Where has the time gone?  We're here - still chugging away at the (mostly) predictable cycles of Continuation Phase. Ben has been doing great overall, and is currently rounding out Cycle 10. 

He had a lumbar puncture to start this cycle, as he does every 9 weeks, but we used the "rescue" drug again (leucovorin), and the interthecal chemo didn't seem to hit him as hard. Ben had 1 very minor mouth sore in Cycle 9, likely due to the small increase in dosage they did with the methotrexate, but so far so good this time around. 

We've had a few really busy weeks lately...filled mostly with normal kid activities, but also with a handful of new and interesting ones! 

First up - Ben's face started showing up at Stop & Shop grocery stores all over the state as part of their fundraising campaign for Dana Farber/Jimmy Fund. It was so funny to go into a store and see Ben smiling up from all the cash registers. He got a kick out of asking the cashiers if they recognized him. The campaign runs until the end of the month, so if you happen to be near a store - pop in and check him out! 

We also were spoiled with the "thank you" party Stop & Shop threw Ben and the other patient ambassador (his friend Cora from camp last year). They set up a private access event for the kids and siblings at the Lego Discovery Center in Somerville. Ben and Ella got to hang with the Master Lego builder and run around the center playing to their heart's content. The were even able to build their own mini-figures and have them placed in funny spots in the gigantic model city. It'll be cool to come back and visit them one day! Stop & Shop made a clip of the party, if you want to check it out: Stop & Shop - Lego Discovery

Other recent activities included watching 2 BU Lacrosse games, both wins: 1 against Bucknell and the other against #1 ranked Army! We also squeaked in our (likely) last ski trip for the season in NH and attended a handful of karate classes. The kids are now working on testing for their orange/purple belts!

This week we're out of town for the first half of the kids' 2-week school break. We had the amazing opportunity to spend the week at a house in Falmouth called "Tommy's Place". It's a magical vacation home that they make available to families battling pediatric cancer. It's an amazing foundation and there's a touching story about the founder and how it came to be. The house is 11 bedrooms and comes complete with a theater, game room, art room, music room, fully stocked kitchen and more. To say the kids are enjoying themselves would be a massive understatement! 

With the ups come the downs it seems though. Shortly into our week away, we were at 2 hospitals in as many days: Cape Cod hospital and Boston Children's. Ben acquired a cold and spiked a fever around 3am the other day, but after some blood cultures, a few rounds of tylenol and a couple courses of antibiotics, he seems none the worse for wear - albeit a little tired. On the upside, there was no Cape or Boston traffic to fight during either of our early morning forays at 3am. 🤣

Today we're back in enjoyment and celebration mode as we throw Ella an epic 10 year birthday party (10! I can't believe it...). Then  over the weekend we hope to catch the BU boys play Holy Cross and see if the Easter Bunny pays us a visit. Tuesday starts Cycle 11 and brings with it the return of steroids. I think it's also likely that he'll be due for another round of IVIG, given his recent fevers. Hopefully that'll give him a nice boost and the next cycle can start without much fuss. It'd be nice if Ben could make it into at least a few days of spring break camp at his school to see his friends!