There's just one week left in the induction phase of chemo...

We are back from Syracuse where Michael received treatment # 9. It was just Michael and I today. Daddy had to work. And judging by the number of Canadian cars traveling south with us, he must have been very busy.

Everything went well. Michael's ANC counts were over 3,000 today so Dr. Kennedy was pleased. (Those are the numbers that were 500 just a couple of weeks ago.) She also commented that over half Michael's white blood cells were neutrophils so she was doubly happy. Michael was very good when they removed the needle from his port. I talked to Dr. Kennedy about the temper tantrum last week and the insomnia. She said she never heard of those side effects with the new antibiotic Michael is getting but that every drug can affect everyone differently, so it is possible. She said we will see what happens when he gets it next month.

The sun was shining brightly today and we saw plenty of wildlife on the way to the hospital (thankfully all safely on the side of the road). Our favorite sighting was three baby deer. They were even smaller than the one that was hanging out in our backyard a couple of weeks ago (pictured right). One of the baby deer was curled up sleeping and the other two were eating. Michael thought they were out enjoying the springtime weather, too.

Michael was a little chatterbox talking all the way to Syracuse. One of the things he asked me is if I had a "bad thing" in my head when I was born too. I told him no, that I didn't. He said he was glad because he wouldn't want me to have to have a port and get medicines. But he never asked "why me". He was only concerned that I was okay. (And I didn't cry!)

Michael got an Easter basket at the hospital today (pictured left). There was a beautiful, soft and cuddly stuffed elephant, some toys and a bunch of candy in it. The bucket was even Michael's favorite color, green.

We also had a nice surprise this week. My co-workers and friends had a 50/50 raffle for Michael to help with some of our medical bills. My sister also sold some of the tickets at her work. Between ticket sales and donations, they raised quite a bit of money for us. And the gentleman that won the drawing donated his winnings back to Michael also. (Thank you Jim.) We had the drawing at lunch time yesterday and I was able to hold back the tears for a couple of hours.

Tammy and Cheryl from Make-A-Wish came last night (or Michael's "wish girls" as he calls them). They are still trying to find where Michael can see Darby so there aren't any final plans yet.

Jenny and Ralph just got home for the weekend. Jenny brought Michael some new pets. There is a little house with caterpillars that will turn into butterflies (they look like worms to me). Her science class was growing them for a class project and she thought Michael needed some.

This is Jenny's first chemo day home and she is getting to see first hand what the "Benadryl grumps" are. To me this is just a typical Friday. I find that as the weeks go by, I continue my transformation into a mother of a seriously ill child and find it is harder to recognize the person I was before last summer. Things that were completely foreign to me a couple of months ago are "normal" now. Since I can't change what is happening, I guess this is a good thing. I will post again in a couple of days. Happy Easter to everyone, JoAnne