was also dealing with some jealousy issues from Ashley's birthday celebration and in so many words told me that "we love Ashley more, have taken care of her better all her life and that's why he has leukemia." That discussion occurred at 9:00 am and most of the day followed that same path. Although we all know those comments are the steroids talking, in the moment it doesn't dull the pain and angst that Dirk and I feel. The Clinic staff were great and tried to talk him through his anxiety, but he was having no part of it. If you can form this mental image, imagine him sitting in a hospital treatment chair for 30 minutes with his coat on upside down over his head and you will have the picture. The nurses made some good jokes about the situation and told him they would have to stethoscope his butt! After the magic cream did its thing, the IV was inserted and he didn't even flinch. Once he was all done he even took the IV out of his hand himself, which sounds like quite a rarity for a child of his age.

By mid-day this moody pregnant mom had all she could take and retreated for a rest. If I hadn't, he and I were going to have a "show-down" that likely wouldn't have been pretty. When I got up he was in a much better mood and by later last night was very willing to discuss what had happened earlier in the day and how taking his anger out on me is just too hard for everyone. Today has been a great day thus far. He watched Ashley's ringette game for the first time in a month and cheered her team onto a solid 5-5 tie. Her party is tonight (a sleepover at Canad Inns) and he is well enough to join her and her pals for a swim and dinner. We really need days like today because if they were all like yesterday, we truly would not survive.

He has his final check-up and bone marrow/spinal tap of the Induction phase next Tuesday/Wednesday. He goes off the steroids cold turkey on Wednesday night (yeah) and the doctor said his mood and appetite should return to a more normal state within a few days. I will post a new picture in the next update and for those who haven't seen him in a while, check out the cheeks! He has gained nearly five pounds in a couple of weeks and that's great, because his appetite will likely decrease significantly during the next treatment phase.

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who posted comments, sent emails, dropped by and left messages wishing Ashley a happy 9th birthday on Thursday. All the attention made her feel very special.

Speaking of special, my best friend Jodi and her 10 year old son Noah have entered the "Cops for Cancer" half marathon on May 3. They are running in Dane's honor and have named the team "Dashing for Dane". She asked that I let the blog followers know they are doing this and I am providing the link below if you are interested in pledging them. As a family we are very grateful and touched they will be running that day for our special son and you can bet rain or shine we'll be on the route somewhere cheering them on. The link is ...

https://www.runningroom.com/dashboard/donations/index.php?raceId=4133&eventId=14337&memberId=AGgLNQdmVzRcNlZm&item=8&guest=1

As always, thanks for your ongoing support. Please continue to hold good thoughts ... Dane's final bone marrow this Wednesday is another important test in his journey.

Regards ... Janie and Dirk