As you probably all understand, we haven't posted much on the blog since we found out that Natalie has relapsed. It's been very painful that it hurts to even talk, write, and share our hearts. We've gone through many days of just sobbing and I know it needs to come out. As I am typing this now, I find myself crying. That's how heavy our hearts are with sadness. It feels like it our lives have stopped again, and we are in this strange waiting room begging to be able to rejoin the rest of the world again.
We don't understand why we are back here. What we do know is that we have a lot of love for Natalie and you all have a lot of love for Natalie. The Bible says that love conquers all and it never fails. If we could measure our love, would it be enough to cure Natalie? We are really hoping so. We are hoping it can move mountains and do miracles. It's the only thing we have a lot of these days. Our faith is a little low, our strength is low, and our joy is low.
Speaking of low, Natalie finished chemo two days ago, and her counts are low. This chemo medicine is really strong and is hitting her hard. She is getting some platelets today so the Benedryl has knocked her out. She is sleeping right now. We need prayers for her body to do amazingly well through all this-- no infection, no ICU, nothing bad.
When Natalie first heard got readmitted, she was so sad. She didn't really want to talk about her sadness. She was really enjoying being back at school, and looking forward to the class field trip coming up to the Chabot Space Center. We gave her some space because we felt the same way. Natalie and Sean were both sad. Grant and I were both sad and mad. None of us could believe this was happening again.
We've been telling her about the bone marrow drives that people are all working hard for. We've been asking anyone we see who is asian, or know somebody who is asian, to get tested and registered through the National Bone Marrow Registry. We've been sharing various stories to Natalie. We are all trying to fight through this and stay positive. Natalie is starting to accept being back here. I think we have accepted it too. She started to do some art again, she is finishing a book a day in the Boxcar Children series, she is laughing and talking to the nurses. She was willing to do Skype with Sean last night. Afterwards, she said that it was so much fun to do that. We talk about how much fun we had away from the hospital and we talk about the future. We want her to have a sweet future.
Thank you to all who are doing everything they can to get tested or getting people to get tested for Natalie. She is a unique person so we have to pray really hard that she will find a great match.
Today is Bingo day at the hospital and that always puts a smile on Natalie's face.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
We Need Prayers For Tuesday
Hi Everybody,
We really need all your prayers again for our Natalie.
Natalie had her blood draw and clinic visit to UCSF this past Thursday, and we were surprised to find out that her platelets have dropped significantly from her last visit. She has been so happy, energetic, and eating well. Looking at her, you can't even tell that there's been any change in her blood chemistry. We feel like a bus has hit us out the blue again and it's painful.
Of course, we've had sleepless nights filled with worry and concern over why her platelets have dropped. We try to not let our fears and thoughts get too out of control, but it is very scary to be in this position of the unknown again.
We've been told that the low platelets situation may be a result of her body fighting a virus. Her hemoglobin level is normal. We are really praying and hoping that is the case.
Natalie is scheduled to go back to UCSF this coming Tuesday, January 19 for a blood draw and a biopsy. They want to do a biopsy make sure that the cancer has not come back. Please please pray a special prayer for us that day that the biopsy shows no signs of cancer at all.
Natalie is a little scared too. She's trying to stay positive and we are trying to hold it together so that we can help her be strong through this. We had a fun day together as a family hanging out.
Really, we can't go through again what we went through last year. It took everything out of us physically, emotionally, and spiritually to make it through. We are starting to feel like normal people again and we would like to continue to recuperate.
We really need all your prayers again for our Natalie.
Natalie had her blood draw and clinic visit to UCSF this past Thursday, and we were surprised to find out that her platelets have dropped significantly from her last visit. She has been so happy, energetic, and eating well. Looking at her, you can't even tell that there's been any change in her blood chemistry. We feel like a bus has hit us out the blue again and it's painful.
Of course, we've had sleepless nights filled with worry and concern over why her platelets have dropped. We try to not let our fears and thoughts get too out of control, but it is very scary to be in this position of the unknown again.
We've been told that the low platelets situation may be a result of her body fighting a virus. Her hemoglobin level is normal. We are really praying and hoping that is the case.
Natalie is scheduled to go back to UCSF this coming Tuesday, January 19 for a blood draw and a biopsy. They want to do a biopsy make sure that the cancer has not come back. Please please pray a special prayer for us that day that the biopsy shows no signs of cancer at all.
