Allison made it through chemo, better than we thought possible. Back in May, when she was having a hard time with radiation, I started dreading the chemo because I knew it would make her sick. But she put her mind to doing it, and that made a big difference. She is one tough little cookie, something that will serve her well in the years to come. She said she didn't think it was that bad, and I think was relieved to know exactly what to expect for the next eight rounds.



Her spirits have been much better. I've been saying that we've been waiting for her to come back as she heals after surgery--her speech, goofy sense of humor, and doing her favorite things--and I think she is pretty much here as of the last two weeks. She's back to cracking up about the stuff she used to love--Junie B. Jones' antics, gross jokes, and being silly with her friends. She has this incredibly wacky way of looking at things. Yesterday at the Sweet William Market she adopted a huge furry stuffed rabbit, named Carrot, who is so covered in white fur you can barely see his eyes, feet, and front paws. (She named him Fatty at first, but then changed her mind.) She has this way of looking at something and knowing its place in her world, a knack for surrounding herself with her favorite things.



You can tell when a kid starts to feel better because they just naturally get back to doing all of the things they love. Allison has started walking around a lot more, her balance is improving, and her abilities are returning. She can sit and draw for two hours, really focusing and concentrating on creating something. We can now relax and enjoy the rest of summer and get ready for school. We don't have another big treatment until after school starts.



This blog seems to only reflect the extreme highs and lows of my emotional state. I feel like I either sit down and write when things are going great, or really awful. This doesn't necessarily give the best picture of what is actually happening. But the past few weeks have been full of a lot of good times and laughter. My family is getting well again, and as long as that happens, we are alright. We have also at times been utterly exhausted and overwhelmed. But we passed another milestone. There is still so much to come that it's hard to dwell on any one thing. Now I know that we have gotten through the hardest part.



Dianna

Status after Chemo

We spent the day at Childrens yesterday, in the oncology clinic, with all of the other kids getting their treatments. Everything went ok, as well as it could, and we weathered our first cycle. The clinic is a busy place, unfortunately, with a lot of families milling around looking a lot like us. Not very encouraging, but at the same time, it helps to know that you aren't alone going through such big changes and all of the worry that comes with seeing your kid so sick and frail.

She looks pretty puny today and isn't feeling well at all today, and will probably stay sick for awhile, given the enormous impact of what has just happened to her little body. I got the messages that many of you sent, via email, phone, and mail, and wanted to say I appreciate your thoughts.

We gave Dr. Nick Forman all of the money you helped us raise and he was very thankful, and surprised, at the large amount we were able to gather. He said they didn't raise that much at their shave-a-thon at the hospital. Allison drew him a picture of an orange cat and wrote him a special message, and Emily drew a picture of him and Allison smiling together in a hospital room, with a red sun shining through one of the windows. We have the Relay for Life tonight, which has helped keep our minds off of the first chemo treatment. Hopefully all, or at least some of us, will be there to soak in the energy and goodwill at the event.

I will write more later about the fairy godmothers who visited us from Make a Wish on Tuesday night. What an amazing foundation and an amazing gift they have given to our family.

Love,

Dianna

Starting Treatment

Everyone,

The last four weeks have been very healing for Allison. She has not had any kind of treatments, and we have been doing many wonderful things as a family. She is now writing, drawing, reading, and speaking back at her normal levels, although she still has a little more healing to go before she will be at 100 percent again. We are still trying to get her to gain weight, but she is holding steady at 44 pounds. People are feeding us so well. I keep saying it takes a village to keep her weight up. We went to Steamboat Springs--to the pro rodeo, down the alpine slide three times, saw the hot air balloon rodeo--and to our condo and the good times we always have there.

This week Allison starts her first chemotherapy treatment, on Thursday. Until we get through the first one, we won't know what to expect. We are told the first few won't be too bad, and that it will get worse as the treatments go on. We expect to be done with these treatments by May of next year. She got a new Ipod to help get through long days at the hospital and home.

She gets to meet two volunteers from the Make a Wish Foundation this week. After considering a family vacation to Egypt, she is now thinking along the lines of Los Angeles--Disneyland and the American Girl store apparently are an acceptable alternative. We are glad there is something to look forward to before she starts this next phase. Her grandparents have a trip planned to Sea World in August, and she and Emily will spend three days hanging out with dolphins and killer whales.

Thanks for staying tuned, and I'm sure we'll get back to keeping you posted as the days go by.

Take Care,

Dianna