Colin Loves Tractors » Aidan

Happy Mother’s Day

Mom — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:51:57 +0000

Mother’s Day is billed as an opportunity for fathers and children to express their gratitude for the other 364 days a year that mothers devote to their families. However, I see it as yet another day to appreciate the two beautiful children that I have had the privilege of taking care of and getting to [...]

Winding Down*

Mom — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:53:06 +0000

Our family’s time at St. Jude is drawing to a close. On Friday, April 16, Colin had his last MRI before he goes home. The suspected tumor, as we hoped/anticipated, remains stable, and the spinal scans are still clear. Furthermore, the blood clot has resolved significantly, with some pieces remaining and very good blood flow [...]

Prepare the Photon Torpedoes

Mom — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:22:22 +0000

With the family reunited and Colin enjoying his time out of the hospital, we are getting ready to move on to the next phase of treatment.

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Colin will get an MRI on Friday morning to assess how effectively surgery removed the remaining tumor and come up with a treatment plan.

The [...]

Out of the Nest

Mom — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:20:12 +0000

Colin Mugging for the Camera at Le Bonheur (Post-Ops)

Our little fledgling has returned to Target House for good, following his last inpatient stay at St. Jude (barring unexpected events, of course).

While we will spend every week day at St. Jude, our trips to the second floor will be restricted to social calls. This milestone [...]

Home Sweet St. Jude

Mom — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:44:36 +0000

Life doesn’t offer real do-overs, but there are times when an experience follows the parallel track of something that has come before. Returning to St. Jude after less than a week at Le Bonheur, I had the feeling that I was given the opportunity to completely repeat the past but improved in every way.

Rewind

When we [...]

Eyes on the Prize

Mom — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Our little Hoss ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 18

Colin tries to do some damage on yogurt.

Colin’s habit of throwing us for a loop has continued unabated. Although blood cultures from the 12th did not produce anything, cultures from the 13th did. In a nutshell, Dr. Boop will not do a surgery, especially one that is [...]

The Best Laid Plans…

Mom — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:12:59 +0000

With surgery set for Wednesday, Monday was a big prep day for Colin, but he demonstrated yet again that our careful planning can be rendered irrelevant by the result of a single blood culture. In short, Colin does not head to Le Bonheur for surgery, not yet at least. As it stands, his surgery has [...]

Cancer Rock Star

Mom — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:26:22 +0000

Colin Outgrows His Bed ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 4

Colin's antics with his hospital bed forced us to reconsider the wisdom of using an adult bed and put him back in a crib. This was taken on the day of his admission for chemo day 8 on the final round.

Last week, I made a foray [...]

Last Stop, Pukesville!

Mom — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:19:24 +0000

The chemo train is taking Colin on a trip to Pukesville. Next station, Emesis Valley. Making local stops at East Heavetown and Upper Hurlbury! Discounted fare available with Zofran, Benadryl, Ativan and Reglan.

Cisplatin is the usual suspect with severe nausea and vomiting, and we have been bracing ourselves for this since the end of the last [...]

Marathon, Not a Sprint

Mom — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:25:03 +0000

We and others have often commented that cancer treatment is a marathon, not a sprint. Today, the literal marathon supporting St. Jude took place, including a half-marathon and the 5K that I participated in. The connection between treatment and the marathon is more than casual, something that we observed and felt first hand through the course [...]