It's Been Quite A Week

(by Tammy)

We've had quite a week, but we are still standing with help from our friends and family. Natalie's counts have been crawling up and dipping and crawling up again. Today she is at 110. Platelets are still low so it's a sign to me that her bone marrow has not recovered from the last chemo hit.

This is what our week has been like:
Sunday- We got the news that Grant's Grandma passed away peacefully in her sleep the night before. The news put us in a little depression the next couple of days because we were so hoping to get to go down there all together to see her this summer.

Tuesday morning- I was feeling pretty warm and checked my temperature. Sure enough, I had a fever. I didn't have any other symptoms like a cough, sore throat, or runny nose. I just felt worn down and hot. Poor Sean had to stay home and take care of me that day because he had already been exposed to whatever I possibly had. He was such a sweet boy though. He brought up a bottle of water for me without me asking him to and said, "Mama, I think you should drink some water." Then he went downstairs to play on the computer, got himself some Kix cereal to eat, played on his DS, checked on me, played Monopoly with his stuffed animals, watched some tv, checked on me again, and read some of his books. He is a truly an amazing 4 year old. He is not only a little genius in the making ( he can read and do math, which he taught himself while we've been occupied with Natalie at the hospital), he has such a great heart. At some point, I did make hotdogs and broccoli for lunch for us. I think we had canned chicken noodle soup for dinner. It was my night at the hospital, but I had to call Grant to tell him that I couldn't go because I was sick. I felt horrible because he had such a busy schedule lined up for work on Wed, and I felt worse when Natalie was really sad that I wasn't coming. I threw a pity party for myself that night, complete with tears and could almost hear the sad violin music playing in the background. Yes, it was pretty pathetic. Once I realized it, I made myself snap out of it and send an SOS out to some friends for help-those Natalie would feel okay with spending some nights at the hospital in case the fever lingered.

Wednesday- No fever, but decided to stay away from Natalie for 24 hours just in case. Stayed in bed most of the day, and Sean wanted to be near me. I decided to change and wash all my sheets and duvet cover that I've been sleeping in the past few days and ended up washing my work Blackberry with it. This is what happens when an exhausted mom tries to do laundry. My mom came to the rescue and stayed at the hospital that night so Grant could get some rest. My poor husband had to help me try to revive my BB once I realized what I had done. I didn't think it was even any possibility of a revival after 30 minutes of wash, rinse, and spin. Grant somehow knows this fact- if you soak a wet electronic device in rice, it absorbs all the moisture. How does he know this stuff? He was confident that my BB had 50 percent chance of working again as he quickly takes the chip and battery out, and puts the BB in rice. Apparently, the chip and battery can survive anything.

Thursday- I had to tell my boss what I had done and tell him that I will pay for a cost of a new BB if the damaged one does not make it. He tells me, "Don't be ridiculous! It's a work expense and stuff like this happens. I need you to have a reliable device since you are working almost entirely remotely these days. Get a new BB. Trust me, I get the better end of this deal." He is a wonderful boss. He has a wonderful wife too who is making an elephant quilt and pillowcase for Natalie. This turned out to be a great day. I had friends showing up at my doorstep willing to help me with cleaning my house, loading me up with immune boosters, care packages, and refreshed my soul with their friendship. As humbling as it was to ask for help, it is so encouraging when it comes.

We are still mourning the loss of Grandma, but Grant is keeping her legacy alive by teaching Natalie blackjack and telling her about all the great things Grandma did. Blackjack is a game that Grandma had taught Grant.