Natalie is a little scared too. She's trying to stay positive and we are trying to hold it together so that we can help her be strong through this. We had a fun day together as a family hanging out.
Really, we can't go through again what we went through last year. It took everything out of us physically, emotionally, and spiritually to make it through. We are starting to feel like normal people again and we would like to continue to recuperate.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Grant's Pre-Thanksgiving post (sorry it's late!)
Give thanks to the Lord,
For he is good.
Give thanks to the Lord,
His love endures forever.
Over the past week, we've been having a tough time dealing with all of the painful memories from last year. Every day reminds us of the events that happened a year ago, the week before Thanksgiving. But this morning we woke up grateful. Tammy and I are grateful to be sleeping next to each other in our own bed. We're excited about going down to Fresno to be with family. Tammy spent a good chunk of yesterday cooking up a storm.
What are we grateful for?
We're grateful for God for helping Natalie get better. She had her 6th checkup and she is still in remission. Dr. Clay, her oncologist, said that 6 months is a big deal and he was happy that we made it.
We're grateful to be together as a family. Yes, the kids fight more than we like, but they fought a bit in the hospital, too. The point is, we are home together.
We're grateful for our family:
Mom and dad, thank you for coming as soon as we needed you and listening when I needed you to.
Troy, thank you for praying.
Ma, thank you for watching Sean and spending nights in the hospital. I know it was hard for you.
Ba, thank you for letting ma help us. We know it is a big sacrifice.
Tracy, thank you for giving us a whole month. You helped us through a tough spot. Sei, Cameron, and Ava, thank you for letting your wife and mom go.
Dinny and Jason, thank you for spending your vacation on us. We needed all the help we could get.
Scott, thank you for coming and for the Cinnabons.
John, thank you for staying with Ma and playing with Sean. We worried constantly about Natalie and frequently about Sean. We didn't want him to be neglected and bounced around from people to people and place to place. Keeping him home with family relieved a great
pressure.
Natalie, thank you for being a trooper. You made the best of a terrible situation and you kept your spirit throughout the whole ordeal.
Sean, thank you for praying every night for Natalie. Thank you for vehemently reassuring your mom that Natalie is going to be all right.
Tammy, thank you for thinking of me even when there were so many other people and things to think about. You made me feel important.
Medical staff:
Dr. Clay, thank you for being sincere, honest, and optimistic.
Robin, thank you for the 2 minutes. If I had to pick my most positive healthcare experience ever, that would be it. We needed to know that someone would give us 2 minutes.
Dr. Matthay, thank you for your sense of humor.
Dr. Bannerjee, thank you for standing firm. We really wanted to go home, but you were right.
Amber, thank you for taking the initiative and cutting Natalie's hair. It hurt, but it needed to be done.
Felix, thank you for the candy.
Tatiana, thank you for the expert blood draws.
Nancy, thank you for always taking your time. You help us feel relaxed.
Dr. Smith, thank you for your youthful vigor and cheer.
Yolanda, thank you for all the elephant journeys, and especially for not being easily hurt. You'll make a great pediatrician.
Christine, thank you for teaching Natalie and Tammy to bead and for telling
us all the good restaurants around UCSF.
Friends:
Weizhu and Patty, thank you for teaching Natalie the recorder.
Zach and Becky, thank you for coming and playing Pokemon sushi with us.
Elbert, Stella, Jonathan, and Elliot, thank you, thank you, thank you for letting us share your house and washing machine and kitchen. A huge piece of home.
Ray, thank you for coming.
Sam, thank you for aggressively listening.
DJ, thank you for helping us coordinate and clean our place.
Geno and Maritza, thank you for talking to us as a couple.
John and Michelle, you understood what it means to be in the hospital. Hospital socks were an extra special touch.
Scott, thank you for talking it out and giving me perspective about our suffering.
Margo, thank you for the CD and study. The CD can still make us cry.
Thank you for everyone who prayed for us, brought us meals, cleaned or decorated our house.
Juan, I still have your Pyrex dish. Thank you for being patient with us!
Gregory Gardens, thank you for the 100 rolls of tape, wonderful letters, and especially the origami crane mobile Natalie has it hanging in her room and we look at it every night.
Miss Danna, thank you for the special trips.
Lisa, thank you for watching out for us at school.
