Day 8 - We're Home!

     After a week in the hospital we're all finally back home!  While that definitely makes us happy, now the weight of the steroid treatments falls squarely on Cristy and I.  Speaking of those, Evan now has mood swings which is very out of character for him.  The doctors assured us he would return back to normal after the 28 day cycle of these drugs.  In the meantime I have a mini-Hulk to contend with.

Welcome home Evan!
(Banner compliments of Hannah and Matthew)

     Sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of our friends who have reached out, offered support, provided encouragement and been there for my family in our time of need.  I do consider myself a lucky person because of the family bonds and close friendships we have with so many people.  We arrived home to a nice banner, a home cooked meal and fresh cut grass thanks to Hannah and Matthew and a dinner delivered to the house compliments of friends from work (Alonzo, Jody and anyone else I may not be aware of).  These are just a few of the many, many kind gestures that folks have provided.

The music director seeing us off.

     For the next month we'll have chemo and lab appointments weekly.  To my surprise apparently this will make Evan's fluids "toxic" for 48 hours after his sessions.  While that's challenging enough it's even harder with a soon-to-be two year old running around the house.  We certainly have our work cut out for us!  During this time contact with his urine, fecal matter or saliva can cause us to absorb the chemo giving us the same side effects.  If you see me walking around with a Mr. Clean hairdo it's likely because I've been splashing around in the toilet.
     Looking forward to a good night of sleep and hoping that I can get my health back under control.  With any luck we can get a few uneventful weeks under our belts to help ease our nerves a bit.
     On one hand there's no place like home, but on the other we really did enjoy the hospitality of CHoA.  If you're ever looking for a worthwhile cause to donate to I can think of no better place.  I'm going to actively see what I can do to be more involved and offer up more of my time to such a noble and life changing organization.  All the kids fight like hell and even something as small as purchasing dinner or breakfast makes a big difference.  I walk away with a much different mindset of how these sort of places operate.

     My young warrior is smiling now and hope that he keeps the same positive attitude that he's had throughout this ordeal.  He's building so much character and I couldn't be prouder of him.
   

It's time to go home.