Let me start by reiterating exactly what Matt said in his post last night. THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU some more! We wish we could have attended both events (Peter would love to have skated around in Irish territory.) We were so happy, however, that Peter and our girls were able to get out and have lots of fun with so many friends from the community. They had a wonderful time playing, running around with friends, shooting hockey pucks and eating great food (umm, I don’t think any of them tried the crickets!)
After Sunday’s event, Grandma and Grandpa Hanson took the girls to their home in Crosslake, and Grandma Mary, Ty, Peter and I (and Peter’s cousin Macy!) headed for the cities, anticipating an early start Monday morning. We had to be at the Masonic Cancer Center (clinic right next to the hospital) at 7:30am for labs to assure Peter was ready to start Round 5 of his chemo. We actually went up to 5B thinking they were OK, only to find out his ANC (absolute neutrophil count) was too low… bummer! We were there most of the day anyway because they were testing Peter’s kidney function. The chemo drugs can cause damage to the kidneys so they are monitoring to see if they need to revise the doses at all (no results back on this yet). Ty headed back to Brainerd for hockey and Peter and I decided it was easier to stay here until we go back early Wednesday morning to try again. I believe this is just the reality of getting further into his treatment. Peter had almost 3 full weeks to recover this time and the counts were still not quite there, so the cumulative effect is starting to show a little. Either way, it’s probably for the best because he does have a cold, and I’d rather he be at his best when he starts each round. In addition to starting his 5th round on Wednesday (knock on wood!) he will have another hearing test. This, too, can be a side effect and they did a baseline test before he started his treatments, so we’ll find out if he’s experiencing any hearing loss thus far. I’m pretty sure he’s suffering from some hearing loss – the kind where he can’t hear most things his mother says. Anyway…
A journal of Peter’s journey
Erika and family~
First off – I am glad to hear that my girls aren’t the only two who suffer from SHL…. “Selective Hearing Loss” !!! 🙂 How many times must I repeat myself? I seriously think that when I speak, I am the only one who hears! If the doctors have a cure for this “disorder”…. please pass it on!!! (I don’t know about you – but sometimes even my oldest child {a.k.a – my husband, Ryan} seems to suffer from SHL, too!!) Anyway….
Yes – the benefit for Peter was absolutely amazing… everytime I made the circle from Bingo, to Tic-Tac-Toe and back again to the dining hall, I swear there were 100 more people shouldered up to one another. The love felt within that building on Sunday night was overwhelmingly strong…. and it’s all for the love of a beautiful 4 year old boy. It gives me the chills…
Bummer that round 5 was delayed…. but, it is absolutely more important that you think of Peter’s health and well being rather than “staying on schedule”! I think once you have kids life has no schedule anyway!!! Just like Aesops fable – the tortoise and the hare…. “SLOW and STEADY WINS the RACE.”
We will definetly continue to pray and to hope and to dream big dreams for Peter…. with a team as GIGANTIC as your’s, how can you not WIN??
With love and never ending prayers~
Jenni, Ryan, Emily, Lily and Parker
Hi Peter, I wish I could have attended the event in Brainerd. I did go to Tmbermist before the event occured and was so taken aback at all the peple working so hard on the event. I really met some wonderful people. I just wanted to make sure you had a few things before you took to the cities. I hope you enjoy your blanket. Share some hats with others at the hospital. Heads can get awfully cold this time of year. I found that if I slept in a hat the rest of my body stayed pretty warm. So if you are cold, wrap up in your new sports blanket and put on a matching hat. Let your sisters pick out a few too. I will give a call on Wednesday to see how you are doing. Talk to you soon.
Your friend and survivor,
Bambi
Dear Peter and family, i am sorry I missed the party on Sunday evening. I heard reports from Kelly Engle and Yvonne. I am so glad that you enjoyed the time with your friends. We are all praying for you. Stay strong and keep fighting those bad guys. God Bless, Cheryl Bailey
Erika – Boy oh boy – you guys must have been exhausted by the time you crawled in bed on Sunday night!!! Sorry to hear round #5 has been delayed; there is a reason for everything. I hope the tests come back favorably, and that the show can go on tomorrow!! We’ll keep positive thoughts flowing for you all!!