Terry and Art, thank you for the camera!
Mitel, thank you for the DS and games.
Thank you for all of you who donated blood.
There are so many other people we are grateful for and we apologize for not personally thanking everyone. We've thought about way more people than we have entered above, but we need to go to sleep so we can stay healthy.
For he is good.
Give thanks to the Lord,
His love endures forever.
Over the past week, we've been having a tough time dealing with all of the painful memories from last year. Every day reminds us of the events that happened a year ago, the week before Thanksgiving. But this morning we woke up grateful. Tammy and I are grateful to be sleeping next to each other in our own bed. We're excited about going down to Fresno to be with family. Tammy spent a good chunk of yesterday cooking up a storm.
What are we grateful for?
We're grateful for God for helping Natalie get better. She had her 6th checkup and she is still in remission. Dr. Clay, her oncologist, said that 6 months is a big deal and he was happy that we made it.
We're grateful to be together as a family. Yes, the kids fight more than we like, but they fought a bit in the hospital, too. The point is, we are home together.
We're grateful for our family:
Mom and dad, thank you for coming as soon as we needed you and listening when I needed you to.
Troy, thank you for praying.
Ma, thank you for watching Sean and spending nights in the hospital. I know it was hard for you.
Ba, thank you for letting ma help us. We know it is a big sacrifice.
Tracy, thank you for giving us a whole month. You helped us through a tough spot. Sei, Cameron, and Ava, thank you for letting your wife and mom go.
Dinny and Jason, thank you for spending your vacation on us. We needed all the help we could get.
Scott, thank you for coming and for the Cinnabons.
John, thank you for staying with Ma and playing with Sean. We worried constantly about Natalie and frequently about Sean. We didn't want him to be neglected and bounced around from people to people and place to place. Keeping him home with family relieved a great
pressure.
Natalie, thank you for being a trooper. You made the best of a terrible situation and you kept your spirit throughout the whole ordeal.
Sean, thank you for praying every night for Natalie. Thank you for vehemently reassuring your mom that Natalie is going to be all right.
Tammy, thank you for thinking of me even when there were so many other people and things to think about. You made me feel important.
Medical staff:
Dr. Clay, thank you for being sincere, honest, and optimistic.
Robin, thank you for the 2 minutes. If I had to pick my most positive healthcare experience ever, that would be it. We needed to know that someone would give us 2 minutes.
Dr. Matthay, thank you for your sense of humor.
Dr. Bannerjee, thank you for standing firm. We really wanted to go home, but you were right.
Amber, thank you for taking the initiative and cutting Natalie's hair. It hurt, but it needed to be done.
Felix, thank you for the candy.
Tatiana, thank you for the expert blood draws.
Nancy, thank you for always taking your time. You help us feel relaxed.
Dr. Smith, thank you for your youthful vigor and cheer.
Yolanda, thank you for all the elephant journeys, and especially for not being easily hurt. You'll make a great pediatrician.
Christine, thank you for teaching Natalie and Tammy to bead and for telling
us all the good restaurants around UCSF.
Friends:
Weizhu and Patty, thank you for teaching Natalie the recorder.
Zach and Becky, thank you for coming and playing Pokemon sushi with us.
Elbert, Stella, Jonathan, and Elliot, thank you, thank you, thank you for letting us share your house and washing machine and kitchen. A huge piece of home.
Ray, thank you for coming.
Sam, thank you for aggressively listening.
DJ, thank you for helping us coordinate and clean our place.
Geno and Maritza, thank you for talking to us as a couple.
John and Michelle, you understood what it means to be in the hospital. Hospital socks were an extra special touch.
Scott, thank you for talking it out and giving me perspective about our suffering.
Margo, thank you for the CD and study. The CD can still make us cry.
Thank you for everyone who prayed for us, brought us meals, cleaned or decorated our house.
Juan, I still have your Pyrex dish. Thank you for being patient with us!
Gregory Gardens, thank you for the 100 rolls of tape, wonderful letters, and especially the origami crane mobile Natalie has it hanging in her room and we look at it every night.
Miss Danna, thank you for the special trips.
Lisa, thank you for watching out for us at school.
Terry and Art, thank you for the camera!
Mitel, thank you for the DS and games.
Thank you for all of you who donated blood.
