Catching Up

Kait:  It is absolutely incredible how quickly Jake has recovered from chemo. He is back to the spunky, playful, adventurous, sharp, and thoughtful little boy he was almost a year ago.  Is it really possible that this year of agony is forgotten in his mind?  We know it isn't all forgotten because he still asks things like "Do I have a poke today?" and "Do I have to go to the hospital today?"  I think it will be a little while before what became his normal routine fades from memory.  

In case you don't follow us on facebook, this is what has been going on:  

On September 5, 2013, Jake had his last chemo infusion of vincristine. 

On September 16, 2013, Jake spiked a fever and since his port was still in we had to take him to the emergency room.  A fever can turn into something much worse in a hurry.  It was 2am on September 17, 2013 when we got there and they accessed his port,  gave him an antibiotic and Tylenol, and checked his blood for infection.  No serious infection was found so he was released at 5am.  His post treatment scans were scheduled for 7am (two hours from then) so we slept in the ER room and then made our way to radiology.  

He had to drink some contrast and was given the isotope for his PET and CT scans.  He was sedated and the scans took about an hour. Next was X-rays of his chest and left leg.  Then he had an appointment with his oncologist to check blood counts.  Next was an echocardiogram to check for heart damage from the chemo.  We then went back to the oncologist and we were told that we could schedule his port removal at our convenience and the preliminary results of the scans were all clear - no evidence of disease!  On the drive home the oncologist called to tell us that the scans had been read in their entirety and they were officially all clear.  Even the echo showed no signs of heart damage.   This was the news we had been hoping and praying for for so long, and honestly it was surreal. We have been in this fight for ten months and all of a sudden we were released.  

On October 1, 2013, Jake had surgery to remove his port. We had to be at the hospital at 6am and he was taken back for surgery at 8:40am. The surgery went very well and only took about an hour for him to be back to us from recovery. This was the final piece of the puzzle for complete freedom from the hospital. Now if he gets sick he can go to his pediatrician like any normal kid.  Even his hair has started growing back!  

We are very excited because Jake's wish to go to Disney World is being granted by Make-a-Wish this month.  We are going to have an amazing vacation and we cannot wait!  We are also going to get to visit Jake's Great Grandpa and Great Grandma on the way home.  

Our next milestone will be seeing Jake's surgeon on November 1, 2013. We are hoping that Jake will be cleared to go back to physical therapy to start learning to walk again.  I can't wait to be able to hold my little boy's hand as we walk side by side. That is something I have missed so much.