"An A+ for Interim Maintenance"

Good afternoon,

Sorry for the delay in posting this update. Between tons of end of school activities, sleep deprivation (me, not Clare) and some technology issues (blogger was on the fritz for a day or so), I'm behind in my writing. Here is the scoop on the past week ...

An A+ for Interim Maintenance

As we hoped, Dane completed Interim Maintenance last Friday. He received his day 41 treatment and as has been the case this entire cycle, his counts were high again so his dosages were increased. He did amazing this past round - he didn't experience one delay, the side effects of the treatments were minimal, his white blood and neutrophil counts were good and high to help him fight off any lingering virus germs, he attended school pretty much full-time, and played all his soccer games (see action photos from last night please). He now has a well deserved two week break until the next round, Delayed Intensification.

Return of our carnivore??

Assuming good blood counts, Dane starts Delayed Intensification (DI) on July 7. Unfortunately, this is a pretty intense round, similar to what Dane experienced way back in January/February during the Induction phase. Yep, the steroids will be back in the mix, although at least this time it's one week on steroids, one week off and then another on. So, he will be on steriods two weeks out of three, during which time we are expecting a return of our carnivore. I will be stocking up on steak, ribs and hamburger for the lake to ensure we have the food he craves on-hand. I am very optimistic his mood swings won't be as severe as in January and am hopeful that being at Pickerel Lake will help with his temperment.

Another year in the books

Friday is the last day of school for Ashley and Dane and it's hard to believe another academic year is complete. Time has really gone by quickly and at this point, I think we are all ready for school to be finished. Deservedly so, the kids are in "party" mode and today Dane has a special treat - an after school pool party at his teacher's house. When September rolls around, Dane will start grade 3 and Ashley grade 4. Dane will also be in long-term Maintenance by then so that will make life much easier.

The start of summer

As I mentioned in my last update, we are heading to Pickerel Lake for our first trip of the season this coming Saturday. We are all looking very forward to being at our favorite place and not having any structure. The great weather lately has pushed the lake temp to the mid-high 70's and that bodes very well for swimming. We purchased water skis for the kids last weekend so they can get started on that activity right away. The kids' cousin, Marshall, arrives from New Brunswick on July 7 for a couple of weeks and we expect that like always, they will have a great time together. I'm in packing/shopping mode for the lake and will be glad when that job is done - it's a lot more complicated again with little Clare.

Our growing baby

Clare continues to pack on the weight and is now almost ten pounds. She is still not sleeping very well at night and I'm naively optimistic the fresh Pickerel Lake air will help with that (a woman can dream, can't she)?? She is six weeks old and definitely more of a little person - we get smiles now and when she is awake, she's much more content.

Given we are off to the lake in a couple of days and I will be without my computer, I won't be posting any more updates until July 8 or so. In the meantime, enjoy the summer weather and as always, thank you for continuing to stay tuned to Dane's journey.

Take care - Janie and Dirk