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Christmas and Post Christmas
By Margot | December 30, 2008
If we can ever get Andy to do a straight photo, it will be amazing. We took this in front of the tree on Sunday night. The boys were practicing taking pictures and wanted to try one with the timer. We had a very good Christmas. The boys were so excited that Santa came. They all got a lot of loot. Santa brought them RockBand which they play with all seriousness, though Charlie rockin’ with the guitar singing “I Love Rockin’ Roll” is very funny. Grandma Joan found Backugans which Sam and Andy are obsessed with and are all sold out in California and they got outfitted in all their favorite surfer/skater dude gear by all the grandparents.  Charlie got a trash truck from Maureen on Christmas Eve and he was pretty much done. That’s all he wanted to play with.  I gave the boys Pictionary and we’ve been playing that quite a bit and laughing a lot. Â
 Sam walked into radiation today and one of the young techs said, “I love the way he dresses, he’s so cool.” It cracked me up. I told her he is our style man. He’s been going to basketball, playing with his friends and going to holiday get togethers with energy and cheer. Underneath it all though, cancer is brewing. His VMA/HVA we got back the day after Christmas was 26 and 28. The stress and terror that those two numbers bring to Neil and I is not really explainable but it is an undercurrent in all that we do.  We’re are now forced to think ahead while trying to take one day at a time and see if the radiation and velcade do their thing.  Sam’s also in the last few days decided he has no interest in food at all. For the past couple of weeks he hasn’t been eating as much but lately it’s been a struggle to get him to eat during the day though he’s been good for some late night sandwiches and milkshakes before bed.  I’ve upped the zofran and started back on Megace. He went to basketball practice last night and ran around but this morning both of his legs hurt in the hip area and he’s not up for much today.  Not really what we want to hear with high numbers. One good thing is that his blood numbers are great. ANC was 6.1, LDH was in the 720’s, Red Blood was 10 point something and platelets were 221 (this is all from memory but they were all good).
I’ll update with more news when we get it. Don’t know when we’ll get back Monday’s VMA/HVA due to the holiday. We have scans on January 8th and 9th and have planned a family trip to Hawaii on January 19th.  Please think good thoughts for Sam.
Also, please think good thoughts for Eden Adams family. The beautiful Princess Eden passed away yesterday afternoon.
Margot
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Topics: Progress Reports | 9 Comments »
December 30th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I am working hard to send peace your way. We understand the need to live in the day and plan for tomorrow. We have also grown in our understanding of how the disease sometimes robs us of our ability to wait with patience. Yet time and again, what we take for progression or a turn for the worse has turned out to be a small blip that corrects itself (in spite of not because of our extra worry).
Live it up with Rock Band, breeze through radiation, fix Sam whatever he wants to eat, survive the run up to scans, and have a blast in Hawaii!
VB
December 31st, 2008 at 2:11 am
Margot-Day by Day is all I can say. Sorry to hear about Eden.
I hope you have a great trip. You guys deserve a fun filled trip. Aloha, Angela (Madison’s Mom)
December 31st, 2008 at 2:54 am
What a beautiful photo, what a beautiful family. I’m so glad you had a great Christmas. Have a Happy HEALTHY New Year, I’ll be sending prayers your way for clear scans and perfect weather in Hawaii!
Kim-
December 31st, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Yeah!!!I’m so glad you guys are finally making it to Hawaii-congrats!!!
As always we will keep Sam in our prayers.
I hope 2009 will be a happy one!!!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:10 pm
thinking of you guys.
much love and hugs!
deb
December 31st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Andy’s cousin Emily always “mugs” for pictures too. Hope you have a miraculously wonderful 2009
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:30 am
Know that you will hang on to the happy moments like the one in the picture. I’m thinking good thoughts for your “style man,” for all of you, and for the Adams family. Hope that laid-back Hawaii will be a surfin’ dream. Jan
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I went back and looked at the card you sent, and Andy looks like an Angel in it, perfectly straight.
VB
January 4th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Glad you had a nice Christmas and hope you have a nice vacation coming up soon. Sounds like fun, I want to go along.
Hope the numbers come down and you hear better news on the scans than you are anticipating. Hope the leg/hip pain is just due to activity (my fingers are crossed). Keeping Sam in my prayers. God bless you and yours. Happy New Year.