Pumpkins

We couldn't go through October without carving pumpkins.  Joey didn't want to clean his out because he didn't want his hands to get dirty, but he finally got used to it.  Katherine has no problem getting her hands dirty.

 

LLS Support Group Halloween Party

We have a lot of fun with our LLS friends.  We made it to the Halloween party for the first time this year.  This kids did a scavenger hunt, a pumpkin hunt, and toured the fire station (it's the station where Chad works, but he wasn't on that day). 

Katherine Turns 10

On her actual birthday (Oct 16), we went to dinner and she got her presents from her family.

Birthday Party

We decided to do the kids' birthday celebrations a little different this year.  Instead of smaller, separate parties, we did one combined, bigger party.  We also asked for donations for our Light the Night team instead of gifts.

We ended up with over 40 people at our house and LOTS of kids.  It was a little wild, but I think the kids had fun.  They raised $710 for LLS!  I was surprised it was that much. Some people gave more than what they would have spend on a gift.

Special Day at McConnell

Since Joey got to be a Pilot for a Day at McConnell, he was also invited to spend an afternoon on base to watch them practice for the airshow (which was the next 2 days). We convinced him to wear his flight suit (it still fits after almost 2 years).  We got to watch the Thunderbirds practice and then meet them all and get autographs. We also met the parachuting team and then watched them jump in formation.  It was all very cool.  Joey loved it. Because of security, they only allowed 3 people from each family to go, so Katherine didn't get to see it - she had to stay at school.

Two Years

It was 2 years ago today that Joey was diagnosed with leukemia.  I can't believe it's been that long.  I asked him if he remembers what it was like before he had it and said only a little bit.  When I look at pictures from those first few days, I remember the feelings very clearly.  At that time, I didn't know what the future held for him, but he's doing so well now.  He'll be done with the chemo in April, which will obviously be a huge milestone.  The fear of relapse creeps into my mind sometimes, but overall, I'm confident that he'll be fine.  He "shouldn't" relapse, but the reality is that no one really knows.

I like to keep track of things, so here is a listing of treatments, etc, from the last two years:

4 hospital admissions
3 ER visits
110 Visits to Dr Rosen
4 surgeries
2 bone marrow aspirations
14 spinal taps
6 blood transfusions
1 platelet transfusion
10 x-rays
2 CT scans
130 CBC's (50 finger pokes)
1 MRI
3 EKG's
2 Electrocardiograms
94 days of steroids
74 rounds of chemo drugs (different types, including 672 MTX pills & 27 MTX Shots)
3 sinus infections
2 Hickman infections
11 Rounds of antibiotics (plus every weekend)
1 case of pneumonia
11 port accesses

 

Joey Soccer

We started Joey in AYSO this year so he could play more than just during the spring.  Jon is his coach - his first time to be a head coach.  Their team is very new to soccer and they are all on the younger (and smaller) end of their age group, so Jon has his hands full.  They've only played 2 games so far, and I won't even mention the scores, but I think they have fun.  Joey is small, but he's really aggressive. He wanted to play goal-keeper and was disappointed to find out they don't use them in his age-group. His eyes are really sensitive to the sun (they always have been, but even more so from the medicine, so he got some sunglasses he can wear when he plays. He also wears a cushion over his chest to help protect his port.  It would be really hard to injure it, but it doesn't feel good to him to have it hit.