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Buddy's Page TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW
Welcome to our Web Page. It has been provided to keep people updated about Jordan. He was diagnosed with Acute Mylegenous Leukemia in February of 2001. After treatment with chemotherapy he stayed in remission for 15 months before he relapsed in November 2002. After reaching remission again we decided to bring him to Duke University Medical Center for a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.
****** "The Strength of an Egg"
Parents of children with cancer are often referred to or viewed as having "strength like a rock". Albeit flattering it is not quite true. It is more like the strength of an egg. An egg you ask? Yes! If you'll think about it, you'll see my point.
An egg has a polished, smooth outer appearance, with no cracks or weak spots visible. It seems almost inconceivable that the inside might not be as smooth or solid.
Most children, at some point, are shown the famous egg trick. An egg set at just the right angle can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and cannot be cracked or broken. Yet the same egg, tapped gently at an even slightly different angle, will break. The contents, once so neatly concealed, will come spilling out. The no-longer perfect shell will be crushed. It looks so fragile that it seems inconceivable that it ever held any strength.
A rock, on the other hand is solid all the way through. To break it is almost impossible. If you succeed, you will find that there is nothing inside but more rock. It takes a lot more than pure hardness to hold the "HAND OF HOPE".
Parents of children with cancer are not solid all the way through. We hurt, we fear, we cry, we hope. It takes a very careful balancing act to keep the shell from being shattered. "Balancing an egg" while running a household, going for doctors' visits and hospital stays, keeping the family together, and holding on to the constantly unraveling ties of your sanity can be very tricky indeed!
Occasionally, the angle will be off and the shell will break, shattering hope and the neatly secured appearances of a truly fragile existence. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, though, parents of children with cancer will pick themselves up and put themselves back together again. Juliet Freitag (mom to Angel Kyla)
Journal
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 8:26 AM CDT We are finally moved into our new house and getting pretty settled in. Haley had her 8th birthday this month and Zachary had his 3rd. We had an organizational day for the MEPS and Jordan had his one year studies. That sums up June for us.
So, Jordan is fine. That's the short version. He has some chronic skin GVH/eczema that will clear up over time (years) and we'll have to put steroid creams on until then, but at least we know his donor cells are working and will attack any leukemic cells. His echo was fine, x-rays fine, lungs fine, blood fine, what else is there to say?! Oh, yeah, he's off of all of his transplant meds and is clear to start kindergarten in the fall. We'll know in a couple weeks if he can start immunizations, but probably will be able to. He's reached the one year milestone with no major issues and only two very brief hospitalizations and no positive blood cultures. We couldn't have asked for better results.
We're moving on. It's time for a new phase where instead of hospitals there will be school, kickball and fingerpaint instead of iv's and ultrasounds. And worries, new and old, that'll never go away. As Jennifer said in the guestbook, the closing of the journal is symbolic of our family moving on to new, brighter things. Of course I would be remiss not to mention that this is thanks to Dr. Al, the oncologist that insisted Jordan needed a transplant. The mother we'll never know who donated her child's umbilical cord blood instead of throwing it away. Dr. Martin and Nurse Ann who patiently put up with me and my "diligence" and Jordan's tantrums. And the rest of the staff at Duke who also cared for Jordan along with the staff of Memorial Health, many who Jordan grew to love, which he does not do freely (Miss Heidi, Miss Betty, Miss Kristy, Miss Blenda, and I'm sure there are more!). And the friends (including our CB friends) and family that supported us through the last 3 years.
Without any profound ideas on "living life to the fullest", "appreciating every day" or cancer in general, I'm just going to close this journal and let our family move on. I will keep Jordan's website up for a few more weeks in case anyone wants to leave any final messages in the guestbook, I will be printing it out for his baby book along with this journal.
Thank you all for your love and support. Kevin, Vickie, Haley, Kyle, Jordan, Zachary and Lucas
Read past journal entries
Hospital Information: Patient Room: home
HOME!! 4100 Rockside Hills Dr. Raleigh, NC 27603 919-682-0816
Links: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/928701473 Information on a petition for a childhood cancer awareness postage stamp and a place to sign the petition. |
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