Georgie’s Journey

George had another round of chemo today. He managed to avoid any negative side effects once again. It is mild chemo so that is normal that he not really feel it very much. His drs say that he is doing really well at this point. He is having some skin irritations behind his knees which is odd and had a mild rash yesterday on his legs but the rash cleared up on its own and we are lubricating his legs in hopes that this may clear up as well. My girls stopped by for a minute in the hall today and I gowned  and masked them all up and they were each able to give him a hug for the first time since this all began. It was a sweet sight to see. Bowers and George have a cute little bond and so she was especially excited for the contact. Although the whole encounter lasted less then a minute I am certain that it lasted all day in their hearts.  We decided to open up a new toy this afternoon. It is called Aqua Magic. Boy was this thing cool. Zero mess and tons of fun. This will be a favori...

Today was another great day for George. He felt wonderful all day and continues to have a good appetite. This is a constant concern with children in transplant but so far he hasn’t slowed down on his eating and has maintained his weight. I was able to slip out this morning to take Bowers to her 2nd grade orientation at Fishweir Elementary. It was such a nice treat for me to be able to be there with her and meet her teacher. This is going to be a great year for Bowers. God has a plan for all of my children and He knew exactly the teacher to place her with. She has so many sweet kids in her class too. I am so excited for this year as she navigates being a second grader. George decided with all of his spare time that he should catch up on some of his summer reading. He sure does love a good book. And I sure do love independent playtime.

George is now back on chemo for 4 days. This has nothing to do with his progress it is just something they have to do to make sure his old cells don’t try and push Kate’s out. It is not as strong as the one he was on before so there should be little to no side effects. Since he did so well on the intense stuff I am hoping this will be easy on him and only for it to be doing it’s exact job of keeping old George’s cells kicked to the curb.  When people go through certain trials in their lives it tends to make them want to pursue a career in that field of work. Who knows, George may chose to be a dr or nurse one day to be able to help other children in their need. For now however he seems to be going down a different career path. As it stands today, he will be pursuing the construction and or fireman route. I am certain he will excel at these since he has had ample training. He will be available for internships over the summer of 2020 if anyone is looking.  Today was another grea...

George woke up smiling and ready to take on day one as his new self. Tests from over night came back and were excellent. Kate’s marrow will not really start kicking in for another few weeks but his levels were all fantastic. He is eating great and full of energy. It is a rainy day today but despite the gloom outside our window, the energy and mood inside our tiny little room is sunny. We played many new made up games that showed me that I can be creative when forced to. We made tape balls from medical tape and bowled using tiny plastic dinosaurs. We had construction cone tossing contests. We raced his battery operated horse against his fire truck. And now to round off the day we will do what everyone must do on a stormy afternoon. Eat chips and watch a movie. Although it is early in the whole process, today I can happily report that new George is thriving. Thank you Lord for another fun day I got to spend with my playful and healthy little guy.

Today we celebrate George’s new birthday. Today he has received Kate’s marrow and now is her identical DNA match. It was, and still is, a long day. The whole process takes 8 hours and he was monitored the entire time. Because of all of the different medicines they have to give him for this plus the new cells entering his body, George was very grumpy to say the least. Think terrible twos on steroids. Well that is actually accurate because he is on steroids. Anyway, the most wonderful thing happened this afternoon. The staff came in from Dreams Come True and decorated his entire room for a birthday party. Then every single doctor on the floor, every single nurse and every single worker came into the room dressed up and in a parade and sang happy birthday to him and brought him a bunch of presents and a large banner with a sweet note from each and everyone. I was brought to my knees in tears and disbelief. This was honestly the most thoughtful thing that these strangers who are now my new...

Kate went in for her Bone Marrow extraction this morning. She smiled the whole way into the operating room and was smiling the second she woke up. She immediately asked for the icee that was promised to her and then promptly ordered her lunch. She has been coloring and watching movies and playing with her Barbie dolls all day. Not a complaint out of her mouth. This girl was made to be catered to. She was spoiled by family, friends and teachers as well as her nurses both in the operating room and her hospital room. God sure knew what he was doing when he chose her to be George’s match. I wanted to thank everyone who reached out and for all who prayed for us today. It is so touching to know how many people care for our family. It is humbling to say the least.  Tomorrow George will receive her marrow through an IV drip. Specific prayers for tomorrow are that her blood is totally and completely accepted by his body. The next few weeks are suppose to be very hard on him. Apparently this...

Today was the last day of Chemo, for now. He will have to have two more Rounds after his transplant but very mild ones. He did it!!! Praise the Lord that this portion is over. Still in shock that he made it through the whole thing without any noticeable side effects. God protected him and kept him strong through each day.   Tomorrow is the big day for our Kate. She arrives at the crack of dawn to undergo her 3 hour surgery to harvest her bone marrow. They will go in through her hips and take around 9oz. We need prayers for her safety through this procedure. Pray for no infections and no complications for her. Pray for no contamination in the marrow as it is being harvested so that George can get the most pure and perfect cells. Pray for courage for Kate. She is excited but I know when she gets here tomorrow she will be nervous and a little scared. She has a tender little heart. Tomorrow is the day that we will have two of our three children in the hospital. Tomorrow is a day for r...