Kate's Dr's visit went well today, her anc is 2000!! Yippee!! She has a cough, but her lungs are clear & her throat is not irritated. Everyone at the dr's office loves the paint job & can't wait to see what we have up our sleeve next! Tomorrow we're going to go down & hopefully finish the painting.

I've been going to see a chiropractor for my hip & the results are starting to show. At the least when I roll over at night the pain isn't so bad that it takes my breath away!

This hasn't been the easiest of weeks for Kate. It started on Tues (5 days since the vincristine) with a headache & mild bone pain. Remember this is all a side effect of this particular chemo. Then Wed evening was particularly difficult, she was screaming & crying in pain for about an hour. Her back & her femur (largest leg bone) were aching. The pain pill took a long time to give her some relief. As I say, this was an excercise in my spiritual physique. It takes every bit of spiritual strength to comfort your child when you know the pain is from the chemotherapy killing blood cells, both normal & cancerous. It doesn't know the difference. Did you know that vincristine is derived from the periwinkle plant? I just learned that myself. Maybe one day they will discover a drug that only targets cancerous cells & leaves the good ones alone, with little to no side effects. Because, it's commonly repeated that if they survive the chemotherapy, then they have a good chance of living. I have seen some extremely devastating effects of chemotherapy that no one really talks about, from heart defects to strokes. Some of these kids have been through it all. Off my soapbox now...

Wishing everyone a Happy July 4th, and thanking everyone that puts their lives on the line everyday for our freedom. It is the ultimate sacrifice.

Thanks for checking in & following our journey.
God Bless,
Mary