There are so many other people we are grateful for and we apologize for not personally thanking everyone. We've thought about way more people than we have entered above, but we need to go to sleep so we can stay healthy.
Update Finally!
For all our friends and family who may be wondering how we are doing, we apologize for taking so long to post an update since the last one we posted in September. Life just has a way of occupying all of our time and we forget that we have this blog to communicate with all of you.
We are doing well and Natalie's counts looked great on her last monthly UCSF visit in early November. That was the 6 month after treatment visit and her doctor said that it is really a milestone visit since it's been a full 6 months since she was released. She has also been in remission for almost a year. (Grant's note: Natalie's leukemia wasn't showing up after her first round of chemo, which was almost12 months ago. We wanted to go home, but the medical protocol is to complete the entire 5 rounds of chemo. You don't stop when it looks good, you keep hitting it so you're sure you get it all.)
Natalie's visits at UCSF will now be every other month for the next six months. After that, it becomes every 4 months. Yeah!! We took her to a fancy restaurant that night (The Duck Club in Lafayette) to celebrate. Natalie loves going to fancy restaurants because they make her feel special and she gets to dress up almost like a princess.
We also had our big Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyland in early October! We sent the link with pictures of that amazing trip to some of you, but if we miss anybody who would love to see the pictures, please let us know and we'll send the link to you. We had a wonderful time and Natalie's big smile in the pictures really sums up the trip. She had the time of her life. When she was in the makeover chair of the Bibbodi Bobbidi Boutique getting her princes makeover, I (Tammy) started tearing up just thinking about how far Natalie has come from her hospital days. She's so energetic and strong now that I forget that there were a lot of days she spent in the hospital listless and in pain. I have forgotten that she once was so skinny and malnourished that the hospital staff had to weigh her every day to make sure her weight did not drop too dangerously low. When I think of those days, there is a mixture of sadness and joy. The sadness comes because it's still very painful for us to remember our Natalie being so sick. The joy comes from the gratitude we feel for having our family back together again.
Grant's note: My high point of the trip was seeing Sean get picked for the Jedi Training Camp at Disneyland. Sean and I went when Tammy and Natalie were at the BBB (Bibbodi Bobbidi Boutique), but Sean didn't get picked to go up on stage. He sorta lost interest, so we walked out. Our friends told us that kids wearing Star Wars gear or holding up signs usually got called up on stage, so the next day, I went to work. I cut up Sean's Lego X-Wing box and folded it in half. The top still showed the X-Wing and on the bottom I wrote in big bold letters: The FORCE is with me! We got there early and sat in the front. I carefully pulled out the sign and got ready. Meanwhile, Tammy talked to one of the ushers and told them we were on a Make A Wish trip, but the ushers said the lead actor made the choices, so they couldn't promise anything. I held up the sign and prayed. When the lead actor started making his choices, Sean was the very first pick! I was super happy. Sean has suffered, too, and it is easy to forget him, but that was his show. He deserved it!
We almost have a normal life again, but not quite. With the intensive treatment Natalie got, her body is more sensitive than the average child to the environment around her. She's been having bad allergies, which she had around this time last year too. Her pediatrician referred us to a specialist since Natalie's health history is more complicated than a normal pediatric patient. The intersting thing is that the specialist turned out to be the same guy Grant goes to for his allergies. Natalie thought that was pretty funny that she shares the same doctor with her papa.
We also had to take Natalie and Sean out of school for the month of October until Natalie got her H1N1 vaccine. There were a couple of cases of the H1N1 virus at her school. After patiently calling around, we finally got her the vaccine right before Halloween. We were happy about that since she got to go trick-or-treating as Minnie Mouse! (Grant's note: Wow, I owe you pix from there, too.)
We are doing well and Natalie's counts looked great on her last monthly UCSF visit in early November. That was the 6 month after treatment visit and her doctor said that it is really a milestone visit since it's been a full 6 months since she was released. She has also been in remission for almost a year. (Grant's note: Natalie's leukemia wasn't showing up after her first round of chemo, which was almost12 months ago. We wanted to go home, but the medical protocol is to complete the entire 5 rounds of chemo. You don't stop when it looks good, you keep hitting it so you're sure you get it all.)
Natalie's visits at UCSF will now be every other month for the next six months. After that, it becomes every 4 months. Yeah!! We took her to a fancy restaurant that night (The Duck Club in Lafayette) to celebrate. Natalie loves going to fancy restaurants because they make her feel special and she gets to dress up almost like a princess.
