As we’ve been leaning this way and that over the past few days, swaying back and forth, we’ve acknowledged, with a degree of defeat, that there is no one thing that’s going to suddenly appear that will make this decision any easier. But we were wrong. This afternoon, as I sat in a reclining chair […]
People keep telling me to go with my gut but all day long my gut’s been telling me to stop and then tonight, it switched over and said continue. Here’s some more info, in response to some of your questions and comments (thank you for those) and to help me further flesh this thing out: […]
Back and forth, back and forth we go, completely certain that one choice is right until a half hour later when suddenly the polar opposite seems the wisest option. After twenty-four hours of research and discussions and lots of mulling, plus a quick meeting with our oncologist, we’ve narrowed down our decision to two options: […]
27 Well, now, that puts us between a rock and a hard place, doesn’t it?
Austin had another GFR today, the kidney function test we’ve been using to dose-adjust his chemo. As you may remember, his last results were a pretty dismal 34. If it dips below 15, he will begin thrice-weekly hemo-dialysis. This will necessitate another surgery, almost immediately, to place a dialysis catheter in his right sub-clavicle vein. […]
On July 31, 2007, our very first night on the pediatric oncology floor, our pediatrician came to visit with me and Mark to help prepare us for what lay ahead. He described the journey we were about to embark on as a marathon, one we had not trained for (except that we’d been training since […]
It’s been raining today. Cold, windy rain. As I walked each boy into his respective school this morning, the other parents and I all grumbled good-naturedly to each other: “Yuck,” “Cold,” “Gotta love springtime in Cleveland.” And then I got in the car and caught a snippet on NPR about the documentary Music by Prudence. This […]
Here is the latest video from Kelly Corrigan: the thank you note that moms really want and really deserve from their children on Mother’s Day. Of course, few of us will ever hear such words pass our kids’ lips (or at least not until they have children of their own!), but we can at least […]
I don’t use that word lightly. I’m not just exaggerating or whining about how long our days and weeks and months have become. No, I really mean it: I can’t clearly see an ending. This blood pressure issue, while a minor sideshow to the grand drama of Austin’s cancer, is one of those sneaky things […]
We are home. Finally, at about 9:30 tonight, as I lay in bed with Braedan, we heard Mark’s car pull up the driveway and off he ran, out of bed and down the stairs to greet his brother at the back door. Amazing how many homecomings the little man has had in his short life. […]