AJ and Lego creations
We’re about a month and a half into maintenance and Adrian is doing well. Overall maintenance is much easier on him, but it hasn’t been without a few hiccups. In mid-January, AJ caught a stomach virus that made him violently ill for several hours (vomiting and fever). It passed quickly and he felt better within a few hours, but because he is a cancer patient it is something that Children’s Hospital takes very seriously (rightly so), so he was admitted to the hospital and monitored for 48 hours. While he was in the hospital, Camille also caught the virus and spent an entire night vomiting, basically mirroring what had happened to AJ the previous evening. After Camille had it, it made its way to Sarah, although Sarah had a much milder version. Brian was the only one spared, thankfully, since one of us had to be with AJ at the hospital.
After that episode, things started to get back to normal at our house. We went to Portland for a weekend to celebrate the birthdays of Rowan and Mateo, AJ and Camille’s 4-year old twin cousins. It was the first time AJ had been out of the Seattle area since his diagnosis, and both kids had a good time. AJ also started back at school on February 1, and he really loves his pre-K class.
However, being around kids in a classroom setting has a few drawbacks, one of them being that he is exposed to more germs. He caught a minor cold that started last Friday, but by Sunday afternoon he had developed a fever and complained that his ear hurt. So, given the protocol that we have to follow, this required a visit to the emergency room. It was quickly discovered that it was an ear infection related to the cold, so he was given a round of IV antibiotics as well as oral antibiotics and we were sent home. Of course, any visit to the emergency room takes forever, so the whole process took about 4 ½ hours. So, that’s how AJ and Sarah spent Superbowl Sunday. Turns out the cold was RSV, a common respiratory virus. He seems to be doing just fine now, as his ear isn’t bothering him and his fever is gone. We were told to expect that he would catch some minor bugs upon being reintroduced to school, but this will help his immune system build back up and it should get easier.
Aside from the two illnesses, AJ really is doing much better. He has a lot of energy and is starting to look like his old self. His hair is growing back and he looks like he has a buzz cut. He recently has become obsessed with Legos. Around Christmas-time we bought him a Lego advent calendar where he would open a new toy each day during the holidays. This started peaking his interest, then Brian’s parents brought all of Brian’s old Legos to the house and passed them on to AJ. Think thousands of bricks. This really started stimulating his imagination, and he can literally spend hours building things. We have bought him several sets that are for 6-12 or 7-12 year olds and he can build them all by himself. He is also spending a lot of time writing and drawing, and has become quite the artist. He is truly an amazing boy.
If all continues to go well we are considering a Disneyland vacation later this spring. We had to miss our annual Hawaii vacation this year, so we are due for some R&R!
We continue to hope and pray for the best for AJ. While the chance of relapse is low, it certainly weighs on our minds and it likely will for years to come. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts. Only 30 more months of treatment to go…
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