Well, the day for the sun to rise has finally come... Sammy is off treatment. Strangely, I didn't leap to the computer to share it with you all as soon as it happened. In fact, I have avoided this blog for quite some time. I am not sure why...I just didn't want to post anything.
I do have fun moments to share:
We went pumpkin picking at our usual farm and had fun before treatment was over.
During week two of the last cycle, we journeyed to Maryland for Cousin David's wedding with the beautiful Chesapeake Bay as a backdrop .
The boys enjoyed the hotel pool! Sammy perfected his handstands :)
Then came the final dose of Mercaptopurine. I never thought this would come. I captured the moment on camera...felling strange for wanting to. First I had to crush the pills...
This is our box of poisons medicines....the entire drawer is filled!
Once the pills were crushed, I mixed them with coke...once the white powder was hardly visible, it was time to drink it on down.
Nothing like drinking in your sleep. Sammy actually doesn't remember most nights.
To celebrate, balloons and gifts awaited the boys on the final day of chemo...Sam would be going into the clinic for his final dose of Methotrexate. Jack wanted to get up early with him to cheer him on.
Leslie came with goodies: A big box of donuts and juice to celebrate!
Megan had to have a hug!
The following day, a surprise awaited us....the entire school (and most of the district) donned the orange Superman Sammy t.shirts again to cheer Sammy at the end of treatment. We walked out to the playground to a sea of orange and chants of "Sammy..Sammy". Amazing and very emotional!
So now it is over...except it really isn't. While we feel very lucky, we still have a long time before Sam is five years clear. We still have to draw blood and hope nothing shows up in it every month. We still have to force medicine into Sam to protect him as his body is still weakened from the chemo. We still have to have heart, major organ, and cognitive testing done to see how Sam is doing.
I don't know if I will blog all of this...I hope I do....but for now I just want to put things as far behind me as I can. Of course I can't do that really....next week is the big Light the Night walk....it means so much to us and raises MUCH needed funds for fighting blood cancers. I will never stop raising money to find a cure...to beat cancer....to know other children do not have to go through what my beautiful little boy went through. It has been a LONG ROAD indeed!
We all walk the long road...and you have all been so brave on this journey. Wishing you well and looking forward to walking by your side next weekend.
ReplyDeletexo
S
Oh, gosh, when I read the note you wrote to Jack, I started crying and then just cried more through the rest of the post. What an amazing family you are. I know you would have given anything to have avoided this challenge, but once faced with it, you all have been so brave. It's so clear that you helped BOTH boys move ahead with their lives with compassion and courage.
ReplyDeleteYou have lots to celebrate! As for the future, it isn't here and no one knows what it will bring for any of us.
I hope that if you wind down on this blog, you will stay somewhere in blog world, and in any case, I hope you will continue to stay in touch with me through my blog or through email.
Cheers and hugs to all.
All the very very best,
Galen
Shannon, I am so looking forward to walking with you on Saturday. You have helped me walk this road and it means so much to be that you are there for the walk of all walks...the one where we are done! xxx
ReplyDeleteGalen, Thank you! I will always be around reading your blog, and I will be in the blogosphere for sure. I think Superman Sammy will continue for a while :) xxx