Redo

Yep, he gets to do it again. 

He's spending the day with the one and only.

   

And apparently stopping to help Bo Jackson find his golf ball.  
https://twitter.com/jscukanec

Update

Little League keeps our family busy indeed. I haven't had time to update the blog like I would hope it seems. 

Friday was a great day! I got a call from Megan and her voice was lively and excited. It was SO nice to hear! Finally some good news! Her numbers (immune system) are on the rise! She only needs chemo 2x per week for now. She still needs her lps unfortunately and it sounds like absolutely no fun, but for now things are slowly improving.

JR had a walk off win Friday night and it was wonderful!  We were up 9-0 in the bottom of the 5th and the other team came back and was actually beating us.  JR scored the walk off and the umpire told us it was the best game he's been a part of in a long time.

I've been pondering end of year school gifts for the teachers. Because our school burned down, the teachers lost all previous gifts we have given them. I'm considering a re-do on one or both of these.

End of April Update

Oh my little mother.

She never ceases to amaze me. For someone who is not physically well at all herself, she is summoning the strength from somewhere to take care of a sick little girl and a boy who needs her time and attention.

It made me angry after graduating from college and moving away.  She was in Spokane and had basically been abandoned there in my opinion.  Left without a companion, left with a diagnosis of breast cancer, 2 kids - one of which she was beginning homeschooling and the other special needs, no car and no family to speak of nearby. She took the bus to radiation and chemo and I have absolutely no idea how she did it.

She's a mom, that's how she did it. I haven't always agreed with her decisions, but I will say she rallies around her children....always.

I find myself feeling guilty that I can step away and go to a baseball game or have a pause from this reality, when my mom is living it 24 hours a day.   Her time commitments at her age is still to her children who need full time care.  A mothers job is never done I suppose.

***Slow and steady is the update with Megan. Sorry for the lack of updates - we are in Little League season with both boys. She is receiving chemo 4x per week. It's a ton of driving back and forth for my mom to Portland. Sometimes two trips a day - 40 minutes each way. She has had some critical issues with Magnesium recently. She continues to receive blood, platelets, Magnesium and 4 types of chemo 4x per week. This will continue for the next 8 months if all goes well.  She has LPs (Lumbar Punctures) every week for some of the chemo and it's not fun.**

Amba Amba

For some reason, the Lord has blessed me in my life with one of the dearest friends a girl could ask for.

We became friends at the age of 5 in West Seattle. I fell and cut my knee when visiting my Aunt and needed a Band-Aid. 35 years later we are still friends. It's hard to believe she turns 40 today and I will follow next month.

She's the kind of friend who really knows everything about me. She knows the ins and outs of my life. I don't have to go back and explain anything to her because she's been there all along and she already knows - even if she's all the way in Texas.

We've been through so much together - really tough times and really great times (that's a whole other post).  She is the most amazing woman I have ever known. I hope in my lifetime that I can be half the mother and friend she is.

It always makes me think of the Campfire motto - make new friends, keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.

She will always be gold to me.

  

This was in Arizona on one of our many adventures - two 20 year old girl driving across the country by themselves.  Not quite Thelma & Louise, but oh the stories we could tell!!!

My Partner in Crime

Megan is officially in remission!

ALL remission is a little different than what I understood cancer remission was. ALL patients can have 100 billion leukemia cells. If induction therapy kills at least 99% of these cells, you are considered in remission. This means 100 million leukemia cells can still be in the body however and can cause a relapse.

This remission means moving from Phase I - Induction therapy to Phase II - Consolidation Therapy. This is 4-8 months of intense chemotherapy. Phase III can begin after this if she stays in remission and can last 2-3 years.

Megan has chemo and an LP today, so I am working from home and my partner in crime (Jesse) is spending the day with me. He is watching Roseanne and his little tv tray of tricks is set up with his dvd player, Dukes of Hazzard DVDs, a Coke and some pepperoni.

He SO reminds me of Rainmain when talking about my mom coming to pick him up this afternoon.

"Uh oh, fifteen minutes to Judge Wapner."

 

Oh the Joys

Which one of these is NOT happy to be taking this picture? 

 Yes, that would be my teenage son.

He's also even less thrilled that the Mariners put it up on the big screen after his Dad tweeted it out.

At least he finally has a shirt to match those yellow Jason Kidd Nikes!

Back to the Grind

Megan will be heading back for a 5 day stint in the hospital tomorrow as she starts Chemo for the Consolidation phase of her treatment.

Still waiting for bone marrow results.

**She is in the Knight Cancer Institute (as in Phil Knight). My mom was very touched when they left, Megan was given an awesome pink Nike bag full of goodies - including candy, water bottle, etc.) How awesome would it be to donate a gift of over $100 Million to help people?**