7-22-16

Our doctor appointment on Tuesday confirmed all his counts are up, and he looks great! So they told us, see you in August, have a great few weeks off! And so we will. Drew just continues to be such a joy. He's funny--like he's been teasing me! Saying lines at just the right time, surprising us all and getting all of us laughing, which he eats up. He's tolerating his feeds well, enough that we can run it faster at night and spend more time backpack-free during the day. This week I've seen him be a typical 2 year old and throw pretty passionate fits! In a way it's cute, if I wasn't the one in charge of showing him how he's suppose to act! Molly has had some fits this week herself, leaving me for one exhausted, and two wondering how much is the drama/emotional 4 year old girl in her and how much is due to all that's going on this year with our family. I pray, and ask you to do the same, that I can handle her wisely. With both of them, that I can pick the right battles to fight, and follow through. That I, by the strength and wisdom of God, can shape them into good kids, dispute all that each are going through.

It has been 6 months and 1 day now since Drew was diagnosed. Since that day in January, he's had 6 rounds of chemo therapy, 7 surgeries, 2 infections, and one bone marrow transplant. I didn't even look at the MIBG (cancer scan) the first time. I asked the doctor, "did it light up like a Christmas tree?", she nodded solemnly, yes. But thank the Lord, through all we've endured, it has made a difference--we have just a few "mild uptake" spots on his latest scan, with real hope that after these 2 transplants the next one could be totally clean. Praise God. I have been finding other pages and blogs of cancer moms, and recently rejoiced with one who is done with treatment, getting their line taken out and everything, to enjoy the last part of the summer. It was said that they were now going to "make up the time cancer stole from us". That got me to thinking. She was talking about the time we're in now, do I feel like time is being stolen from us? Are we not living this year and half, despite battling cancer? I think we are, and I decided that, once again, it's all how you chose to look at it. Yes, we have limitations this summer. We have harder weeks then most will ever face. We have countless daily tasks in caring for Drew that require us to be different, to think differently now, then we did. But we are still living! We are still celebrating holidays, seeing family, taking photos, making meals and eating together as a family, tucking our kids into bed at night....no, I don't feel like this year isn't being lived. The last 6 months we can talk about how awful it's been at times--it has. Our we can say the last 6 months have been a time of incredible healing. He didn't "get" cancer 6 months ago, he had had it for probably most of his life, we just discovered it in January, and started making him better. He is a different Drew today, having literally come back to life, little by little, every day since January 21st. We still have a long ways to go. One more bone marrow transplant, 13 treatments of radiation, and 6 months (6 cycles) of immunotherapy that will probably take us through the Spring of 2017. We will face more hard weeks I have no doubt, but we are determined to live our life. Attitude, perspective, gratitude, and a whole lot of faith and hope in God, these are what keeps us living life!

~Heidi