"Ready, Set .... Go???"

Good evening,

If it hasn't become too obvious after eight months of writing this blog, we journalist types love headlines. Looking back, I must have really been in survival mode in January when I started the blog because it took me a few entries to start getting creative. Now I lie awake at night planning my next big headline (OK, I don't lie awake very long given I know it's only going to be a matter of a few hours before I'm up again to feed Ms. Clare)! So this week's entry is "Ready, Set .... Go???" and it refers to a few happenings in our world right now. They are ...

Was "Murphy" at work again today?

Of course, "Murphy" is "Murphy's Law" and he took a break today. Dane was not ready to start long-term Maintenance so the great news is he gets to start school with his peers tomorrow morning and attend his 4x4 hockey camp for a week "med" free. His neutrophils jumped considerably from last week (they were .17 last Tuesday and .59 today). He just needs to get to .75 and the doctor is pretty sure he'll be there next week. His platelets are not an issue, they have climbed to 234, a major increase from 66 last week. Dane's oncologist is likely starting to get a bit tired of my sense of humour, as I told her flat out today we didn't want Dane to be ready (for once) but figured "Murphy" would likely rear his head. When she presented me with his results, she said "you got your wish - he's not quite ready". There is a downside to him not being ready though and that is his Cancer Clinic buddy Hayden is ready to start tomorrow so they will now be one week apart. It would have been great to have their treatments match up, but no worries, we'll find reasons to connect even if it's not at the Clinic. He is appointment free until Tuesday and given we have a crazy week ahead (for reasons I will explain below), that's a welcome break. So, in the case of his treatment, it's a "no-go".

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

If you are a parent of school age children and you've seen the creative Staples commercial with the dad pulling his kids on a couch that doubles for a sleigh and the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing in the background, you'll know where this is going. School starts tomorrow (not that I'm excited or anything ...)!!! It's been a long summer and given everything we've been juggling - Dane's illness, doctor's appts, Ashley's needs and Ms. Clare's appetite, we are all ready for some structure. It will do Ash and Dane a world of good to spend less quality time together and mix more with their peers. I'm also looking forward to giving Clare a bit more one-on-one attention and taking care of tasks around the house. So, start the engines because at 9:00 am tomorrow, school's a "go".

They Shoot, They Score

Yep, hockey and ringette are in full-swing. Ashley has had a couple of practices already and Dane started tonight. It's his first time on the ice in a formal practice since his diagnosis. Under the circumstances he did great, however as his mom & dad, we know he's a few steps behind where he was last year. We are hoping that with each ice time, he regains his confidence and his love of the game. He really seemed to enjoy himself and we told him many times we were proud of his efforts and attitude. And here is a bit of perspective ... another hockey dad who's son has cancer said really it's a miracle he's back out there after just finishing eight months of hard-core treatment. So, here we "go" for what we hope will be seven uninterrupted months of hockey and ringette.

Dragon Boating for Dane!

We are in the home-stretch before our big dragon boat races. As I indicated in an earlier blog entry, below are our race times for this Saturday's heats ...

HEAT O - Lane 1 - Race time approximately 1:15 pm Saturday Sept 12

HEAT NN - Lane 3 - Race time approximately 2:55 pm Saturday Sept 12

*** These times are approximate and we could run a bit ahead or behind ***

We won't know our final race time on Sunday after late Saturday, but I will post the information as soon as I get it. We would love to have you on the route or at the finish line to cheer us on. It's a crazy, adrenaline rush for 2.5 minutes but worth every ounce of energy. Our team is PaddleStar Galactica and we have bright blue shirts.

We continue to climb the ladder for fundraising (currently #2 online and closing quickly on #1)and if you are interested in pledging our team, please follow the instructions I posted in the August 17 update. Your support is greatly appreciated and truly "going" to a great cause - much needed cancer research.

We hope your family survives the September craziness. Until next time, take care everyone.

Janie and Dirk

p.s. The photo is the kids five minutes before leaving PL this past Sunday after four spectacular days. It was a great way to end the summer!