Once again, here is a long-overdue update on Austin. As per the previous entry, he did have another MRI in December, as well as a visit with the oncologist. The scan was all clear and he will have another one in June. He also saw the urologist and endocrinologist in December as well. He is still having some minor problems that require him to continue to see those providers to make sure there are no major changes.

Austin is continuing to endure school and I say that only because it seems every day is a struggle for him. I have had two meetings recently with his teachers to discuss his progress. He is very behind in math and reading, math more so than reading. The main problem that the teacher continues to bring up is that Austin loses focus so easily. That has been a concern each year, but I have not had the teacher mention it so much as it has been mentioned this year. What I notice at home is not only the distraction problems, but also short-term memory loss, to the point that he fails to tell me things that he is supposed to do for school, etc. Both of these problems are very common in brain tumor survivors. What I have to keep reminding myself, though, is that this just may be a typical 8 yr old boy behavior when it comes to the distraction issues. We may never know the answer to that because when Austin started preschool, he was going through chemo and had already been through radiation. For all we know, he may have had the distraction problems even with the chemo/radiation. Needless to say, it is all very frustrating to me and I hope that the school can make better accomodations for him.

Another update to come in June (hopefully) or whenever the need arises.

Lesley