November 3, 2010

I don’t know why it surprised me. It shouldn’t have. It’s not like we have not known all along how kind the people at Vandy Children’s are. I think it was just stunning to look at all the kids who were in the hospital today and realize that the comfort and peace of mind of just one of those children was so important to them.

Today, when we went down to the surgery waiting area for Tanner’s LP, both the Childlife Specialist, Sara, and the music therapist, Jenny, came with us. Then they accompanied us to the pre-op room and, finally, to the operating room itself. They played music, dealt a hand of UNO, and generally, were engaging enough to distract Tanner from the impending, dreaded sleepy milk.

It was a vast improvement over the past few times. There were no anti-anxiety drugs, no tricks, no deceit. She did cry and get scared at the very end, but the lead up was so much better. She was just having too much fun to get so worked up.

In the end, I carried her to the operating room and held her while they pushed the sleepy milk into her port. She buried her head in my neck and cried, then finally went to sleep. I laid her down on the gurney and we left to spend another ½ hour in a waiting room we now know like the backs of our hands. It was the best it could be, but let’s face it… it still sucks.

So, four kinds of chemo delivered three different ways… plus steroids… in one day. Anytime I start to feel a little nervous about the radiation next week, I remember all she endures.

Her counts were good… too good at 2,600, so they upped her chemo again. I suspect she will feel pretty bad tomorrow, but you would have never known it this afternoon. She danced and sang and she and Jake put on a superhero show for Aunt Beth. And, unbelievably, had trouble going to sleep tonight because of the “nap” she had at the hospital.

Heard about yet another little girl from Franklin diagnosed with leukemia this week. Please pray for her family as they struggle to comprehend the incomprehensible and for this little girl that the chemo begins to heal her quickly and her body responds as the doctors hope it will.

Love,
Beth