We also had our big Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyland in early October! We sent the link with pictures of that amazing trip to some of you, but if we miss anybody who would love to see the pictures, please let us know and we'll send the link to you. We had a wonderful time and Natalie's big smile in the pictures really sums up the trip. She had the time of her life. When she was in the makeover chair of the Bibbodi Bobbidi Boutique getting her princes makeover, I (Tammy) started tearing up just thinking about how far Natalie has come from her hospital days. She's so energetic and strong now that I forget that there were a lot of days she spent in the hospital listless and in pain. I have forgotten that she once was so skinny and malnourished that the hospital staff had to weigh her every day to make sure her weight did not drop too dangerously low. When I think of those days, there is a mixture of sadness and joy. The sadness comes because it's still very painful for us to remember our Natalie being so sick. The joy comes from the gratitude we feel for having our family back together again.
Grant's note: My high point of the trip was seeing Sean get picked for the Jedi Training Camp at Disneyland. Sean and I went when Tammy and Natalie were at the BBB (Bibbodi Bobbidi Boutique), but Sean didn't get picked to go up on stage. He sorta lost interest, so we walked out. Our friends told us that kids wearing Star Wars gear or holding up signs usually got called up on stage, so the next day, I went to work. I cut up Sean's Lego X-Wing box and folded it in half. The top still showed the X-Wing and on the bottom I wrote in big bold letters: The FORCE is with me! We got there early and sat in the front. I carefully pulled out the sign and got ready. Meanwhile, Tammy talked to one of the ushers and told them we were on a Make A Wish trip, but the ushers said the lead actor made the choices, so they couldn't promise anything. I held up the sign and prayed. When the lead actor started making his choices, Sean was the very first pick! I was super happy. Sean has suffered, too, and it is easy to forget him, but that was his show. He deserved it!
We almost have a normal life again, but not quite. With the intensive treatment Natalie got, her body is more sensitive than the average child to the environment around her. She's been having bad allergies, which she had around this time last year too. Her pediatrician referred us to a specialist since Natalie's health history is more complicated than a normal pediatric patient. The intersting thing is that the specialist turned out to be the same guy Grant goes to for his allergies. Natalie thought that was pretty funny that she shares the same doctor with her papa.
We also had to take Natalie and Sean out of school for the month of October until Natalie got her H1N1 vaccine. There were a couple of cases of the H1N1 virus at her school. After patiently calling around, we finally got her the vaccine right before Halloween. We were happy about that since she got to go trick-or-treating as Minnie Mouse! (Grant's note: Wow, I owe you pix from there, too.)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Thursday Appointment
We've been busy transitioning Natalie and Sean to school that we haven't updated the blog as much as we want to.
Natalie had her monthly blood test and UCSF visit this past Thursday. We always hold our breath waiting for the results. Leukemia still feels like a monster, lurking persistently in our mind, looming over our life, threatening to re-enter it without warning. I'm hoping for the day that we no longer feel the proximity of it and it feels like it is so distant like another lifetime.
We were so happy to hear that Natalie's blood looks great. Hemoglobin is at 14, platelets are at 300,000 and ANC 4,000. We hope and pray it continues to stay strong and healthy for many, many, many years.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
Sean is really loving kindergarten. The school had their annual community parade yesterday. He was looking forward to that parade since last week. After so many years of watching is older sister in the parade, he would finally be in the parade. He kept asking me all through the week, "Are you thinking of what I'm thinking?"
"Probably not," I would reply to him. "What are you thinking?"
"The parade is on Friday!"
It was a joy to see him so happy that day.
Natalie is slowly getting used to school. She still has some awkward days where she feels sad that she is so different, but in general she is enjoying being back in school.
Natalie had her monthly blood test and UCSF visit this past Thursday. We always hold our breath waiting for the results. Leukemia still feels like a monster, lurking persistently in our mind, looming over our life, threatening to re-enter it without warning. I'm hoping for the day that we no longer feel the proximity of it and it feels like it is so distant like another lifetime.
