Nice News

I just haven’t much felt like writing lately. Remember when you were picking on your little sister, and your mom would say (in a voice just shy of a raptor-like shriek – a screech which I have unfortunately added to my arsenal of parent-gone-mad vocalizations), “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Well, in the interest of holiday spirit and goodwill to humankind, I’ve turned my creative energies elsewhere for the time being. Seriously, who wants a missive from Debbie Downer in their inbox when one has festive parties to attend and themed cocktails to consume? Not I!


In the meantime, I've been gathering materials for a really groovy terrarium that I shall begin construction on soon. I've been making jewelry and a movie and relearning piano and hiking and taking pictures and refining my skills in paint.net. It's been fun! While I apologize for my unexplained hiatus, it was in your best interest as my readers and my best interest as, well, me.

Onward to the nice things I can finally say.

After a somewhat rocky end to Amelia's delayed intensification stage of treatment, yesterday's labs revealed that her blood counts are indeed high enough to begin (drum roll...) maintenance treatment. On Monday! Hooray Amelia, for sticking to the schedule! Comparatively speaking, this will be much easier on Amelia's body and our family. Clinic will be a monthly, instead of weekly event, and thus chemo will mostly occur at home. Her immune function should begin to stabilize, and infection will hopefully be a slightly diminished (but still quite present) concern.

To illustrate Amelia’s progress thus far, and to quantify the remainder of treatment, I’ve assembled this little list, entitled “Leukemia by the Numbers”

To Date:

492
Hours Spent Hospitalized

154
Doses of Chemotherapy Drugs since June of 2009

10
Surgeries/Procedures

56
Missed Days of Kindergarten

Our Future:

622
More Days of Treatment To Go

8
Surgeries/Procedures

636
Doses of Chemotherapy Drugs

210
Doses of Steroids

Remarkable, no? As we head into the holidays and the (very long) home stretch of treatment, we hope for Amelia to go to kindergarten and that we keep her hospitalization hours at a big, fat goose egg. That is our Christmas wish for ourselves. And for you, friends and readers, we wish for everyone to have nice news, whatever that may mean to you.