In September 2005 Jackson was diagnosed with a very rare pediatric cancer called Rhabdoid Tumor of the Kidney. Over a six month period Jackson endured 8 cycles of intense chemotherapy and 11 rounds of radiation. Despite experiencing severe mucositis and intensitnal complications, Action Jacksonsuccessfully completed his treatment on March 14, 2006!
As promised, I just posted some photos of Jackson from our trip.
We made it to Florida and back in one piece. Boy that is a long flight!(I tried to convince Gerry that Palm Springs was a great spot to live….I don’t think she bought it). Regardless of the travel time it was worth it for Grammy and Grandpop to finally meet Oliver and see Jackson.It was great to spend some quality time with them.
The visit to Disney World was also fantastic. We managed to get a full day in at the park.(We arrived at 9:30, departed at 2:30 for naps, headed back at 6:00 and hit the ferry out of the park as the fireworks were going off over the castle).Jackson and Oliver were on their best behavior the entire day and everything went off without a hitch.We agreed that Buzz Lightyear’s Spin was the highlight of the day.(Thanks to good use of the FastPass we managed to ride it twice)!Jackson also put in a vote for the Speedway and I was particularly fond of Mickey’s Philharmonic.
It became clear on our trip that Jackson is having a hard time sharing the spot light with his little brother.I am actually surprised that this hasn’t been more of an overt issue up to this point.Oliver has become very engaging the past couple of months and everybody (including strangers) are smothering him with attention.In response Jackson has reverted to making loud dinosaur noises.It doesn’t matter where or when….somebody coos at Oliver and Jackson responds with a “ROAR”…..which translates to don’t forget about me in dino-speak.
Oliver’s cute baby phase may be cut short. His head is quite flat on his right side.(He had torticollis - neck stiffening/tilting - that didn’t get diagnosed until he was 2 + months old.By that point his head was already flat. PT helped the neck and the flat spot improved some, but not enough).Tomorrow Oliver will receive his helmet that will be worn 23 ½ hours per day for 6 months to treat the plagiochepaly. It looks a bit like a white hockey helmet. Needless to say, I think that Jackson may be able to regain some footing in the cute sibling contest.
Aside from the trip to Florida, there isn’t much to report.Jackson is going to camp (at his preschool) every weekday morning.I think all of us have enjoyed the return to the routine that camp provides.
He will be seen for a cardiology consult at Children’s on July 29.I will update after the appointment.Until then, please keep Jackson in your prayers and positive thoughts.As always, thank you for all of you support!
