Thursday, September 20, 2007

Back Home

We came back home on Tuesday. Jamey was so happy to be here! He went right to his room and played with legos (his favorite all-time toy) for a very LONG time. I think the hardest part of going to the hospital for Jamey is the lack of privacy. In the first place, we are always with him. He is never alone. Second, the bathrooms don't have locks, etc. It's really difficult for him. He's home now, though, and that makes him happy.

His body is feeling pretty good, except that Jamey has terrible sores in his mouth from his braces right now. The chemo that he took in the hospital has the tendency to give mouth sores. I think his cheek and gums are so tender (the cells in them), that his braces are cutting into his mouth. Poor thing! He's having a really difficult time eating and talking.

In spite of all this, Jamey is keeping his spirits up right now. He's such a good guy.

We met a couple of other families while we were in the hospital. It just reinforces my knowledge that we are SO LUCKY. One family came in and their son had been misdiagnosed at one hospital, then diagnosed corectly with leukemia several days later at another hospital. Because of all the delay, the child's white blood cell count was very high. That's more difficult to cure. Jamey was diagnosed by a BRILLIANT emergency room doctor at Shady Grove Hospital very quickly.

Another family also came in this past weekend. Their son goes to the school where Jamey will go next year, and their son was also diagnosed with leukemia. They were waiting to see what kind of leukemia it is. ALL is the easiest leukemia to cure, so we were hoping the boy has that kind. Unfortunately, he doesn't. He has the more aggressive type of leukemia, which means that he needs to stay in the hospital for the next 6-8 months, and perhaps get a bone marrow transplant. That is really difficult for the child.

Our hearts and prayers go out to these lovely families. We hope all ends up well.

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