Getting Ready for FALL!

Hello Everyone!

We had our first appointment for the "Delayed Intensification" phase of Chemotherapy, however Rena's counts were not high enough to begin.  So she gets another week off!  Delayed Intensification is the last intense phase of chemo before she begins long term  maintenance.  During maintenance Rena will only have Chemotherapy in clinic once a month.  That means that she will be able to return to school and spend more time outside of the house.

We anticipate that Rena will be able to return to school in November, so yesterday we registered her to start the 7th grade!  During September and October a Home-bound teacher will visit Rena a couple of times a week to bring and return her school work.  We have been working hard all summer to get Rena caught up from all the school she missed last year and I think Rena will be ready to jump back in.

Rena is still feeling great and has been really active.  She is riding her bike several times a week and going outside to hunt for bugs every day.  My mom came out from Washington State to visit a couple of weeks ago and Rena's friend Aubrey came to visit all the way from Oregon.  Rena enjoyed seeing Aubrey and her Nana very much and this was a nice way to finish up the summer. Rena still sees her friend Amanda from school every couple of weeks.  They swap caterpillars, strange erasers, and act very silly together.

Ginger

The Emperor of All Malladies

Hello Everyone!  I wanted to share with you the title of a great book that I have been reading called "The Emperor of All Maladies" by Siddhartha Mukherjee.  The book is a history of cancer that incoporates some science and personal accounts of patients.  The author, Mukherjee, is an oncologist and a very good writer.  It has actually helped me to understand Rena's illness much better and helped me to see how fortunate we are that we live in the year 2011 and not 1960 or even 1980!
Ginger

More Rena pictures!

Enjoying the Summer!

Hello Everyone!  I'm so sorry we haven't posted in a while.  I guess we've been enjoying our relaxing summer.  Rena is doing really well.  She finished up physical therapy and is riding her bike around the neighborhood alot. We also managed to take her to the recent Harry Potter movie.  We just went to an early matinee in the middle of the week, when there was no one around.  I wiped the seat with bleach wipes and also covered it with a cloth to protect her.  A few preventative measures and it seemed to work out fine.

Rena just had her last appointment for this phase of her treatment and will start the next phase in a few weeks.  Only one more intense phase until she begins long-term maintenance.  If all goes well she should be back in school sometime in November.   We love you all! Thanks for the continued support.

Ginger