We were so happy to hear that Natalie's blood looks great. Hemoglobin is at 14, platelets are at 300,000 and ANC 4,000. We hope and pray it continues to stay strong and healthy for many, many, many years.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
Sean is really loving kindergarten. The school had their annual community parade yesterday. He was looking forward to that parade since last week. After so many years of watching is older sister in the parade, he would finally be in the parade. He kept asking me all through the week, "Are you thinking of what I'm thinking?"
"Probably not," I would reply to him. "What are you thinking?"
"The parade is on Friday!"
It was a joy to see him so happy that day.
Natalie is slowly getting used to school. She still has some awkward days where she feels sad that she is so different, but in general she is enjoying being back in school.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Back To School
It was an emotional week in our house as both kids started their school year. Natalie's first day was a little rough as she did get some comments from her classmates about her hair. She was also very sad that most of her friends are in the other third grade class. She knows a lot of the boys in her class and they all were happy to see her back, but she really wanted to be with her girlfriends. We are working on helping her build new friendships with the other girls in her class. We were afraid that she would not want to go back to school after her first day, but she seems willing to keep going and overcome the different challenges. She inspires us so much with her spirit. We know it's hard for her and I was almost close to pulling her out of school if it was going to stress her too much. She seems to be doing so much better after Monday so I'm glad we hanged in there.
Sean loves kindergarten! On the first day of school, he was as cool as a cucumber. No tears at all. He had this look on his face like, "Okay, you can leave now. I'm all good." I was the one not knowing what to do with myself while both kids were in their classes. Sean comes home every day telling me how much fun he had at school.
Eileen and Gina from UCSF came to Natalie's school today to do their presentation for both of the third grade classes on cancer and how they can help Natalie transition back to school. Natalie was so happy to see both Eileen and Gina that she couldn't stop talking to both classes about her experience at UCSF. We were so grateful for the presentation and hope that they answered all the questions the kids have about Natalie. We hope both classes become like family to Natalie the way the hospital staff became like family to her as they go through her recovery with her this year.
Sean loves kindergarten! On the first day of school, he was as cool as a cucumber. No tears at all. He had this look on his face like, "Okay, you can leave now. I'm all good." I was the one not knowing what to do with myself while both kids were in their classes. Sean comes home every day telling me how much fun he had at school.
Eileen and Gina from UCSF came to Natalie's school today to do their presentation for both of the third grade classes on cancer and how they can help Natalie transition back to school. Natalie was so happy to see both Eileen and Gina that she couldn't stop talking to both classes about her experience at UCSF. We were so grateful for the presentation and hope that they answered all the questions the kids have about Natalie. We hope both classes become like family to Natalie the way the hospital staff became like family to her as they go through her recovery with her this year.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Preparing for School
Natalie got the green light to go back to school. Acutally, her doctors urged us to put her back in school because she's missed so much of her childhood already. We just have to be cautious with making sure Natalie washes her hands a lot in school and do the best we can to help her not get sick.
We met with her new principal a week ago to discuss the transition. She was really nice and supportive of providing whatever support is needed to help Natalie do well. She has been a principal for many years and Natalie is her first case of working with a child who had cancer. We are going to start with a reduced schedule for Natalie and see if she has the stamina to handle full days. This is a little scary for us all and we are going to need support and help to get through the transition.
If it was up to me, I would have Natalie stay home for another year just to make sure that she was good and ready to be back. By then, her hair will be long again and she would not have to hear the comments she hears all the time from kids now like, "Why did you cut your hair?" Also, she would be stronger physically.
Last night, one of her classmates rode his bike over to our house to see her. He lives one block from us and has seen Natalie ride her scooter in the evenings down his street. A couple of nights ago he tried to get her attention, but she didn't recognize him because she was riding her scooter really fast. It caught us by surprise to see this little blonde boy all by himself on a bicycle that was too big for him, asking, "Is she done with cancer?" Natalie was a little shy and also surprised that he knew where she lived. I told him that Natalie is done with her treatment and going back to school in a couple of weeks. He just smiled, turned his bicycle around, and said, " I have to go tell my mom!"
The truth is Natalie is nervous about how her classmates will react to her going back to school. Eileen (Natalie's child life specialist at the hosptial) has volunteered to come out to her class to explain to the kids where Natalie has been and what cancer is to help with Natalie's transition. This helps the kids to know that what Natalie had is not contagious and why her hair is short. Natalie wants her to come because she wants to see Eileen again. Just the mention of Eileen's name makes her smile. She also does not want to explain a million times to all her friends why her hair is short. She rather have Eileen do that.
