Just a quick post to say we had a nice, normal, relaxing weekend. Aside from some occasional nausea, Tanner continues to feel really good even though she has been taking IV chemo for the past four days and continues her daily oral chemo through Thursday.
Thursday is her last day of chemo for Delayed Intensification! John and I cannot believe it. We’re going to have a little Bye, Bye DI party for her (just us, of course, since her counts will likely be very low) with a cake, etc. It is a huge landmark in this journey and one that marks the end of the really rigorous portion of leukemia treatment. We feel so lucky to have made it this far with so few delays. This portion of treatment is supposed to last 6-9 months and Tanner has made it in 6 months so we feel really fortunate.
We played at the playground (see Tanner’s post earlier today) this morning and met some other kids. Tanner asked initially for her hat to cover her head, but got busy playing and handed it to John to hold. She was hanging on a little bar that glided across a fixed crossbeam, a zip-line of sorts, with two other kids and having a great time. It was a little nerve-wracking since her port was accessed, but she made it very clear I was not to tell her to be careful in front of her new friends! Those kids never asked about Tanner’s hair. In fact, at one point, she asked them if they knew why she didn’t have any hair and the boy said, “You have cancer,” and that was the end of that. I love kids… they’re so accepting.
Great weekend, looking forward to an uneventful week. We’ll be pretty isolated since we have to assume her counts are really low, but we’ve been enjoying this good weather and taking advantage of it.
We’re lucky, all things considered, to have arrived at this point without any more difficulty than we have had.
Love,
Beth
WOW-finished the worst, what a grueling journey but Tanner seems to have weathered it well. I was thinking how fortunate she is to have Jake around; it would have been more difficult as an only child being isolated so often. She looks good.
As always we are praying for her daily and of course your family. You are in the throes of it; you will be amazed when you can look back from a distance what a blip in your life it will have been. The emotional stuff sticks but wanes thankfully but the day to day grind will be a blur.
Take care. Love from us all.
mjb
What awesome new friends! Kids can be the cruelest sometimes – but usually the most amazing human beings! Becca and I will have a satellite Bye Bye, DI party on your behalf. We love parties – especially around incredible celebrations like this one!
Zach’s birthday is Thursday, so we’ll double dip our celebration. We are glad Tanner felt like getting out. Thanks for the update… you continue to be at the top of our prayer list.