You know I’m a planner. Especially at this time of year with holiday parties and family gatherings and Braedan’s December 24th birthday, which needs to be celebrated both at school and at a party all while keeping it separate from Christmas. Add to that the fact that our house might be ready to move into […]
We had Braedan’s first official school conference yesterday and, among other glowing compliments, his teacher said he is one of the happiest children she has ever known. “Always happy and always positive,” were her words. Through my years as a classroom teacher, I have glimpsed the inner lives of many different types of children, each […]
People keep asking me and Mark how we feel and the honest answer is that we just don’t know yet. This is all so uncertain, things seem to change so drastically so quickly and until we have something more definitive than we have right now, we just aren’t committing to any particular reaction or emotion. […]
You know, you would think, after all we’ve been through, that we would learn not to get too comfortable. That we would somehow always be ready, forever on our toes, prepared for whatever comes. And yet instead, we learn to adapt so quickly that it feels almost seamless. We move fluidly from good to bad […]
I find it sort of funny, or at least ironic, that all of us (you out there as well as me and Mark) are feeling such joy and relief after Monday’s meeting. It’s almost as if we think, “Oh thank God, that’s over with,” when in reality, whatever was inside Austin’s body last week is still there today. […]
We have reached consensus and we feel good. We will adopt the “watch-and-wait” approach as advocated by our UH team over the “find-out-at-all-costs” approach as advocated by St Jude’s. Here’s the low-down: First, and perhaps most importantly, this shadow has been on Austin’s kidney for the past two years. I know many of you are […]
We have our meeting scheduled with the team of four doctors for this coming Monday afternoon. We hope to get some real answers about how to get some real answers about what lurks inside our little Austin’s body. We feel we simply need more diagnostic information before we can make a decision about how to proceed. […]
https://krissydietrichgallagher.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Krissy-Gallagher-1.png00krissygallagherhttps://krissydietrichgallagher.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Krissy-Gallagher-1.pngkrissygallagher2009-11-05 14:49:142023-06-08 17:24:04First, Do No Harm
From the mouth of my outrageously smart, not-yet six-year-old when I told him about our latest predicament with Austin: “But Mom, the real question is, How are we going to know what’s inside of him?” Exactly, Braedan honey, exactly. I know a lot of you have questions too, so I will do my best here […]
This posting is guaranteed one hundred percent cancer-free, because sometimes you just have to step back, have some fun and eat a little candy already. Besides, look how stinking’ cute these boys are. Braedan dressed as the Tin Man for Storybook Character Day at school. The kids in his class were wowed with his homemade costume constructed from a […]
There are many reasons why I write this blog everyday. A lot of it has to do with needing a place to process my own feelings, an outlet for expressing my fears and hopes and all the good and bad that comes along with childhood cancer. I often write to pass along information to all of you, my friends and family and […]
Plans
You know I’m a planner. Especially at this time of year with holiday parties and family gatherings and Braedan’s December 24th birthday, which needs to be celebrated both at school and at a party all while keeping it separate from Christmas. Add to that the fact that our house might be ready to move into […]
Happy
We had Braedan’s first official school conference yesterday and, among other glowing compliments, his teacher said he is one of the happiest children she has ever known. “Always happy and always positive,” were her words. Through my years as a classroom teacher, I have glimpsed the inner lives of many different types of children, each […]
Uncommitted
People keep asking me and Mark how we feel and the honest answer is that we just don’t know yet. This is all so uncertain, things seem to change so drastically so quickly and until we have something more definitive than we have right now, we just aren’t committing to any particular reaction or emotion. […]
The pendulum swings
You know, you would think, after all we’ve been through, that we would learn not to get too comfortable. That we would somehow always be ready, forever on our toes, prepared for whatever comes. And yet instead, we learn to adapt so quickly that it feels almost seamless. We move fluidly from good to bad […]
The nitty-gritty
I find it sort of funny, or at least ironic, that all of us (you out there as well as me and Mark) are feeling such joy and relief after Monday’s meeting. It’s almost as if we think, “Oh thank God, that’s over with,” when in reality, whatever was inside Austin’s body last week is still there today. […]
Consensus
We have reached consensus and we feel good. We will adopt the “watch-and-wait” approach as advocated by our UH team over the “find-out-at-all-costs” approach as advocated by St Jude’s. Here’s the low-down: First, and perhaps most importantly, this shadow has been on Austin’s kidney for the past two years. I know many of you are […]
First, Do No Harm
We have our meeting scheduled with the team of four doctors for this coming Monday afternoon. We hope to get some real answers about how to get some real answers about what lurks inside our little Austin’s body. We feel we simply need more diagnostic information before we can make a decision about how to proceed. […]
“The Real Question Is…”
From the mouth of my outrageously smart, not-yet six-year-old when I told him about our latest predicament with Austin: “But Mom, the real question is, How are we going to know what’s inside of him?” Exactly, Braedan honey, exactly. I know a lot of you have questions too, so I will do my best here […]
The cancer-free edition
This posting is guaranteed one hundred percent cancer-free, because sometimes you just have to step back, have some fun and eat a little candy already. Besides, look how stinking’ cute these boys are. Braedan dressed as the Tin Man for Storybook Character Day at school. The kids in his class were wowed with his homemade costume constructed from a […]
Some Clarity
There are many reasons why I write this blog everyday. A lot of it has to do with needing a place to process my own feelings, an outlet for expressing my fears and hopes and all the good and bad that comes along with childhood cancer. I often write to pass along information to all of you, my friends and family and […]