Sean will also start kindergarten since Natalie is going back to school. He had his kindergarten assessment last Thursday and did great. The teacher who assessed him said to me afterwards, "He is amazing! He is totally ready for kindergarten and beyond. I can tell that you've worked a lot with him to get him ready." I told her that I really haven't done anything with him. I was even honest in his paperwork that his favorite toy is his DS and he does watch way more television than he should. In fact, he has seen practically every Pokemon movie that is out there. If she only knew where I've spent most of the last year of my life, she would've believed me.
My biggest challenge as a mom is to not hover over my children. I do feel guilty that I work. So every moment I have with them, I do hover. I realize one day last week that one of my job as a mom is to help my kids be independent adults one day. They can't really learn independence if I am constantly there. Natalie's principal even said me in our meeting last week that I need to not hover and let other people share in the joy of raising my children. So, I am going to try my best to not hover.
We'll keep you posted on how things go with going back to school.
On a different note, we do have a special request for all of Natalie's angels. We have a friend of the family who is battling pancreatic cancer. Her name is Terry Wise and she lives in Indiana. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly before Natalie was discharged from the hospital. She has her own blog on CarePages named, "Terry's Angels", which was inspired by Natalie's blog. We've been praying for her every day, but would like to lend some of Natalie's angels to pray for her too to win her battle with cancer.
We met with her new principal a week ago to discuss the transition. She was really nice and supportive of providing whatever support is needed to help Natalie do well. She has been a principal for many years and Natalie is her first case of working with a child who had cancer. We are going to start with a reduced schedule for Natalie and see if she has the stamina to handle full days. This is a little scary for us all and we are going to need support and help to get through the transition.
If it was up to me, I would have Natalie stay home for another year just to make sure that she was good and ready to be back. By then, her hair will be long again and she would not have to hear the comments she hears all the time from kids now like, "Why did you cut your hair?" Also, she would be stronger physically.
Last night, one of her classmates rode his bike over to our house to see her. He lives one block from us and has seen Natalie ride her scooter in the evenings down his street. A couple of nights ago he tried to get her attention, but she didn't recognize him because she was riding her scooter really fast. It caught us by surprise to see this little blonde boy all by himself on a bicycle that was too big for him, asking, "Is she done with cancer?" Natalie was a little shy and also surprised that he knew where she lived. I told him that Natalie is done with her treatment and going back to school in a couple of weeks. He just smiled, turned his bicycle around, and said, " I have to go tell my mom!"
The truth is Natalie is nervous about how her classmates will react to her going back to school. Eileen (Natalie's child life specialist at the hosptial) has volunteered to come out to her class to explain to the kids where Natalie has been and what cancer is to help with Natalie's transition. This helps the kids to know that what Natalie had is not contagious and why her hair is short. Natalie wants her to come because she wants to see Eileen again. Just the mention of Eileen's name makes her smile. She also does not want to explain a million times to all her friends why her hair is short. She rather have Eileen do that.
Sean will also start kindergarten since Natalie is going back to school. He had his kindergarten assessment last Thursday and did great. The teacher who assessed him said to me afterwards, "He is amazing! He is totally ready for kindergarten and beyond. I can tell that you've worked a lot with him to get him ready." I told her that I really haven't done anything with him. I was even honest in his paperwork that his favorite toy is his DS and he does watch way more television than he should. In fact, he has seen practically every Pokemon movie that is out there. If she only knew where I've spent most of the last year of my life, she would've believed me.
My biggest challenge as a mom is to not hover over my children. I do feel guilty that I work. So every moment I have with them, I do hover. I realize one day last week that one of my job as a mom is to help my kids be independent adults one day. They can't really learn independence if I am constantly there. Natalie's principal even said me in our meeting last week that I need to not hover and let other people share in the joy of raising my children. So, I am going to try my best to not hover.
We'll keep you posted on how things go with going back to school.
On a different note, we do have a special request for all of Natalie's angels. We have a friend of the family who is battling pancreatic cancer. Her name is Terry Wise and she lives in Indiana. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly before Natalie was discharged from the hospital. She has her own blog on CarePages named, "Terry's Angels", which was inspired by Natalie's blog. We've been praying for her every day, but would like to lend some of Natalie's angels to pray for her too to win her battle with cancer.
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