We're home!

Ian had his final radiation treatment this morning and we are home! It's amazing that we are already finished with all 17 treatments, it's gone so quickly.

We spent the last 2 nights in the Ronald McDonald house again, and even enjoyed a larger room with a kitchenette. ;-) I took peaches from our peach tree and ingredients for peach cobbler with us. It was fun to make something to share with the other families in our wing.

Ian did art with the other teens on Monday night and we met Joseph, a 16 year old fighting Leukemia. Tuesday evening a volunteer came to play Bingo with us and another family. We had a small group, so everybody won! I got a Starbuck's card and Ian got an iTunes card. Pretty cool. Later we played Settlers of Catan with Maddi, Lindsey and Margaret. We really need to get this game - it's very fun and I'm thankful for our new friends who introduced it to us! We are praying 15 yo Maddi and her Mom Margaret hear good news tomorrow and they get to go home after their 100 days near the hospital due to stem cell transplant. Please join us!

Ian delighted his radiation therapists by showing up to many of his treatments wearing a clown nose or a silly hat. Yesterday he wore a scary Halloween mask with a pirate hat. He had nurses coming in just to take pictures of him! Then he had to figure out some way to top that for his final day. So, he wore the same mask and hat but put his red pillow case over the top so they would think it was just the pillowcase and surprise them again. It was a success. Need I say he endeared himself to his therapists? They even gave him a certificate of completion that says he completed his radiation therapy with "High Honors in courage, determination and good spirit." ;-)

We have been getting free 15 minute chair massages at the Cancer Center every day when we go for treatments, so we did our last ones today and left with hugs and good wishes. At least we have something to look forward to when we go back for Ian's scans on Aug. 23.

One thing I'm taking with me is a desire to register as a stem cell donor. There is such a need. I hope to connect a registration drive with our local Relay For Life in September, so watch for that and get registered!

I probably won't post again for a few weeks. I get a week at home, then I'm off for some singing conference time. Yeah! I get back, have a couple of days, then we have Ian's Make A Wish event - a day with Discovery Channels Mythbusters! Ian (and the rest of the family, too!) is very excited about that, so I'll probably post something about it. Then we fly to New Mexico for a family reunion! Whew, makes my tired thinking about it all, but it's all good stuff! THEN, I'll be looking at getting my MRI and addressing whatever comes next. ;-)

Blessings to everyone, Thanks for reading, praying, thinking of us, supporting us! Love, Natalie

Only 4 treatments left

We are finished with all but 4 radiation treatments and it looks like the last one will be next Wed., as planned, so we will only be here 2 nights next week. Ian and I are getting to know a few people better this week at the Ronald McDonald House and he has had board game players to enjoy. ;-) We'll even bring home a couple of titles we will want to pick up sometime! There are actually 3 teens in our part of the house right now, which is great.

Our day in SF yesterday was great. We really enjoyed the Academy of Sciences - it's quite a place! - and visiting with our friends was a wonderful treat.

We did see our Drs. on Mon. and Tues. this week. Basically, Ian will be considered in remission once his radiation treatments are finished - Whoo, hoo! We will do PET and CT scans Aug. 23 to confirm that he is truly clear of disease. Once again, the timing is working out so we have that the day before he leaves for a homeschooling camp for teens that he has been looking forward to all year. Thank goodness!

Some of you have asked how I'm doing. I am fine, although I get overwhelmed pretty easily these days. Every once in a while "my cup overflows" with stress and I do some freaking out. BUT, I have no symptoms from my tumor and we are just getting through Ian's treatments before we worry about my stuff. I will have another MRI sometime in the last half of August and then we'll decide on a surgery date. I'm really not focused on that right now, which is good.

I plan to keep updating, and probably backdating for a while, this blog. So, following this should be a good way to keep up with us.

Once again, thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and all you do.

Blessings, Natalie

Radiation is going well.

Today we had radiation treatment #11. We've also seen the Drs. and expect to finish with radiation July 21, Helen's 19th birthday. So we can go home that day - hooray! So far he has done very well with the radiation. I'm sure his energy level is down some, but not bad. The worst effect seems to be a very dry throat.

We are at the Ronald McDonald House this week. We were also here the first week. Last week we stayed with friends of friends in East Palo Alto, but it is very nice to be closer to the hospital and have the benefits of the RMH. I am grateful we have been able to go home on the weekends. It's a challenge to live away from home. We have gotten to know a couple of families who have a child with stem cell transplants who must stay within 15 minutes of the hospital for 100 days!

This is just a quick update and I hope to get more done later, maybe even back-dating some previous posts so people can see what has happened before.

I need to go now. We have an earlier treatment tomorrow and then plan to meet friends in SF to visit the Academy of Sciences. That will be a wonderful diversion.

Here's a blog Ian is doing.