What a fast week this has been. Filled with chaos and screaming and errands and cooking and cleaning and time has flown by so fast I can’t believe it. It has all been so normal I have hardly had a chance to stop and think about what is all going on. I am kind of in a sense nesting. I was frantically getting cleaned up and settled back in the house and then realized I am in a deep clean organization mode cleaning out corners I haven’t been in in years. This weekend we actively worked on finally moving Matthew down into the basement which has been the plan for some time now but finally we got a chance to focus on him, which is only fitting, since our boy turns 16 on Tuesday. Another big day to celebrate and it should be a happy day. He deserves a happy day. He has had too much to deal with this summer. Although he has never been one to enjoy too much family time and attention, he certainly got his way this summer. But he got his fair share this weekend.
This past Thursday Daniel and I had to go to the clinic for updated blood work. Although the clinic was a zoo and running very slow and I was very inpatient wanting to not be there when I wanted to be on our own time since they said we were out of there for our time at home. I had a strange jolt back to our reality when we got lab results. But not what you would think. His numbers were all GREAT. So great. When the doctors came in, they commented on how healthy he was and how good his numbers were and how, pleased they were, blah, blah, blah. How healthy he was. How healthy he was. We are getting ready to go in for a bone marrow transplant and he is missing his freshman year of high school and my whole concept of normal life as I know it has completely turned upside down and they just told me how healthy Daniel is. Now don’t get me wrong. I agree. Put this kid in a line up (with a hat on of course and a shirt to cover up the tube coming out of his skinny chest) and he is as normal and healthy looking as the next kid. I dare any one of you to pick my kid out as the sick looking one. I just don’t get it. Maybe I am in late stage denial. Maybe I am just finally getting used to natural fresh outside air again, but I am not understanding how in two weeks my child is going to be going under a life saving procedure that has so many potential risks, but that needs to be done in order to keep this now healthy child healthy. I get it. I do. He is healthy for a kid with Leukemia. I get it fundamentally, but any of you that have a chance to spend time with Daniel these days probably will feel like me. It doesn’t make sense. That this smart ass, very active, seemingly healthy typical teenage kid has leukemia. You would understand if he looked sick, or acted sick. Believe me I don’t want that. This just doesn’t seem normal. But what is normal, right?
What our plan is for the next two weeks starting Monday is Daniel and I will be at the hospital all day every day for testing. Daniel has to have every type of test you can imagine from an eye test to and EKG and everything in between. He will have to have every organ and system assessed and baselines done before he is readmitted for his bone marrow transplant. We are being readmitted to the hospital on November 2nd but until then will get to do all of these tests on an outpatient bases, which means we get to sleep at home. This is as long as he stays “healthy” which I know he will. The next two weeks will be grueling but he will do homework and the hospital was gracious enough to schedule all appointments around his sports show twice week. These things are important to him and keep him positive. His attitude remains fantastic and as we get closer to readmittance I just hope we can keep things as normal as possible.
This past Thursday Daniel and I had to go to the clinic for updated blood work. Although the clinic was a zoo and running very slow and I was very inpatient wanting to not be there when I wanted to be on our own time since they said we were out of there for our time at home. I had a strange jolt back to our reality when we got lab results. But not what you would think. His numbers were all GREAT. So great. When the doctors came in, they commented on how healthy he was and how good his numbers were and how, pleased they were, blah, blah, blah. How healthy he was. How healthy he was. We are getting ready to go in for a bone marrow transplant and he is missing his freshman year of high school and my whole concept of normal life as I know it has completely turned upside down and they just told me how healthy Daniel is. Now don’t get me wrong. I agree. Put this kid in a line up (with a hat on of course and a shirt to cover up the tube coming out of his skinny chest) and he is as normal and healthy looking as the next kid. I dare any one of you to pick my kid out as the sick looking one. I just don’t get it. Maybe I am in late stage denial. Maybe I am just finally getting used to natural fresh outside air again, but I am not understanding how in two weeks my child is going to be going under a life saving procedure that has so many potential risks, but that needs to be done in order to keep this now healthy child healthy. I get it. I do. He is healthy for a kid with Leukemia. I get it fundamentally, but any of you that have a chance to spend time with Daniel these days probably will feel like me. It doesn’t make sense. That this smart ass, very active, seemingly healthy typical teenage kid has leukemia. You would understand if he looked sick, or acted sick. Believe me I don’t want that. This just doesn’t seem normal. But what is normal, right?
What our plan is for the next two weeks starting Monday is Daniel and I will be at the hospital all day every day for testing. Daniel has to have every type of test you can imagine from an eye test to and EKG and everything in between. He will have to have every organ and system assessed and baselines done before he is readmitted for his bone marrow transplant. We are being readmitted to the hospital on November 2nd but until then will get to do all of these tests on an outpatient bases, which means we get to sleep at home. This is as long as he stays “healthy” which I know he will. The next two weeks will be grueling but he will do homework and the hospital was gracious enough to schedule all appointments around his sports show twice week. These things are important to him and keep him positive. His attitude remains fantastic and as we get closer to readmittance I just hope we can keep things as normal as possible.