WordPress just added a “Like” button to their posts. And there couldn’t have been a better time. We’ve learned to celebrate small victories along this journey. Because sometimes small victories are all we’ve got. But today was a pretty big victory. The removal of that PICC line signifies the end of cancer treatment. The end […]
Today is not PICC-removing day after all. There was some confusion about whether or not Austin actually needed blood and it’s now all been moved to tomorrow. His hemoglobin is not low enough to require a transfusion right now but it’s steadily declining so his oncologist said we could either keep the PICC in and […]
I could get used to this. Days that feel long and lazy like the middle of August. Barbeques and family cookouts and marshmallows roasting over the open fire. Hospital visits that happen only once a week. Reserving rooms for actual weekends away and getting pool passes that will actually be used. Yeah, I could get […]
We visited the hemodialysis unit at the hospital yesterday. It was both better and worse than I expected. I mean, it wasn’t horrific, not some miserable torture chamber with sickly sad faces peering out from under the blankets. But it was very subdued, much more so than the lively cancer areas. I know that sounds […]
Today was Austin’s last day of school, an end to his first year of preschool that feels light years away from its beginning. I am so proud of him and he is so proud of himself, convinced that today’s ice cream party proves he has accomplished something great. And he has: he continued going, with […]
Yes, you read that right. We are wavering. Not about chemo. We feel certain and confident in our decision to stop. But about the kidney. I was wrong when I said last week that there was nothing we could do to push Austin’s chance of survival up over 50%. There is something we could do: […]
I want to echo the words my mom expressed in her comment yesterday: Thank you all so much for your thoughtful consideration of our situation and for caring about us all so deeply. It is powerful and moving to know you’re out there rooting for us, hoping for us, feeling worried and saddened and relieved […]
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: […]